Running Around, Running Aground

And just suddenly, one day, I was lying there in my bed, unable to move,”

shared one.

There I was, on my bathroom floor, at 2 am in the morning; cold, crying and wondering why I was in the state I was in,”

shared another.

I was angsty. I realized how work caused me to give of the worst of myself to my loved one,”

recounted yet another.

These were the experiences of different individuals, who shared their experiences battling burnout at the 33rd session of Wedge. I was indeed humbled to also be given an opportunity to offer my sharing of my tips and trips overcoming burnout.

Set in a heritage-rich space and organized by Green Is The New Black, the evening saw people from all walks of life coming together to share conversations about the rarely-discussed topic of burnout. Even though I was slated to share my story and message, I gained much as I listened and as I chatted with others.

I have come to realize that despite what we do in our day jobs, the causes we fight for and which part of the burnout spectrum we are on, the common thread that linked stories of overcoming burnout was one of the deep discovery of the why of us driving ourselves so hard at work. Or at least, that seemed to be the case for the 3 speakers who jetted around as consultants, travelled to Antarctica, run a climate change movement, write a book, help relieve pain, designed pillows, train volunteers and give talks.

As I clicked through my slides, I was helping to remind everyone in the room (and myself yet again) of our “human-ness”; we all have needs to work, rest and play; to be loved, to be valued and to belong; to have meaning and to thrive. Because at the end of the day, if we keep running on empty, even the most high-flying individual will run aground.

Special thanks to Green is the New Black for putting together the evening and for having me as part of the evening. I was able to listen in and learn from the various sharing of bite-sized wedges of wisdom.

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James Lim

James is the Lead Thrive-Synergist & Founder of Emmaus Strategies; a social enterprise that “fuels good”. It does this through Mental Well-Being programmes for individuals and organizations, as well as Strategic Volunteer Partnerships consultancy and training for non-profits.