Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has seemingly boundless energy, and a demanding workload as a member of Congress — and even she deals with burnout.
Earlier this month, the the 32-year-old congresswoman took to Instagram to describe her experiences with burnout “in really big episodes and smaller episodes too.” Out of necessity, Ocasio-Cortez wrote in an Oct. 16 Instagram story, she developed personal strategies to help herself cope.
Burnout results from chronic workplace stress that’s not successfully managed, according to the World Health Organization. It’s characterized by three symptoms:
a lack of professional efficacy
Ocasio-Cortez wrote that she likes to think of burnout as a cup that represents “your whole self and humanity.” There are some activities in life that empty your cup, like caregiving or working, and others that fill it, like spending time with friends or cooking a nice meal.
In a perfect world, you can find a healthy balance between pouring from and filling up your cup, and your workplace is structured in an anti-burnout way.
“But when you are so obligated to fulfill mentally, physically, spiritually or emotionally demanding work that it crowds out ANY time or energy for you to do the things that fill your cup, your cup runs bone dry — this is burnout,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
Her analysis is spot-on, Chicag-based burnout management coach Emily Ballesteros tells CNBC Make It. And, Ballesteros says, Ocasio-Cortez’s four tips for healing from burnout are worth recommending too
Indulge and reenergize
Start by prioritizing activities that will replenish the depleted areas of your life. “Filling your cup is your job now,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
For example, if you’re physically exhausted, catch up on sleep and rest. Or if you’re emotionally drained, Ocasio-Cortez recommends making a list of “things you selfishly want to do just for you,” she wrote. Go on a hike, write in a journal, take a yoga class, get your nails done or visit a museum.
Once you’ve established what you want to do, put it on your calendar and cancel any conflicts, Ocasio-Cortez wrote. If you don’t get ahead of your emptying cup, the burnout will get harder to manage down the line.
Ballesteros recommends a similar exercise: Color-code how you spend the hours of your day, with red signifying depleting responsibilities and green representing activities that refill you.
“Balance will look different in different seasons of life,” Ballesteros tells CNBC Make It. “But if your schedule is entirely red, then consider it a literal red flag to you that things need to change.”
