Career burnout can happen at any time for a variety of reasons. Sometimes outside life events can create chaos at our work due to our inability to multitask our responsibilities and emotions. There is nothing wrong with asking for help or taking time off for yourself, but at some point, you may need to reassess your priorities and figure out how to move forward with your life.
Many people often change jobs, even careers, after a traumatic experience or when you reach a point where you realize you are unhappy with your status at work. A death in the family, divorce, or even moving can trigger feelings of burnout in your current occupation. It's important to acknowledge it and work through it without making any rash decisions that can affect your longevity and livelihood. The best way to do that is by processing what you are feeling by journaling and taking a step back to weigh your options.
Here are 44 journal prompts that help with career burnout:
In what ways do I contribute to my own burnout?
In what ways do others contribute to my own burnout?
How often am I motivated to leave my goals behind in the pursuit of other distractions?
How often do I let go of my own goals to make others at work happy?
How often do I let go of my own goals to make others in my personal life happy?
What are my goals in life?
What are my financial needs, and how can I make adjustments?
When does work get in the way of my goals?
How can I prevent work from getting in the way of my personal goals?
How can I make my job work better for me on all levels of my life?
When I think of work, what emotions bubble to the surface and why?
Where is the line drawn between work and my personal life?
What does my self-care routine look like?
In what areas of my life can I ask for help from others to help me recover from burnout?
What toxic beliefs or patterns am I ready to let go of?
How do toxic people contribute to my feelings of burnout?
In what ways am I taking on the beliefs and emotions of others at my job?
What are my boundaries in the workplace, and are they healthy?
How can healthy boundaries help improve my job and feelings of burnout?
What careers are healthy for me?
What careers are unhealthy for me?
How will speaking with a career coach or wellness coach help me with career burnout?
What is my recovery plan for my burnout?
How will a recovery plan from career burnout help me with improving my situation?
In what ways can daily journaling help me with processing my emotions during burnout and recovery?
How can I make my job feel like less of a struggle?
Where do I see myself in five years?
What steps can I take not to feel overwhelmed in my job?
How can I better support myself at my job?
How do I prevent myself from overdoing at any job I am working?
What do life and career balance look like for me?
How do I address my own personal needs and desires?
In what ways does my job play into my stress and anxiety?
What does a toxic work environment look like to me?
What does a healthy work environment look like to me?
What strategy can I employ to de-stress from toxic people in my work environment?
In what ways is my job worth my health and well-being?
How does my current career path contribute to my overall well-being?
What does the breaking point for change look like in my career?
How have others recovered from career burnout?
What life lessons have I learned from career burnout?
What life lessons have I learned from working with toxic people?
How does my own unprocessed trauma contribute to my ability to feelings of burnout?
What can I do differently in the future to prevent and manage career burnout?