Dr. Nancy Williams

Networking in person is a thrill when compared to the virtual options popular during the pandemic.

However, I've found my networking skills to be a bit rusty recently.
 

Have you found yourself...

• talking too much about yourself?
• feeling awkward?
• not knowing what to say?
• being stressed out?

As a professional musician, I'd acquired a healthy mindset about performing,
and I noticed that in-person networking was starting to feel like a performance
in a good way.
 

Performing, like networking, is a…

Has the following scenario happened to you?

     My suggestion was great, but everyone continued as if I hadn't said anything.

     Worse yet, one of my colleagues brought up the same suggestion a few minutes later,
     and everyone loved it.

According to a recent study, women get interrupted more often, are receiving less attention when they speak, and are given less credit in comparison with their male colleagues.

Yes, this is a gender issue,
but it's not only a gender issue.

Anyone can have the same…

I once had a colleague who was incredibly positive all the time.

I loved it!  He gave off great energy and was nice to be around,

but I totally didn't trust him.

Ultimately, I noticed that he tended to dismiss any conflict
or comment that could be construed as negative.
He'd try to spin people in a different direction
to take focus of off whatever issue was unpleasant to him.

That's particularly unsettling to a person who may be going through,
well, life.

His behavior sends a message that only positive thoughts…

It's great when you can get in the flow and work gets done easily and quickly.

What about those days when your flow isn't flowing, no matter what you do?
Do you wait for inspiration to hit
or do you push yourself to just do the things?

The answer can be complicated, especially when dealing with burnout.

Let's say that you're doing everything you can to manage burnout and overwhelm.
- You're taking time off.
- You're setting and keeping boundaries.
- You have a job you love.
- You're socializing and spending time…

Are you perpetually overwhelmed?
Is it challenging to get anything done?
Is doing nothing what you want to do most?

Burnout culture dictates that overwork is a badge of courage, but giving 110% isn't noble or even possible.
Recovering from burnout can take months or even years.

I know because I've been there.

After suffering burnout while getting my doctorate,
I started my coaching and consulting businesses.

I signed up for a program to help me start my new venture
and give me a better business mindset.

It ended…

When I was diagnosed with Grave's disease almost 20 years ago,
the cure was simple:  ablate (kill with radioactive iodine) the thyroid slowly
and replace the hormones it would normally produce with a synthetic hormone pill.

Only it wasn't that simple. 

My thyroid stopped working suddenly instead of gradually,
and my body didn't absorb the synthetic pills.

I went from having the metabolism of a teenager to that of an 80-year old in one day.

It took 9 months for my body to get used to the synthetic pills,
and my…

In addition to mindsets that perpetuate burnout already covered in previous blogposts,
mindsets that create overwhelm can also play a part.

Helpers, creatives, and anyone who has trouble creating and enforcing boundaries
are all at risk for overwhelm, and potentially burnout.

• Helpers tend to put the needs of others above themselves, leaving their projects piling up in order to assist others.
• Creatives who are great innovators and problem-solvers may have trouble following through with projects after…

Young adults entering the workforce are often romanticized as having something to prove,
to show others how hard they can work to win others' approval and move up the workforce ladder.

In reality, the mindset of having to prove yourself leaves you vulnerable to being taken advantage of.

It may get you the promotion in the short-term, but in the long-term,
proving yourself mindset often ends up in burnout.

This mindset reveals some level of insecurity in yourself
that makes you want the approval of others to…

Part 4 in the Mindsets that Perpetuate Burnout blog series

You should be proud of a healthy work ethic, an enjoyment and fulfillment of purpose when you work,
and allow yourself to take joy in your accomplishments. 

A work-harder mindset takes a good work ethic too far, though. 
It may look like...

• Thinking you have to be the hardest worker in the room to earn others' (and maybe your own) respect.
• Looking down on those who don't look like they are working hard.

Instead, working smarter means being…

Mindsets that Contribute to Burnout, part 3

Overworking is clearly a contributor to burnout culture, but why we overwork is complex and personal.
For some, the fear of missing out (FOMO) allows others to take advantage of them in the workplace.

For instance, I had a client who wouldn't say no to her boss,
no matter the banality of the task
or the amount of work she already had to do.

She wanted to be the one her boss thought of first,
so that when a great assignment came up,
one that would further her career,
…