It Is Not Just You—Burnout Is Real

“I just feel burned out.” I heard those words recently from my college junior. For him, the spring semester is barreling to a close and he is feeling tired, unmotivated and unproductive. He isn’t alone; most of us have said (or thought) those words at some point in our lives. We use the words when we are feeling tired, stressed or overwhelmed at work (or school), but burnout is more than just an emotional response to workload or other job-related challenges. Burnout can quickly cascade into more physical symptoms and take a toll on both our personal and professional lives.

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Why It Might Be Good To Be A Big Crybaby

It came out of nowhere. Hit me like a Mack truck. My  husband and I were sitting and watching “CBS Sunday Morning” yesterday like we usually do, and they did a segment on tearjerker movies (which are, apparently and regrettably, in increasingly short supply). They interviewed Leonard Maltin, and he brought up the clip from Disney’s “Dumbo,” where Timothy Q. Mouse takes Dumbo to visit his mother, who’s been locked up as a “mad elephant” after losing her temper when Dumbo is teased for his oversized ears. Hearing Timothy call to her that he’s brought her a visitor, and seeing Dumbo’s trunk reaching up over the edge of the cell window, Dumbo’s mom stretches to the edge of her shackles, extends her trunk out and caresses him as big tears form in his eyes and he buries his face in her trunk. She then lifts him and swings him gently back and forth while singing him a lullaby.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CORf1liT9cE] Continue reading “Why It Might Be Good To Be A Big Crybaby”