One of these things is not like the others, one of these things does not belong...
Founding, or co-founding, a startup, probably shouldn't ever be on the shortlist of ways to walk back or avoid stress / burnout...
What if there is obligatory daily standup early in the morning eating up the entire morning energy? Well obviously it's not explicitly obligatory but the "we are the second family", "be a good team player" stuff.
In practice, it doesn't work for everyone. Some of us are night owls, and I don't mean the "likes to stay up late" kind, but "can't possibly get up in the morning without being kicked out of bed by someone else" kind.
When I had my burnout, I just wanted to quit, my boss told me to take as much time as I needed to get better and kept me as an employee
the problem is you think there's "special" people and "special" businesses... there aren't. there's just successful, and not, and you can't determine a priori which it's going to be.
furthermore, the number of $10 million - $100 million businesses (including consulting firms) operating today that you've never heard of is probably in the tens of thousands.
> How do you get out of that funk?
It can be as basic as tutoring or volunteering for an organization you believe in. I don't know why this works but I was counseled to do this by someone who I consider wise. Perhaps the reason it works is that it is related to gaining a different perspective and avoiding excessive self-reflection.
The job is just a job. Some folks are lucky to be employed in something that gives meaning to their lives, but that's not for everyone and not for every job or time in everyone's life. If you can diversify your expectations beyond finding satisfying work, I think that helps a lot.
In the past I've stopped doing any of that, and just focused on exercising, socialising and watching TV outside of work. You'll be amazed at how much time you have to fill, and how much sleep you can catch up on.
But then the only times I've approached burnout it's been because of all these side projects!
Depending on where you live, you might be legally entitled to sick leave, or something similar.
I know this option isn't available to everyone, but I still wanted to point it out.
> There's no other jobs that won't have me just as burned out in a few months, and the idea of searching for one is tiresome already.
I think it's dangerous to assume that once you've burned out, changing jobs will solve the problem.
In my own case, once I passed the burn-out point, removing all of the causal factors that lead me beyond that point did not cause me to return from beyond that point.
The only thing I could suggest is to talk to a physician, who will then suggest the proper course of action -- be it medication, therapy, exercise, diet, a combination thereof, etc.
2. Get disability insurance and use it: www.disabilitysecrets.com/dnewsblog/2009/07/filing-for-disability-for-stress.html << typically pays about 2/3rds of salary up to a cap for X months.
3. During that mental health break do the following:
a) remove all social media from your life.
b) break your days into 4 hour chunks with buckets like this: Enjoy Nature, cultivate friend/family relationships, read, learn, introspective deep work.
4. Don't return to work until you're sure what you'll be doing day to day will enable you to be happy.
5. If you won't be happy change jobs or even your career entirely. Just because you can program doesn't mean you'll be happy doing it...
1. Go to a mental health professional and talk about
what's going on. Do so for several months.
* Insurance may or may not cover it.
* Someone who has never been to a MH professional has no idea what to expect or what they need.
* MH professionals are generally not good at explaining where to start. Resources are few and far between.
* Most MH professionals are specialized in ways a novice doesn't understand.
* Most MH professionals don't have good websites or don't return phone calls.
* MH has a stigma, so a) you're unlikely to know if your friends see someone or b) be willing to ask for a referral.
* MH degrees and credentials are confusing: MSC, MMFT, MSW, MAPC, PhD, MD, LMHC/LCMHC/CMHC, RN, LPCC/LPC/LCPC, etc.
* Medication, if you want to explore that route, is a completely different discipline (psychiatry) and never the twain shall meet.
* Counseling is incredibly dependent on connecting with your MH professional. So if you manage to navigate the above and get an appointment, but don't feel like you can open up, you have to start all over.
Don't get me wrong: you should go to a MH professional and talk about what's going on. Keep pushing until you find someone you like.
"Oh, just what I need - Another thing for my to-do list..." :)
Once I did, I couldn't believe how dramatically my life improved. I didn't realize how many aspects of my life were being negatively affected by my old work environment.
(going from a small startup to a large corporation is good for work/life balance, not so much in terms of getting things done)
It IS possible that another job would be a better fit for you.
How do you get out of that funk?