J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's campaign sent out an email with tips on how to deal with burnout.
- The email recommended setting boundaries with work and making time for self care.
- People dealing with burnout need to ruthlessly assess the best use of their time and energy, she said.
After receiving a question about burnout on Instagram, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, sent out a campaign email on Tuesday outlining her tips on how to prevent and recover from mental, emotional and physical exhaustion.
"Burnout, especially in these times, seems to have become extremely common. When there is so much happening in the world around you and in your direct sphere of influence, it can be especially overwhelming," she wrote in the email.
Ocasio-Cortez said she's experienced episodes of burnout in the past, and she learned how to set healthy expectations for herself while recovering. Doing too many draining activities can contribute to burnout, she added.
With remote work still the norm because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, mentions of the term "burnout" skyrocketed 128% on Glassdoor in the UK since April as workers struggle to manage longer hours, a flood of emails, and worsening work-life balance. Returning to the office after months of working remotely can also lead to burnout, since going back to the office can be jarring for people whose habits, routines, and values have changed during their time working from home.
"Think of your whole self as a cup. Participating in certain activities that are physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally demanding means that you're pouring from your cup," the email said. "A healthy balance is when you both fill and pour from your cup. When you do things you've always wanted to do, or that bring you joy and are just for you – you fill your cup."
Making a list of activities to do for yourself and scheduling them into your day can fill your cup, the email said. Reducing your workload, saying "no" to extra work, and being ruthless with how you spend your time and energy can also ward off burnout and "fill your cup," she said.
"People will always feel entitled to you and your time to either avoid pouring from their own cup or to fill theirs up. Sometimes they have no idea it's your last drop. That's why you need to learn to say 'no,'" the email said.
She also said people should schedule things they can look forward to each day, like reading a book or going to a yoga class, and communicate their needs with people around them.
The email was met with overwhelming approval on social media after Peter Stern, the managing editor of New York Focus, tweeted screenshots of the message.
-Peter Sterne (@petersterne) October 19, 2021
"I assumed it was one of those thinly-veiled fundraising emails with a faux-informal subject line that tricks you into opening it, but nope. It really was just an email about dealing with burnout," he said. "We're at the point where it's pretty radical for a politician's campaign to send out an email with an interesting subject line that isn't just aggravating clickbait."