This is, in a way, a warning that burnout is real and it’s dangerous, but I hope it’s also hopeful that there’s more to life: Recently, I’ve been informally mentoring a few individuals who are just starting their careers or are students still in school. They’re sharing how stressed they are. I’ve had to tell them that their health and well-being, family, and friends have to come first.
Yesterday, I hosted a pizza lunch for the co-op/FSWEP students working at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada/Commissariat à la protection de la vie privée du Canada. These students are finishing up their summer terms and will be returning to school in September. It was wonderful to see Executives at the OPC – including the Commissioner! – come by to say hi to the students and give them a few words of advice, perhaps convince them to consider joining the OPC full-time after graduating! Leadership and a culture of empowerment starts at the top and it’s one of the reasons why the OPC is one of the best places to work in the federal public service!
My reflection is this: These students at the OPC and the younger people who I’ve been mentoring on the side have been telling me about how stressed they are about school. About getting the best grades. About how they “need” to get into the best grad schools. Worrying about their future careers. And they’re sacrificing their sleep, their friendships, their overall health and well-being.
My advice: I was once in their shoes. It’s easy to lose yourself and not take good care of yourself. But everyone finds their way in the end. I failed courses in undergrad. I thought all of these doors were closing on my future. But I turned out ok!
What impacted me the most from my time in school was not the stress, the grades, the anxiety. It was the friendships, and sadly, the friends I lost to mental illness. There’s more to life than grades or a prestigious scholarship/accolade or getting into a prestigious grad school or starting a prestigious career. We all have to take care of ourselves first and take care of others. Empower each other. Lift while we climb. Never losing sight that we’re all human in the end.
Eventually, with perseverance, hard work, and community to support you, you’ll get to where you need to be.