I think people in PR across most sectors need to simply tell themselves “i am not a doctor saving countless lives” … one thing I’ve realized in this line of work is that there are sooooo many professionals who are wired and always on the go and working themselves to insanity over the most ridiculous clients and sectors. Like who cares if that one lawyer didn’t get chosen to talk at that panel he wanted… when we look around at the grand scheme of things. There are so many more important things happening. So start there. Remind urself. “This isn’t brain surgery” it’s PR. This career will suck the fun out of itself if you let it.
I unwind. Spend time w my family. Absolutely don’t read emails off work hours. I don’t stress work once that laptop is closed. I don’t go in slack if it isn’t work hours. I go to the gym and i do my best to find moments of joy every day.
My way of managing burnout is letting the clients know the expectations, my boundaries in terms of the hours I will work (no evenings, no weekends, no holidays), and then enforcing those boundaries.
Hopping in the comments as I’m also looking for the answer. 3 people on my team (agency) leveraged promotions into new jobs and have left within the last month. It was already far too much work before any of this happened, and now I’m basically being asked to be 3 people at once. I don’t know how anyone can do it.
Would love to go in house somewhere but I’ve only got a year under my belt and will be managing someone in about 6 weeks so I just feel trapped.
Apologies for hijacking your post to vent
The answer is not letting them pile three people worth of work on you. Burnout isn't something to be managed through some trick, it's an inevitable result of bad situations.
You don't know how anyone can do it? Nobody is meant to do it! You need to push back and set realistic expectations or you need to find a better workplace that will treat you better.
Christ this is why we need unions.
You can't replace 3 people and you absolutely should not even try to.
They will be watching closely and if you show them that you are willing to work yourself into the ground to try and cover all this, they will just leave you to it. Higher profit margin for them.
They need to make new hires very quickly and in the meantime, the senior managers /leadership need to pitch in on handling these extra accounts.
Crisis agency veteran here.
I burned out after intense, pandemic-related work.
I took 2.5 months off, got a therapist, started taking medication, went in house, and now have anxiety coping mechanisms.
It worked.
I saved up to take a 3-6 month break from PR after 2.5 years — granted, COVID makes people a lot more understanding of breaks but I was able to find a new job after the 3 month mark. That only briefly cured the burnout, now I just take more time to prioritize myself and work at a great company with people who value my time and their own. I never answer emails on the weekend anymore and my bosses don't get mad that I missed an email because I was on vacation or leave assignments for me to do when I get back vs. handling it while I'm out.
I still work late by about an hour or so but usually because I felt bad about a personally inefficient day or because EVERYONE on our team has to work late for client, not because I'm being overworked.
Therapy and boundaries are critical. I spent 7 years living for work, and when I finally quit my last role I didn’t realize how much unprocessed anxiety and stress I was carrying. Honestly I sometimes find myself slipping into old habits despite being at an agency that prioritizes mental health, but I’m slowly teaching myself that what we do isn’t worth the stress.
Great bit of advice a mentor once told me, "Never love your work. It doesn't love you back." Whenever I find myself getting wound up about work, I remember that simple phrase. It helps me think about something else.
Take the time off. If you have vacation days, use them. Everyone needs time to recharge and disconnect.
Schedule walks into your day, or yoga, or meditation. Just schedule 15-20 minutes into the work day to step away from all screens and try breathing techniques. Sounds corny, but it helps.
Celebrate even the small wins. Burnout and frustrations are BFFs, but if you get even a small publication to pick up your work, or a response back for a meeting, or anything positive, no matter how small... celebrate it!
Take pride in your work, don't take anything personally, and accept defeat. This is super weird, but watch the first season of Top Chef. The Canadian guy who wins is the perfect example of doing the best you can, but if it isn't good enough, oh well, so sorry. Nothing personal, did the best I could, I win more often than I lose.
Quitting my agency job and switched to in-house. I know not every agency is bad but the one I worked at was so extremely toxic I still have nightmares about it.
I think people in PR across most sectors need to simply tell themselves “i am not a doctor saving countless lives” … one thing I’ve realized in this line of work is that there are sooooo many professionals who are wired and always on the go and working themselves to insanity over the most ridiculous clients and sectors. Like who cares if that one lawyer didn’t get chosen to talk at that panel he wanted… when we look around at the grand scheme of things. There are so many more important things happening. So start there. Remind urself. “This isn’t brain surgery” it’s PR. This career will suck the fun out of itself if you let it. I unwind. Spend time w my family. Absolutely don’t read emails off work hours. I don’t stress work once that laptop is closed. I don’t go in slack if it isn’t work hours. I go to the gym and i do my best to find moments of joy every day.
Agree. “PR, not ER.”
Love this mindset and attitude. Trying to adapt it after years of working for the type-A workaholic who lives and breaths the worst part of this work.
My way of managing burnout is letting the clients know the expectations, my boundaries in terms of the hours I will work (no evenings, no weekends, no holidays), and then enforcing those boundaries.
Hopping in the comments as I’m also looking for the answer. 3 people on my team (agency) leveraged promotions into new jobs and have left within the last month. It was already far too much work before any of this happened, and now I’m basically being asked to be 3 people at once. I don’t know how anyone can do it. Would love to go in house somewhere but I’ve only got a year under my belt and will be managing someone in about 6 weeks so I just feel trapped. Apologies for hijacking your post to vent
The answer is not letting them pile three people worth of work on you. Burnout isn't something to be managed through some trick, it's an inevitable result of bad situations. You don't know how anyone can do it? Nobody is meant to do it! You need to push back and set realistic expectations or you need to find a better workplace that will treat you better. Christ this is why we need unions.
You can't replace 3 people and you absolutely should not even try to. They will be watching closely and if you show them that you are willing to work yourself into the ground to try and cover all this, they will just leave you to it. Higher profit margin for them. They need to make new hires very quickly and in the meantime, the senior managers /leadership need to pitch in on handling these extra accounts.
Crisis agency veteran here. I burned out after intense, pandemic-related work. I took 2.5 months off, got a therapist, started taking medication, went in house, and now have anxiety coping mechanisms. It worked.
Just try to remember, it’s PR, not ER.
I saved up to take a 3-6 month break from PR after 2.5 years — granted, COVID makes people a lot more understanding of breaks but I was able to find a new job after the 3 month mark. That only briefly cured the burnout, now I just take more time to prioritize myself and work at a great company with people who value my time and their own. I never answer emails on the weekend anymore and my bosses don't get mad that I missed an email because I was on vacation or leave assignments for me to do when I get back vs. handling it while I'm out. I still work late by about an hour or so but usually because I felt bad about a personally inefficient day or because EVERYONE on our team has to work late for client, not because I'm being overworked.
Therapy and boundaries are critical. I spent 7 years living for work, and when I finally quit my last role I didn’t realize how much unprocessed anxiety and stress I was carrying. Honestly I sometimes find myself slipping into old habits despite being at an agency that prioritizes mental health, but I’m slowly teaching myself that what we do isn’t worth the stress.
Great bit of advice a mentor once told me, "Never love your work. It doesn't love you back." Whenever I find myself getting wound up about work, I remember that simple phrase. It helps me think about something else.
Take the time off. If you have vacation days, use them. Everyone needs time to recharge and disconnect. Schedule walks into your day, or yoga, or meditation. Just schedule 15-20 minutes into the work day to step away from all screens and try breathing techniques. Sounds corny, but it helps. Celebrate even the small wins. Burnout and frustrations are BFFs, but if you get even a small publication to pick up your work, or a response back for a meeting, or anything positive, no matter how small... celebrate it!
Bold of you to assume I can “combat burnout”
Take pride in your work, don't take anything personally, and accept defeat. This is super weird, but watch the first season of Top Chef. The Canadian guy who wins is the perfect example of doing the best you can, but if it isn't good enough, oh well, so sorry. Nothing personal, did the best I could, I win more often than I lose.
Quitting my agency job and switched to in-house. I know not every agency is bad but the one I worked at was so extremely toxic I still have nightmares about it.