Madhurima Sappatti: Work From Home – Blessing or Curse? Let’s talk about WFH Burnout!

Have you been feeling out of the loop during this pandemic, and not because of the virus at large, but the work from home aspect?

Well, you are not alone! 

But what’s/whose to blame? 

I don’t think it is the work-from-home vibe. I was working WFH long before the pandemic started and it was a pretty cool aspect of my jobs (the future self would say the only good aspect of those jobs… Boy were those jobs toxic as hell). 

I did get the occasional stare from not only the hardworking husbands who would work all day long but also their wives, but apart from that WFH was awesome.

But as the pandemic progressed, I noticed people complaining about WFH, and wondered what shifted suddenly? Why were there more complaints about burnout (any awareness is good awareness), but why was it connected to WFH? 

Disclaimer: I had quit my job two months into the pandemic and was going through my own anxiety episodes, so I wasn’t really into the WFH scenes during the peak of these complaints. 

However, now that I am focusing my attention on burnouts and spirituality, two things that have been a part an integral part of my career and my personal life… I knew that it was time for me to focus on Work From Home Burnouts.

I will be honest with you guys, I still hadn’t put my finger on the reason behind the sudden hostility towards WFH until I started my mastermind, Sovereign.

An integral part of being a part of the program is that you need to go through an acceptance form and a video call so that both parties are interested in the journey and the work we need to put into this container.

During these calls, I noticed a lot of the same things being repeated –

• We want to be supported
• We want to be held accountable
• We want to have a space where we can be a part of something
• This is something that they need for their mental stability
• They wanted to be working together towards a common goal, etc

And that’s when things fell into place. One of the main reasons (there being many, but a reason that I wanted to personally focus on in this article) why WFH did not work out for people –

Stress

There has never been a time in the history of the current generations, where we were uncertain of where we were heading in our future. Add health scares, widespread paranoia, politics, unemployment, and a few other things into the equation, and you are left with a huge lump of stress that is lodged in your throat with no way of escaping. 

Having to work during these times was already scary, but having to do it alone, without the support of your teams, co-workers, the water cooler banter… well there goes the opportunity to be held, helped, and being a part of something bigger than themselves.

Along with this stress and uncertainty came disrupted work schedules and daily routines.

There was chaos in the silence, the streets were empty yet filled with anger, tears, and panic. 

It was natural for people to panic, and try a mixture of things, from watching everything that their favorite streaming platforms suggested to starting new hobbies… Anything to fill the silence.

Procrastination came easily, and when the deadlines neared, people rushed to get their work done, anything to not be unemployed or fired due to pay cuts. 

Work from Home Burnouts was caused by chaos, uncertainty, stress, panic, anxiety, and the biggest player that creepily stayed and played its role from the shadows — Loneliness.

So this is my request for you. If you are going through this, if you are feeling burnt out, or any of the above-mentioned things, reach out… if not to me, to someone else. Friends, family, loved ones.

Because people, the only thing that can help us stay together and ride this wave is us.

This is your sign. Reach out to anyone you can, head over to my Instagram if you wish to talk to a stranger on the internet, or join The Conqueror’s Initiative, a community and a safe space to be who you are while being a part of something bigger.

Until next time then, toodles!