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Increased Mental Distance

Author Dr. Richard Mitchell Avatar
by Dr. Richard Mitchell
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Increased Mental Distance

We all know what it means to be “mentally distant.”

The best example is when we scroll on our phones when we should be doing something more important. Things like…

👩‍🦱 👨‍🦱 Being with our kids.

🙎‍♀️ 🙎‍♂️ Being with our spouse.

🏃‍♀️ 🚶‍♂️ Being with friends and family.

We know we shouldn’t be scrolling, but we do it anyway.

There are consequences to this.

You’ll probably find that your kids are noticing this behavior. Since you are modeling it for them, they’ll do the same. Or your spouse will do the same. Or your friends and family.

Being “mentally distant” from work is similar. It means that you are…

❌ Losing connection with your colleagues.

❌ Losing connection with the mission of your organization.

❌ Losing connecting with your drive to further your career.

In other words, you’re checking out - or you’re getting to that point. You’re distancing yourself.

Just like in your personal life, bad things can happen. You can find yourself unemployed, demoted, or just plain miserable.

When you’re just plain miserable (or demoted, or unemployed), you’re spending 10-12 hours per day in that frame of mind when you’re physically at work, as well as a lot of time when you’re not.

That is a sure sign that you are burned out.

Before I left my 18-year career in education, I found myself completely disengaged with my work. I no longer wanted to be promoted, and I no longer wanted to do the best I could do within my position. And that simply wasn’t me.

The consequences were very difficult and unfortunate. I was told I could either resign, retire, or be demoted. And that SUCKED.

Had I known to ask someone about burnout, things would not have been so difficult. Had someone reached out to me and said, “what the hell is going on with you?” I might not have landed in the predicament that I did.

It didn’t have to be this way.

When you create distance against your work, your career, there are reasons. Those reasons could be any number of things, but it comes down to paying attention and being aware.

For me, I had a lot going on outside of work that in a way, forced the distance I created against work. I had significant life events that prevented me from being fully present in either setting.

When I wasn’t at work, I was concerned about the poor job I was doing at work. When I was at work, I was thinking about my divorce, my kids, my finances - all of it.

Had I known to ask for help, like I said, things could have been smoother.

Increased mental distance from work is only one of many signs that you are burned out. I ask you to really consider what you’ve read here, and if you feel it necessary, ask for help.

Ready to find your fire again?

I help my clients overcome burnout so they can find their professional hope again. I can support you in your personal endeavor toward fulfillment.

You can schedule a consultation HERE.

I look forward to talking to you.

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About The Author
Dr. Richard Mitchell

Dr. Richard Mitchell is a burnout coach for high achieving professionals. His coaching program, "Burnout to Fulfillment," helps clients go from burned out to fired up in work and in life. Go to BurnoutToFulfillment.com to find out more.

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Leave a Comment 👋

1 Comments
Dakota

This week’s blog is close to my heart in that I essentially lived a period where I mentally distancing. I recall I shrugged it off as fatigue at first…doing too much! As time went on I had to admit that better sleep & diet hasn’t provided the improvements I’d hoped, I was turning away from the people (work & family) that I had committed myself to…I was increasingly less motivated to be accountable. In all honesty, sone of these relationships were already toxic & mutually non beneficial. My light bulb moment came when I admitted I was burning out mostly in my career, and that burnout trickled into my personal life. Could I continue to go on, things unchanged? Probably. Did I see any benefit in doing so? NO!!! A time for change had come which I welcomed it with passion & am open embrace!

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