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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Eleanor Gordon-Smith

I’m exhausted but am surviving. How can I heal from burnout without expensive time off?

Eleanor GordonSmith
A painting of a woman lying on a lawn with a rake beside her
‘One small thing that can help is to switch from thinking about self-care from activities to feelings,’ Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. Painting: The Nap, Peasant Woman Lying in the Grass, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro (1882). Photograph: Alamy

How can I heal from burnout while having to do the exact same things that contributed to burnout? Over the past seven years I have worked in government roles and endured intense bullying and misogyny. At the same time, nice colleagues were also scared or bullied into silence. I am on a contract with a truly lovely team but it is short-term and I’m now having to apply for yet more jobs.

I have lovely friends and we all support each other, I utilise the work employee support service and have an excellent therapist, and I feel comfortable financially as long as I keep earning what I’m earning.

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