03: Burnout

Americans work 25% more than Europeans, according to Bloomberg studies. Americans are put into a competitive workforce where taking days off to spend time with family are often frowned upon. Because of this competitive nature to get ahead, employees often sacrifice happiness to keep up with his/her neighbor. If his/her co-worker comes into the office an hour earlier and stays later, then he/she feels obliged to also spend more time working or he/she looks bad to upper management. However, these often excessive hours can lead to a decrease in productivity, and the extra time serves little to no purpose anyway. I think that many adults lose sight of the purpose of life -- happiness -- because of the addictive nature of American working culture and incentive to make more money. We, as Americans, may look down on the Irishman who takes a full hour for lunch to grab a pint at the pub with a friend to have some "good craic." However, he probably avoids the burnout that many Americans face and practices happiness on a daily basis, even in the midst of busy work life.

Along with the competitive American culture, the stress of expenses and providing for a family causes burnout and the need to work as much as possible. My dad works from 5 am to 8 pm everyday. I see how exhausted he is every night when he comes home and falls asleep within seconds of sitting on the couch to watch an ND basketball game. It would be unfair to call him a workaholic, though. The reason for his long days is to provide for his 5 kids. My dad dedicates his life to allowing his children to experience all of the opportunities they possibly can. Club baseball? "Of course, son!" But this means more hours in the office to afford travel and special practices. 12 years of piano lessons for three daughters? "What an incredible skill to learn!" This means working all day Saturday. Attend the University if Notre Dame? "Absolutely!" This means taking another mortgage on the house. The list goes on and on. My dad does not personally want to work day in and day out, but believes strong education for his 5 kids and taking advantage of every opportunity that arises is more important than his own life. The happiness he sees in his kids from what he gives us and allows us to do is his ultimate form of satisfaction. Therefore, burnout is a real feeling for him, but happiness overpowers it.

As a student, stress from school has more than once caused me burnout. However, the structure of school with long Christmas and summer breaks, requiring no studying or schoolwork, allows for a recharge. I found my worst burnout Sophomore year at ND when 21 credits, 3 labs, and an unending amount of homework seemed to take over my life. Then fall of Junior year, I studied abroad in Ireland, where school learning (which is slightly easier than in America) took backseat to cultural explorative learning. I came to realize that although the majority of my life was dedicated to academia, it wouldn't be for much longer. Since being abroad, I now focus on experiences and friendships; 16 years of schooling has taught me how to learn, and I feel confident in being able to use this skill in my future career. If a burnout ever occurs in my life again, I now know how to conquer it -- taking time to appreciate the fuller picture of life and doing what really gives me happiness.