I burned out last year but kept pushing through until April of this year, when my system finally shut down. If I were a stranger looking at me then, I’d have called myself paranoid. I went for an interview and genuinely felt attacked for no reason, even the interviewer had to tell me they weren’t mocking me.
I’m a lot better now, but I still feel tired and overwhelmed (mostly manageable though). What really messes with me is my cognition. I can’t recall things unless I look them up first. It’s like the knowledge is still there, but buried. My brain only “remembers” once I read it again. However, I tend to forget it again soon after. It makes me feel like I’ve forgotten everything, and that freaks me out because I can’t afford that.
Do I simply need more time or do I need to start studying from scratch again?
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It can be, and while you probably won’t have to start over, you do need to take the time to recover. That looks different for everyone – I am at the point where taking a few days to a couple weeks break is generally enough, but I used to need a months to recover from burnout.
The knowledge is still there. It’s just hiding behind the stress right now.
Classic burnout cognition. The files aren’t deleted, the filing clerk is just on strike. You don’t need to re-learn everything, you just need to give your nervous system more time to calm down. The fact that it comes back when you see it is a great sign you’re recovering.