At the Perspectives 2022 Conference, we hosted an insightful panel discussion touching on a number of important topics, including burnout, imposter syndrome and self-care.
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Meet our panel guests
The conversation brought together four content designers who shared their personal experiences with burnout and imposter syndrome, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness, understanding personal limitations, and seeking support from colleagues and mentors in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance in the demanding field of content design.
Throughout the panel, various practical strategies for combating burnout were explored, such as time management, setting boundaries, and differentiating between tasks that demand our best efforts and those that don't. Panelists also highlighted the significance of mental and physical well-being, advocating for therapy as a valuable resource for self-reflection and growth. Their stories underscored the value of self-care and fostering a supportive work environment in order to achieve both professional and personal success.
Quotes from the panel
"I'm privileged enough to work for a company that encourages me to care for myself and really does prioritize well-being over squeezing every bit of labor out of every employee, which I know is not the case everywhere.
"So my story is really about what happens when you do have a workplace that encourages you to care for yourself, but it's your inner critic.
"That's really driving that burnout. So for me, I have full permission to prioritize my wellbeing over my work, but I hold myself accountable to these impossible standards that really pushed me to say yes to everything, prove my value and be constantly striving for this impossible perfection."
[07:32]
"In the end, we're responsible for ourselves, making sure that we're not feeding each other's imposter syndrome, we're not feeding each other's burnout - that can help you find those green flags.
"Because most of us, when you're in a crappy situation, you can't think about what you want. Cause you don't think you're allowed to have anything nice anyway.
"So you're just "well, that looks nice, but that's not for me. That's for people who are better and real, unlike legitimate frauds, like me, who's not even good enough to have imposter syndrome."
[30:04]
"I knew, deep inside of me, what I wouldn't want to accept. And I think that that's an important step: to really define what works for you and what doesn't work for you.
"And for me, never again will I work a 70-hour a week, that's just the end of the story, that is not healthy or sustainable for me, and it's not the way to get my best performance either. So that's not going to happen."
[35:36]
"It's a big taboo in my background, in my culture, in my family, to take therapy, but I've been doing it consistently throughout.
"I've found that knowing myself, understanding myself and asking those difficult questions to myself has really helped me understand why I think the way that I think, why there's a part of me that just wants to keep burning myself out.
"I've really learned that the more you're able to understand who you are and where those patterns of behaviors are coming from, the more you're able to call it out and understand it, and actually maybe in the future prevent it from happening or go around it."
[42:56]
About Perspectives 2022 Conference
This panel is part of Track #2 - Growing into a senior content role.
Perspectives is the world’s first event specifically focused on the careers side of content. It’s been carefully curated to help people at all levels navigate the many facets of working in content – from being the first content person to hiring and growing a team.
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