“Brush it Off” can be a fast track to Burnout
“Don’t let it bother you. Just brush it off. Keep going.”
If you’re a high-performer, these phrases are likely hardwired into your psyche. For years, this approach served a purpose: it helped you hit deadlines, outwork the competition, and achieve your goals. It has a shelf life though and it’s now coming to a head.
When those close to you tell you to “brush it off,” they are essentially asking you to ignore essential information. Your emotions aren’t just feelings, they are signals telling you something is off. They want you to ignore those gut feelings.
Suppression vs Compartmentalization: The Difference
There is a big difference between compartmentalizing and suppressing. Many high performing individuals excel at suppressing and fail at compartmentalizing. Suppressing means that you ignore the issue completely. Compartmentalize means to actively set the emotion aside to finish the task at hand AND process the emotion at a later time. It may seem the same at the moment but if you don’t circle back, that emotion will eventually demand your attention. It will come back and haunt you.
Ways that clients see it haunt them include:
Emotional outburst and irritability: People snap at colleagues and family members over minor issues.
Poor sleep and fatigue: The brain can stay ‘on’ and attempt to process what you ignored during the day.
Numbing out: Using digital distractions, alcohol, substances, or overworking to avoid the internal noise.
Decreased cognitive abilities: Brain fog and the inability to make decisions.
When you disregard your emotions, you aren’t being tough. You’re losing one of your most valuable tools. To perform at your peak, you don’t need to ignore the signals. You need to learn how to use the tool. Build your baseline emotional intelligence.
Reach out for Online Therapy
If you’re ready to explore how online therapy can help you make meaningful changes in your life, reach out for a free consultation with Chris Rabanera. Offering online therapy in California, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, and Utah, I specialize in addressing physician burnout, grief counseling, anxiety, depression and providing tailored mental health treatment for men. Let’s get to work to make lasting positive changes.
