How Each Human Design Type Experiences Burnout & How to Avoid it!

Every one of us experiences burnout at some point (or often!) in our life. Maybe, you stay up late on Sunday nights to stretch the weekend out a little longer because you dread facing another Monday. Maybe, you find yourself having real health issues after experiencing long-term stress and anxiety. I have experienced both, and everything in between!

After a series of traumatic events, I found myself unable to get out of bed. At first, I thought I was sick, but then I got really worried. My body just completely gave out on me and soon I was in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism. Next, came COVID and all of the stress that we all experienced with that. It’s been a long road back to recover from the toll that stress has taken on my health, but I’m getting there! I now pay close attention to my energy levels and I’m always on the lookout for signs of burnout. Human Design has been a huge part of my ability to keep my energetic cup full, enjoy my life more, take care of my body, and be more productive without burning out. 

One of the key pieces of information that your Human Design type will tell you is if you have an internal source of energy, referred to as a motor, and how strong it is. Some types are powered up for anything with a supercharged motor, other types have solar panels, and other types have no internal energy source at all. It all depends on your type, and your unique chart.

Here are some common ways each type experiences burnout and how to avoid it.

Projectors commonly experience complete burnout, just like me, by the age of 40. In Human Design, Projectors do not have an internal motor. Compared to a Generator, for example, it’s like trying to win a race in a Jon boat versus a speed boat. This means Projectors can work as hard as any other type, but only in short bursts. They need more rest to refill their energy tanks. They burn out when they try to be a speedboat to keep up with what they think they should do.

As a Projector, knowing that based on my Human Design rest makes me stronger, not weaker, was a huge dose of permission to give in, rather than fight what I already knew I needed. Lots of rest! Now, I go to bed early and take naps on the weekends without feeling bad about it! When it comes to work, I don’t feel compelled to do it all and either delegate tasks, let them go, or balance them with planned cycles of rest. 

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.

• Let off of your fear of being lazy
• Prioritize sleep
• If you are an entrepreneur, ditch the idea of a traditional 40-hour work week. Recognize your own energetic limits and set your work hours from there.
• Projectors have a gift of bringing in all of their focus to the task at hand. Multitasking can take away from that and deplete your energy faster. Try time-blocking to avoid distractions and use your superpower to get the most out of your time.

Reflectors like projectors take on a lot of other people’s energy. Reflectors are often empaths and can experience social burnout as well as physical burnout due to not having an internal motor.  This is a type who really needs periods of rest and benefits from the cyclical nature of life. From season to cycles of the moon, nature’s growth strategy depends on periods of rest and yours should too.

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.
• Drop your fear of being lazy and plan your cycles of rest
• Surround yourself with people whose energy brings you up, not down
• Lean into your lunar cycle strategy and apply the natural rhythms of the seasons to your day-to-day life

Manifestors like Projectors do not have an internal motor. They are also running the race in a Jon boat and need larger periods of rest to show up as the highest version of themselves and ignite change. Their energy comes in a creative burst. When their burst of energy is not followed by a period of rest they become burned out. 

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.

• Prioritize sleep
• Delegate. Remember that you start the fire, you don’t do the work of tending it.Plan and prioritize your periods of rest as an important part of your process for completing a task
• Plan and prioritize your periods of rest as an important part of your process for completing a task. 
  

Generators are the worker bees. They come with a powerful engine that allows them to work longer hours and take on more tasks. Think of those Ford tough truck commercials with the cute cowboys. They get stuff done! A Generator is at their highest expression when they are working on something that they feel passionate about. They get burned out when they don’t work on things they love, or take on everyone’s tasks just because they can. Another interesting way Generators experience burnout is when they finish something ( think completing a level) and it’s time to rest before moving on to the next thing (or level). The absence of the project can feel jarring and depressing, similar to burnout. And like burnout, it’s an indicator that it’s time for rest.

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.

• Set boundaries around your time
• Make sure you balance what you have to do with projects(any kind of activity) you love
• Recognize the lull between projects as the rest you need for the next great thing, not a failure or wasted time.

Manifesting Generators encompass the qualities of both the Manifester and the Generators. They are great at lighting a fire under people and getting things done. They love to multi-task and are often multi-passionate. Like Generators, they can get overloaded if they don’t set good boundaries because people know that can handle a lot. They can experience something that feels like burnout when they don’t have ways they enjoy to burn off all of that energy or when they feel like people are taking their direction. 

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.

• Set boundaries around your time for rest and doing things that bring you joy
• Embrace your multi-passionate nature and burn off energy doing things you enjoy
• Using your natural ability to lead and fire people up will fill you with energy

Human Design is a powerful tool for finding the balance in your life and the right strategy for you to create the life you want with more ease. That’s why I love using Human Design to help my clients quickly grow the business they want by embracing their natural superpowers and creating a strategy that will support them. If you would like to know more about how your Human Design type can help you grow your business sign up for a totally free Human Design Strategy call. In this call, you will discover your HD type and learn more about the right strategy for you. Grab yours here!