Mental Health, Burnout, and Balance in Politics
By Amanda Biundo (VP of Creative and Marketing)
Unsurprisingly, politics is a demanding industry where business hours are far from standard, expectations are high, and the demand for our time spreads those who follow this career path thin. It’s 6:40 pm on a Tuesday, my Slack notifications just dinged, and I’m writing this piece instead of shutting my laptop and paying attention to the Christmas movie that has become my background noise. My dog is burrowed under a blanket next to me, and I can hear my husband playing video games in the other room – this is a calm night.
If I were writing this two months ago, I would have been pulling likely a 15-hour workday, only peeking up from my desk to bring food back to it (if I remembered to eat) and for bathroom breaks. I would have also been merely days before my wedding (yes, I am the brainiac who wanted to get married in October… on an even year). I was on the verge of a breakdown juggling our creative department, encompassing myself and two other designers at the time – it was a record year for us as, just in mail, we produced over 350 unique pieces.
The best way to depict the transition from election season to the day after the election is those simulated car crash videos where the car goes forward at full speed only to meet a cement wall, coming to a jarring and catastrophic stop. Burnout in this industry is a taboo topic. Most who enter this field are high achievers, highly skilled, with a stroke of an ego and a healthy dose of imposter syndrome. I’m sure a psych class is somewhere theorizing about what makes us all tick: passion, power, or sadism. I joke, mostly.
I’m not the best person to give advice; I frequently come up short of balancing my work and life effectively, and I’m a perfectionist to a fault. That being said, this topic is too important to remain in the shadows. It is possible to be a high achiever who also values reading a good book, going on walks with your dog, or having a game night with friends. I’ve watched friends, family, coworkers, and myself all push ourselves to the breaking point and sacrifice precious time with those we love. Just because a topic is taboo doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be talked about. We’re no less successful as individuals if we admit that sometimes we are tired.
So, what do we do when we’re burnt out and exhausted and the election is over? We rest.
Amanda Biundo
No, seriously. I’m giving you permission to relax.
So, what do we do when we’re burnt out and exhausted and the election is over? We rest. No, seriously, I’m giving you permission to relax. I want to humble brag about Ascent in the hopes that those of you reading this as bosses in the industry will take notes. Some of you have seen our cheeky hibernation posts on social media years prior, but you likely don’t know those are more than lip service. Every year, as long as our client work is balanced, the partners at Ascent give the team (and themselves) time to decompress, which we have lovingly dubbed hibernation. We move down to an as-needed model where everyone can turn off Slack and disconnect, and they only need to work in cases of pressing matters so client needs are not left to the wayside. Our hibernation is in addition to a very generous holiday and vacation program, for which I am so grateful. This year, we will “clock out” on December 20th and not return to our regular schedule until January 6th. We also had a shutdown the entire week of Thanksgiving.
I implore others in the industry to follow suit, open the conversation with your teams, and begin prioritizing balance within this industry. Work hard, play hard, and enjoy this holiday season with your families. Thank you to the partners of Ascent for allowing us to do just that. Finally, this will be the last newsletter of the year, so with that, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I genuinely hope you all have time to wind down and reconnect with the people and things that bring you happiness.
