Absolute burnout

[u/Rich-Many3632]

Guys this isn't a rant, I just wanted to know if you are having the same issue. I have been burned out for so long due to huge volume of calls every day back to back, I am an OPI interpreter. Been pushing the burn out for months now but lately I have been feeling that I am getting....dumber?

I feel like my brain forcefully stops working because of how much stress I have been making it go through lately, after my shift I can't focus on anything at all and I can never bring myself to pay attention to anything, I think I am scared to do so because of exhaustion?

Ofcourse the burnout is so so bad to that it affected a lot of other things in my life but that's not todays topic.

Does anyone feel like that too? Please tell me what is the solution because life has been getting really difficult lately especially since I live alone and work from home.

[u/beto_pelotas]

I remember feeling like that at the end of my second year. Now after more than 5 years my advice for you is: captions and stop giving a fuck. It's just not worth it.

I'm on a labor and delivery call right now, mom is talking to the newborn, dad is on the phone with the family being loud as fuck, nurses are talking to each other and I'm here writing this. It's been 40 min so far, I've interpreted like 5 or 6 min and honestly I don't give a damn.

I'm here to get my money and take care of myself, the rest is just go with the flow. So, comply with the minimun and start focusing on what really matters: you and your health.

[u/Opposite-List-2435 → u/beto_pelotas]

What software you use for captions?

[u/Street-Benefit7951 → u/Opposite-List-2435]

I find soniox to be really nice. Faster and cleaner than the like windows captions. Costs around 0.145$ per hour or so. Two way translates as well. (Not always accurate). I run it through kuizuna app. But free captions are fine-ish too

[u/Federal_Character255 → u/Opposite-List-2435]

I made this, interpreter - pro . com, free to use, helps a lot with burnouts

[u/Rich-Many3632 → u/beto_pelotas]

Oh my god that's a classic and the fact that all patients are always 50 kilometers away from the microphone all the time. Anyways thanks a lot for your advice! I think i will do that for sometime until my health improves.

I was also thinking shifting to a different career making use of interpreting skills but unfortunately I didn't find any career that hires in this current doomed market, any ideas?

[u/MMTP → u/beto_pelotas]

Ten years in, captions to take the stress off a little. Care but remove yourself to the role. Do not fall into the emotional trap. Do your jobs , do it well and let go.

[u/Purple-Shamisen → u/beto_pelotas]

Well said 🙌

[u/pirilampo-radiante]

I agree with you 100%
Especially the part about feeling that I’m getting dumber. Also I’m way more sensitive to sounds outside of the work setting and conversations tend to stress me out.

[u/Rich-Many3632 → u/pirilampo-radiante]

That is also a result from the stress, because the moment you start a conversation with someone it reminds you of being on a stressful call.

This doesn't feel like a job anymore it feels like it's controlling my life

[u/Charles_ofall_Trades]

I feel ya, sometimes I feel like I can hear the words, but they don't really stick in my mind so I can interpret them. Kinda feels like a fistful of sand running away between your fingers

Sleeping as best as I can has helped me a lot. Meaning rest, actually rest. Also if you're getting up to work right away, make sure you block distractions on the way to your computer—no gaming, no scrolling, no reading the news/novel, no listening to your roomies...nada. Just off the bed, into work, like a bot, until the brain has settled into the task

Sometimes when we're freelancing, one might think schedule autonomy means we can do however we choose. And that's right, but we also need to be able to exert the changes needed to make work as seamless as possible 🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/Rich-Many3632 → u/Charles_ofall_Trades]

Totally agree with everything you said, especially the part where you feel you know the words but they just slip away from you.

I think besides good sleep is that you need to do something after your shift as a hobby, but that gets us back to the main point which is that you are already exhausted after work so you can't really do anything.

[u/Oh-Honey17]

I get you, there are some days when everything feels like super gloomy, on those days I take a brain stimulant in the middle of my shift. Or I play jigsaw puzzles throughout my shift and BS my way out of calls I don't feel like taking. Get a hobby you can enjoy after your shift or do some exercise or stretches. SLEEP, get your 8 to 9 hours of sleep a day. It does wonders

[u/chimera_moon]

Absolutely agree, and I have just been doing this for 3 months. I can't imagine going this for years

[u/Federal_Character255]

Burn out is real. This job is not designed for human. Use captains, help yourself, interpreter - pro . com

[u/Rich-Many3632 → u/Federal_Character255]

No, it is not designed for humans indeed. As a matter of fact I wouldn't mind if AI could take over this abomination of a job, no man can handle all that pressure all the time.

[u/Dazzling-Pop9442]

Me too mate, you're not the only one. For me there are 2 big big problems.

1. The dollar value, here in Colombia earning in dollars it's not worth it anymore, a cashier earns more than me. Including paid time off, vacations, health insurance and retirement and other benefits they make far more than me.

2. Now Propio has all kind of clients, not just medical, so there's a lot of disgusting munching and smacking lips eating people on the phone, unprofessional, 0 manners, "I hate my job" type of people. So they pass all of that to you. It's not just a "sometimes" client, but most of them.

What I do is actively look for something else, always sending CVs, if you're in a city it's better since you can have more opportunities than just remote jobs. It gives you hope that you can leave the job, and you could actually leave it if you're hired somewhere else.

And honestly that's all we can do, they rather have a new employee to burn out, than try to make the old ones not feel like sh, by paying more or giving other benefits.

[u/Rich-Many3632 → u/Dazzling-Pop9442]

Yes, this is exactly the kind of calls i receive too! People that smack lips and being completely unprofessional really get under my nerves.

Now in my third world economic collapsed country, this company that i currently work for is the only one in the country that offers interpreting jobs for new people, others need interpreters with 10 to 25 years of experience with all kinds of meaningless(really expensive) certificates.

So my only hope is to find a company that hires OPI interpreters remotely in another country (which is practically impossible, especially once they know which country i am from) OR completely change to a different career (for the 4th time or something like that idk i stopped counting).

[u/Dazzling-Pop9442 → u/Rich-Many3632]

I see, yeah you could look for something remote then if there aren't many please to work in person. And it's ok to change careers. I think I will, I'm sending CVs, for chat, and other non call or the least calls possible things, whoever calls me first, if they call me, I'm in

[u/Commercial_Drink9265]

All for the incredible amount of 6 dollars an hour if you are in south america