8 | COMPASSION

Melissa Kargiannakis is the founder and CEO of a company called Skritswap. She helps people to understand difficult text by translating documents into different reading levels. So cool! 

Melissa has a great sense of compassion that led her to become an entrepreneur as well as her passion in becoming an ally to underserved people in society. 

Listen to her story of feeling burnt out, that she believes there are different types of burnout, and how she dealt with it all. 

 

The Burnt Out Experience

Melissa believes and has experienced multiple types of feeling burnt out and has felt many in her life thus far:

First

The first is general, stressed out, not-ready-for-it-all type of burnt out. Melissa says that, in this case, she was still performing in her work, but she didn't feel okay. 

Second

The next type is much different than general stress and is the kind of burnt out that Melissa really dives into in this episode of Burnt Out. Before she experienced anxiety for herself, Melissa didn't believe panic attacks were real. She explains that she had a stigma against anxiety that she now has extreme compassion for and apologizes for that stigma she carried with her. 

Melissa describes feeling anxious as "vibrating at a certain level that's not healthy." This feeling delayed her founding of the company Skritswap and it impacted how she operated within the world. While she wanted to be the founder and CEO of this awesome company, that desire was in complete conflict with her anxiety and constant feeling of being "not chill."

Third

The last is depression. Melissa says that she is still exploring and utilizing multi-modal treatment for it. In her later years of work she experienced an acute depressive episode that was incredibly hard to work through. 

How did she deal?

Medication

For an in-the-moment panic attack, there is a tablet Melissa takes that allows her to bring her baseline "vibrations" down and allow herself to become more aware of the actual situation and think about options or solutions more clearly. 

Mindfulness Meditation

Melissa uses apps like Headspace and Insight Timer to help her focus, center herself and not have to utilize medications as much. These apps allow you to gain control with breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and more. 

Take Immediate Action

STOP.
If you are feeling burnt out, Melissa suggests that you immediately pause and take care of yourself. In the moment, Melissa actually thanks her fear, because she says that your fears are a reminder of something. 

Notable Quotes

"I'm the one who gives myself permission to do it."