How Dolly Parton Avoids Burnout
If you’ve ever felt the impact of burnout, you’re not alone. Plenty of people have reached a point where they just don’t have the energy to go on. Eventually, they crash and burn. Dolly Parton is no stranger to that feeling. Here’s how the “9 to 5” singer avoids burnout.
Dolly Parton enjoys working
Parton says she loves to work. Staying busy and productive makes her very happy. During an interview with Lorriane Crook, Parton says she has to keep busy, or she sometimes gets depressed. She’s always on the go, and that keeps her spirits up.
“I’m a very creative, sensitive person, and I have to stay busy,” Parton tells Crook. “Boredom isn’t a good thing for a personality like mine to feel.” Parton says there was a time when she couldn’t work because she was sick. It was a difficult time for her because she’s accustomed to being busy. Parton says she felt an emotional burden because she didn’t have an outlet for her feelings.
“One time when I was off sick, I was very bored and I kind of turned all that creativity in on myself,” Parton says. “I’m very sensitive, and people like me become very depressed. There’s a lot of sadness involved. I just know that I’m better off when I’m giving, and I feel like I’m being productive because I think too much; I think too deep; I think too hard. And I analyze too much, and I would just rather be busy.”
How Dolly Parton avoids burnout
Parton works hard to maintain her craft. How does she avoid burnout? During an interview with TED speaker Adam Grant on Clubhouse, Parton jokes, “Well, I don’t have time to burn out, I’m burning up!” Parton goes on to say that she does get tired sometimes. “Sometimes I get tired, sometimes I say, ‘Lordy, I’ve got to slow down a little bit or I am going to burn up.”
Parton says she is a creative person, and she creates something new all the time. She stays with that creative process because she enjoys making things happen. However, she says she cooks, reads, and focuses on spiritual nourishment when she’s feeling the impact of burnout. “I always say when things are bad, I pray; when they get worse, I pray harder,” says Parton. “And that’s pretty much the truth.”
Dolly Parton also spends time with her family to avoid burnout
Parton also spends time with her husband, Carl Dean, and they go on road trips. She says they get in their RV and go out to see parts of Tennessee and they have picnics by the river. Parton also spends time with her nieces and nephews.
“I love to play with my little nieces and nephews,” says Parton. “I have them over and they spend the night. They swim. I have a trampoline, which they love. So, I really re-energize through the kids.”
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