“I regret working so hard on this job.”

• Conan O’Brien said he experienced burnout while working as a writer on Saturday Night Live.

• The former talk show host said he regrets being “too hard” at his job.

• Steps to overcome burnout include rest and career breaks.

Conan O’Brien regrets that he was so stressed when he was working as a writer on “Saturday Night Live“

In Monday’s episode of his podcast, “Conan O’Brien needs a friend“, the comedian revealed to his co-host and guest, Tom Hanksabout his time as a writer on the series.

“I was burned out and I said, like, I have to go,” he said. O’Brienwho worked on SNL from 1988 to 1991. He left the show to work as a writer for “The Simpsons” before joining Late Night as host in 1993.

O’Brien, 61, added that he wished he could go back in time. “People always say they have no regrets,” he said. “But I regret that I was so passionate about this work. I was too carried away and I think I robbed myself of some fun that I could have had.”

He said that although he had “a lot of fun”, he could have stayed there longer as a writer if he had not made it “such a drag” for himself.

O’Brien isn’t the first to talk about the stressful nature of working at SNL.

In July Andy Samberg compared his job at SNL to that of a professional athlete on the Kevin Hart Peacock episode “Heart to Heart.”

“For me, it was like, I can’t take this anymore,” said the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star, who left the show in 2012. “Physically and emotionally, I was falling apart in my life.”

A representative for O’Brien did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment sent outside business hours.

Combating burnout at work

The World Health Organization defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon resulting from “chronic stress in the workplace that has not been successfully managed.”

Some signs you’re approaching burnout include fatigue, decreased productivity and loss of motivation at work.

Simply increasing your sleep will not cure burnout. In August, BI reported that people need seven types of recreation: physical, mental, sensory, emotional, social, creative and spiritual.

Additionally, Rachel O’Neill, Ph.D., a clinical and mental health consultant, previously told BI that people experiencing burnout should Consider talking to a mental health professional.

“As much as possible, try to make time during the day for self-care, especially self-care that focuses on present-focused mindfulness: things like mindfulness and meditation can be especially helpful here,” she added.

Some may benefit from a career break.

Anais Felt, a former senior product manager at a Silicon Valley technology firm, told BI that she took “micropension” after feeling burnt out. During the first couple of weeks of the break, she just relaxed and rested.

“I’m so glad I just sat down for a month because it gave me the opportunity to move on to the next stage of my micro-retirement, where I get to do the things I love and care about without getting too burnt out,” she said.

Similarly, Imani Ellis wrote for BI last year that adoption 30 days vacation to recuperate allowed her to rediscover her creative spark.

“My absence has not only given me the opportunity to continually pursue my dreams into a new reality,” the CEO wrote. “But it also led me to enjoy the art of doing absolutely nothing—a feeling so unfamiliar to me that it took some time to master.”

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