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Burnout is a common issue that many people face in their personal and professional lives. Whether you’ve just entered the workforce or have been working for several years, everyone gets to appoint where they feel overwhelmed or exhausted by the daily demands of work and life, which can lead to burnout.
Feeling burnt out has many repercussions and it’s important to identify its symptoms and take proactive steps to prevent it from developing further. In this article, let’s define burnout and the most effective ways to beating burnout.
What Is Burnout?
Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that is typically caused by overwork as well as chronic or prolonged stress. It can manifest in different ways which include both mental and physical symptoms, but they can vary from person to person. Those who are exposed to high-pressure work environments or situations are more prone to burnout since they often feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities at work and unable to cope with their demands.
It’s essential to note that it’s different from temporary stress – everyone can feel stressed or overwhelmed at work, but not everyone experiences burnout. While everyone experiences burnout differently, there are some general signs and symptoms that many experience. Here are some to help you determine if what you’re feeling is burnout or if you’re only experiencing a rough week at work.
- Feeling lonely and detached
- Feeling emotionally exhausted
- Lack of motivation
- Lower productivity
- Emotional exhaustion
- Self-doubt and low self-esteem
How To Beat Burnout Effectively
Knowing how to deal with burnout, especially before it progresses, is crucial for maintaining your overall well-being. By recognizing the signs, making a few changes, and implementing effective strategies, you can help reset, get back on track, and beat burnout effectively.
1 – Recognize The Signs
The first and probably most important step in the process of recovery is recognizing the signs of burnout. As mentioned above, it’s important to distinguish between burnout and stress so you can take action properly. Let’s discuss the signs and symptoms of burnout more deeply, as knowing how to deal with burnout ultimately begins with informed recognition:
- Physical Symptoms: You experience constant headaches, muscle pain, and stomach issues. You’ve also become more prone to colds or other infections.
- Chronic Fatigue: You feel exhausted constantly, even after rest.
- Insomnia: You find it difficult to sleep or stay asleep.
- Loss of Appetite: Reduced interest in eating or food in general.
- Anxiety: You’re always worrying and feeling a sense of doom.
- Depression: You’re feeling hopeless, helpless, or indifferent. You’re also emotionally numb and unable to feel joy, sadness, or any other emotion.
- Irritability: You get irritated at the smallest things, get angry easily, and you tend to look at things negatively.
- Reduced Performance: You feel no motivation to work, you have trouble focusing, and you feel disconnected or detached from your work and personal relationships. All these lead to decreased productivity at work.
2 – Identify Your Stressors
To be able to implement the right strategies for burnout recovery, it’s important to pinpoint your specific stressors. It’s tough to make changes when you don’t know exactly what needs to change, but exploring contributing factors or sources of stress in your life can help. Whether it’s an incident, a situation, or a person, observe which ones trigger your stress and try to avoid them as much as possible.
3 – Make Immediate Changes
Once you’ve identified the root cause/s of your stress, you will be able to take appropriate actions to help ease the negative emotions. For example, most of your stress comes from your demanding job – you can make small immediate changes like talking to your boss about lessening the load, taking more breaks from work, or taking a wellness leave.
4 – Set Boundaries
Another effective way to fight burnout is to advocate for yourself by setting clear boundaries. It’s important to limit the time you give others while you’re recovering from burnout, as accepting too many commitments at once can cause overwhelm and lead to even more stress.
If you do decide to accept an invitation, make sure to take a moment to evaluate what will be required of you and ask yourself if you have the time and energy. Look at your existing commitments and consider canceling or rescheduling some if needed.
5 – Build A Strong Support System
When you’re experiencing burnout, leaning on others for support is a must. Being able to talk about your struggles in a safe environment to people you trust can do so much in taking weight off of your shoulders.
However, some people find it difficult to confide in their family and friends, especially when burnout has taken a toll on their personal relationships and quality of life. In this case, you can opt to seek professional help – a therapist can help you identify the cause, suggest possible coping methods, and help you navigate challenges of burnout.
6 – Create A Work-Life Balance
If most of your day revolves around just work, you’re more likely to experience burnout. It’s important to cultivate a work-life balance that can help alleviate stress and help you lead a more functional life.
7 – Transition To A Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle can go a long way in beating burnout. Eating nutritious and well-balanced meals, having a regular exercise routine, and getting good quality sleep are all crucial to maintaining your overall well-being and energy levels. These habits will not only improve your physical state but also contribute to mental clarity and emotional stability, helping you manage stress more effectively and facilitate quicker burnout recovery.
8 – Re-Explore Your Interests
Mental exhaustion is one of the biggest symptoms of burnout. To help relieve this symptom, having fun is a good place to start. You may not feel like you have the energy for it, but try to do more things that make you happy. Re-visit old hobbies or explore new ones – whether it’s gardening, attending an art class, or joining a running club. Making time for your hobbies after work can help you reconnect with yourself and ease mental exhaustion.
9 – Go On Vacation
Preventing monotony and changing your environment can help fight burnout, and going on a vacation is the perfect way to achieve these things. Whether it’s a weekend trip or a week-long vacation, schedule some time off from work so you can recharge, reset, and come back to work energized.
10 – Practice Stress Management Techniques
Anxiety, stress, and overwhelm are the biggest contributors of burnout and once these are managed, you’ll be on a quicker road to burnout recovery. Start a journal, practice mindfulness, include daily meditation into your routine, and get a body massage regularly – these are just a few things you can try.
In A Nutshell
Now that you know how to deal with burnout, you can begin making simple lifestyle changes to make you feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. Just remember that burnout recovery is a process and not a destination, so patience is a must. Good luck!