Graphic by Charity Treat
How stressed are you at work and home these days? Do you have a lot going on and feel tired all the time? Now that Covid lockdown is a thing of the past, you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed as pressures and responsibilities increase again. The world is so fast-paced that you may feel trapped in a vicious cycle of work, more work, and not enough down time. Are you’re forgetting to reward yourself for big and small achievements and falling into old habits of overworking and under enjoying your life? We’ll examine work burnout and then offer strategies to overcome burnout.
What Causes Work Burnout
You probably know that people who work “long hours” are at risk for burnout. But work burnout is more than that: It is usually is caused by repeated, excessive, and prolonged stress. In many cases, this stress is related to the particular type of work you do.
For instance, firefighters confronting a massive wildfire for many weeks may become mentally exhausted. Health care workers and social workers, constantly trying to help people, are under great stress. And factory employees may work on a fast-moving, relentless production line. Even if you work in an office environment, there are so many ways that stress can take over.
What Are Some Signs of Burnout At Work
Work burnout can come in many forms. Here are some signs that you are Some physical symptoms can be signs of burnout. You may experience unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other unexplained health conditions. Or you may find yourself getting sick more often.
Loss of motivation
Feeling drained or exhausted all of the time
Lacking a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment at work
Having a sense of failure
Difficulty sleeping, change in sleep habits
Withdrawing from coworkers, family members, or friends
Feeling isolated or alone
Being unusually irritable or impatient
Increased use of alcohol or drugs
We get so insatiable that we always look forward to achieving greater heights, even at the expense of our health. If you feel exhausted with the repetitive queue of tasks and break away from them, here are strategies you can apply to overcome work burnout.
6 Tips to Overcome Work Burnout
Our top six include, exercise, mental healthcare, connection at work, alone time, sleep, boundaries. Let’s start with exercise. Physical activity has been shown to improve mood since it clears the body of toxins and helps maintain overall health. Exercising also aids in the management of burnout-related anxiety and depression.
Do Something Physical
During physical activity, your heart rate increases. Increases in heart rate result in a greater volume of blood being circulated through the body, which helps to rid the system of harmful toxins. If you’re suffering from work burnout, get outside and walk around the block a few times a day. If you work at home, again, get up, go outside. Find an exercise or walking buddy. Any activity that gets you moving counts. Staying active is the key. Outdoor exercise has been demonstrated to impact people suffering from burnout significantly. Being outside, in the fresh air, and surrounded by new sights and sensations can help keep a person interested in and committed to their workout.
Talk to a Health Expert
Check in with your doctor if you’ve been feeling weary or frustrated on the job, if you’ve noticed a pattern of inefficiency, or if you’ve been unable to break the cycle of underperformance. Some physical symptoms are common when burnout has set in. As a result of burnout, you may experience headaches, particularly tension headaches. Even worse, this could lead to a cold or the flu, severely limiting your productivity at work. That’s why it’s crucial to receive the help of medical professionals and receive any necessary prescriptions. Check out BuzzRx or inquire about discounts at your neighborhood pharmacy to save money on prescriptions.
Connect With Others At Work
Feeling isolated and alone can cause work burnout. Do you have a break or lunchroom at work where you can get together with colleagues you’d like to know better and talk? Can you meet for lunch outside of work? Can you plan an afterwork event of some kind? Getting together and connecting is the most basic and important part of enjoying your life. Your work life may be suffering from lack of companionship. Even if your company has a program for mental healthcare and an engaged HR manager or department, you may just want someone who’s working with you to talk to. How can you make that happen?
Self Care And Alone Time
Are you running from one set of responsibilities to another all day long? You need down time. Many of us just need a place to be alone for a while to read or write in a journal or do something you love but can only do alone. Take some time every day to let your own personality out with whatever is your passion.
Here’s where Yoga, or meditation, or a spiritual practice can also make a difference. With meditation you can develop the skill of non-interference, allowing yourself to observe somewhat better than ignore or suppress your thoughts and feelings. It’s pretty simple. To do this, you need only yourself, ten minutes, and a quiet, undisrupted spot where you feel safe closing your eyes (like your couch, the train, or your desk). Following a guided practice program is the best option for someone just starting out.
Get Enough Sleep
Inadequate rest or trouble falling asleep are other sources of stress that can worsen burnout. A good night’s sleep might help you feel more in control of your emotions and less stressed. The misconception that sleeping makes you sluggish must be dispelled. It’s just as false to assume that you’ll be more productive by cutting back on your sleep.
According to the research, seven to eight hours of sleep is the magic number that turns back the clock on emotional fatigue and recharges your batteries. If work burnout has set in, you need to prioritize sleep every night. Try to get to bed at a decent hour, ignore your alarm on the weekends, and relish those long hours of sleep.
Microsleeps taken during the day, in addition to the recommended 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night, may help you feel less overwhelmed. Take a short nap, ranging from 20 minutes to an hour, to decompress quickly. This will allow your body to enter the restorative stages of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
Set Up A Few Boundaries And Learn to Say No
Overcoming burnout at work can be challenging, but setting boundaries around how much time you spend helping others is one way to cope. Taking on too much at once can be stressful. Refusing someone’s request for your time is not indicative of laziness, selfishness, or rudeness. Taking care of one’s mental health, keeping one’s most essential obligations, and proactively avoiding burnout depends on one’s ability to set limits in accepting new commitments.
Conclusion
No one is irreplaceable. You are responsible for taking care of your health and ensuring you get the ideal life-work balance. Burnout is an actual condition that could strike anyone. Follow the tips we’ve shared here so you can manage burnout quickly and bounce back stronger and better.
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