What to do when you’re burned out?
Oftentimes, we may feel as if we are constantly on the go, never having time to take a breath and catch ourselves up to speed with things. Stressful situations are coming at us left and right, and things in our life begin to bubble over from one area to the next. Work stress begins to affect our home life and our personal relationships. As a result, this stress causes us to lose motivation and makes it hard to even wake up and handle the responsibilities that we have on our plate for the day. So, what is this feeling called exactly?
Burnout, this feeling which is being described, is defined as “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress”. Burnout can be related to a cup: in this cup, you have only but so much water. If we are not taking adequate care of ourselves, stressful situations can pile up and overwhelm us, taking out “water” from our cups. Eventually, if not dealt with, you have no more water in your cup, and you feel drained. You have nothing left to give to the job you may have once loved, or even to your family and loved ones.
Prevention of Burnout?
Now that this feeling is identified, what can you do to treat and eventually prevent it from being a recurring cycle? Some tips to dealing with burnout are:
Utilize your support system
It helps to talk to friends and families about the stressors that are currently going on in your life, as it not only gets the feeling off your chest but also strengthens your relationships, as it shows that you trust them enough to confide in them.
Create a healthy work environment that you want to come to
Discuss some of the concerns you have at work, don’t keep them silent. Chances are, you’re not the only one who has these concerns, and addressing them can actually help to make the changes that may be bringing you the stressors in the first place.
Exercise
One of the best ways to relieve stress is by exercising. Exercising not only works to improve your mood and physical health, but it also can work to be a mindfulness activity that you incorporate into your life. You can relieve stress by focusing on your breathing during your workout, or focusing on the way your body is moving through different routines that you do.
Take a break
Oftentimes, burnout can come about because we don’t take breaks. It is not healthy to work constantly with no off days to rebalance yourself. Utilize your PTO and sick days. Take a vacation (or stay-cation) if possible. Also, start to incorporate regularly scheduled off days into your work schedule so that a break can truly be a break for you.