Burnout is inevitable – the physical and mental exhaustion can remove the joy out of your work and career, family interactions, and friendships. The continuous exposure to a high stress environment, such as upsetting news on safety and politics, caring for ill family members or working long hours, and so on, can lead to this condition occurring.
However, burnout is not very easy to spot or prevent, especially when considering that the occurrence of stressful situations is not something you can prevent. If you have family and friends suffering from burnout or are struggling to handle it, read this article to get some intervention tips.
First of all, what is burnout?
Herbert Freudenberger described burnout as a high stress situation that results in exhaustion – mentally, emotionally, and physically. It is not just the ordinary tiredness you get every day after a long day at work; it is worse and makes it difficult to deal with everyday responsibilities and stressful moments. For instance, losing your money after placing a bet on one of the best online casinos in New Zealand may be something that may seem minor to you. However, to a person already suffering from burnout due to another issue, they will feel the loss intensely and even do something drastic like committing suicide.
A person who is going through burnout feels a similar way as someone with depression experiences. They often feel as though they have no say in what they can give, they feel increasingly hopeless, and they usually dread the process of getting out of bed every morning. The bad news is – burnout never goes away on its own. If you leave it untreated, it leads to serious physical illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.
Proven ways to beat burnout
Delegate
One of the major causes of increased burnout is the tendency to handle everything on your own and getting intensely upset when things fail to work out the way you expect. Whether you are handling a growing business or trying to meet deadlines at work or school, it is important to learn the importance of distributing the workload to others when it is starting to overwhelm you.
One executive likens working in a changing environment or growing in your job to giving away your toys when you were a child. It is difficult to let go of your toys and give them to other children to play with, and you soon learn the importance of sharing with others. Similar to that, when you learn to let go and let others handle some of the work on your behalf, it lightens your burden and helps others feel like a part of the journey to building a great organization.
While others are building the company, you can use that break to do something you love and come back when you have recharged enough.
Learn to say no, exercise and rest.
No matter how hardworking you are, you cannot forget that you are still human – and that also means you will get exhausted after working for some time. Therefore, taking some time to relax for a day or two is not the worst idea. If you still feel disillusioned from the whole working process or dread going to work the next day after the break, then chances are you are still suffering from career-relate burnout.
How do you beat it, though? Get intentional about the things that fulfill you, so examine your inner self to find your purpose. Examine whether your activities help you achieve your goals, and investigate the factors you need to change if they are not. For example, giving back your knowledge to others as a thought leader or a mentor, delegating responsibilities, and so on. Also, incorporate exercise into your routine because it remains a great stress reliever.
Be proactive when starting your day, not reactive.
Do not take the reactive approach when beginning your day – it will only lead to stressful moments. Instead, be proactive since this will help you get into a good headspace as you begin your day.
While it may be difficult to set some time aside to recharge when the day is swamped with responsibilities and activities you need to do, it is important to learn to let go of that guilt and start to take care of yourself. For instance, setting some time to go for a walk, work out, eat some energy-giving food, having a meditation session in your office – anything that encourages you to relax and breathe.
Remove distractions
Because building successful businesses and growing in your work involves time and dedication, it is important to let go of distractions that can sabotage your progress. For instance, turning off notifications on social media and your email allows you to set the pace of your progress – simply because you are not allowing others to take over your schedule. It allows you to be proactive and reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed, and increasing your output.
Retaining your focus on your goals
Even as you achieve various objectives, it is always vital to remember the original goals that have led you to the place you are in and your time. Before you begin your journey, you must have a plan in place and then stick to that plan – even factoring in other aspects of your workaround that plan.
Although you might feel overwhelmed sometimes, there is rarely a time when you will be tired of doing something you are highly passionate about. The fatigue will come in when your daily wants and desires fail to align with your purpose, leaving you feeling drained and tired.
Planning your activities around your goals can mean modifying your morning routines, conversations, and the time you spend on social media as well as the news.
Final thoughts
Burnout is real, and it can happen to you despite your job or activity. However, overcoming it and preventing it takes effort and dedication and reminds yourself of the good things you have achieved so far.