Are you worried about exhaustion and seeking for a solution to prevent burnout? Burnout, whether personal or professional, is challenging to overcome. It would be best to have quick assistance to avoid burnout and enjoy your personal and professional life.
Please read this article to learn everything there is to know about burnout and how to prevent burnout.
Contents
What is Burnout?
Burnout is a state of chronic stress due to prolonged activation of the body’s stress response system. It is accompanied by loss of interest in work, lowered performance, and general fatigue. People get burned out at work when their job demands grow beyond what they can give or take on.
Emotional weariness, pessimism, and incompetency in the office, as well as recurrent adverse reactions to demanding workplace situations, are all signs of burnout. Burnout is a mental health condition. However, it isn’t recognized as a mental issue.
Burnout is a condition that will never go away on its own, as most of us believe. Since mental sentiments aren’t as apparent as a fractured spine, we’re prone to reject them. Remember, choosing to ignore them may be just as terrible. The longer you neglect burnout, the higher the eventual hazards.
The consequences are usually: exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of motivation. You might even lose your job or mind! There are ways to prevent burnout! First, let us look at the causes and symptoms of burnout:
Reasons Behind The Burnout Epidemic
According to Richard Leider, there are five primary “stressors” that cause burnout on a job. Those stressors, which cause people to lose interest in their work, we call them “the five horsemen of workplace destruction.” They are too much pressure, little control, little support from management, little help from co-workers, and too many tasks. However, the most important factor is growing into a role we can’t handle anymore.
To avoid or fight off burnout, one has to understand the causes behind it. That way, you can prevent burnout or cope with it when you are already dealing with burnout symptoms.
Burnout is often seen as a personal crisis, which probably is, but too often, burnout is caused by problems at the workplace. The most researched cause of burnout is work overload. Workload stress can lead to exhaustion and the tendency to withdraw from family life and your social network.
Another major contributor to this state of chronic stress is an imbalance between workloads and resources. Resources usually are time, energy, and support. So, it’s hard for you not to get burned out eventually if you lack any of these.
Effects and Symptoms of Burnout
The definition of burnout is “a state of chronic stress due to prolonged activation of the body’s stress response system.” Exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of motivation are its most prominent symptoms. While it might be difficult to notice that you’re already suffering from burnout, keep an eye out for these symptoms:
Physical symptoms: fatigue, insomnia, headaches, muscle tension…
Mental symptoms: irritability and impatience.
Behavioral symptoms: depression, low energy or high levels of agitation, and a feeling of being overwhelmed.
Burnout also causes a lack of motivation, cynicism about one‘s job, and work-related values. The workplace is essential to prevent burnout because most people spend a significant part of their day, so it often shows up first on the job.
According to Leaders theory, if you talk about an organization with burnouts, there will be an inverse relationship between performance quality and quantity. The better you do your job, the fewer things you are asked or allowed to do. A tendency for people to quit their jobs and even careers Increased employee turnover.
The Symptoms of Burnout Can Be Avoided!
The reasons you should fight off or prevent you or your employees from experiencing burnout are apparent. But, how does one go about doing that? There are many ways to avoid burnout. The most effective ones seem to reduce psychological workload: stress management, improving resources and support structure at work, and planning workloads to become more manageable.
You might think this is difficult, but there are a few tricks that can help you out. Each trick works best when combined with others, so it’s a good idea if everybody in your department is on board with them.
Five Stages of Burnout
In 1978, Herbert Freudenberger identified five stages of burnout. These stages are:
- Apathy and cynicism;
- Emotional exhaustion and withdrawal;
- Depersonalization;
- Feelings of ineffectiveness, and
- Reduced productivity/increased absenteeism.
How To Identify Burnout
The best way to prevent burnout is early recognition. It’s easier to deal with something if you notice it as soon as possible and start selling with it then, rather than when it has already gotten out of hand. This can be tricky because many people call it a bad work environment or a lack of appreciation for your work. Thus, you must be careful. Some signs that there might be something wrong boil down to:
- The feeling that you are stuck working on uninteresting projects.
- The feeling of being in an unhealthy environment where management doesn’t understand its employees’ needs
- Your body and mind telling you that something isn’t right anymore (you don’t feel energetic)
- Lacking energy throughout the day Feeling like this job isn’t going anywhere anymore.
We’re all susceptible to burnout — we’ve probably had our share of experiences with it at various times. We might have even identified some causes behind it. However, the key to prevention is stress management.
It’s not enough to take a day off if you feel burned out, or pop a few pills (!!!) and hope things will be alright in the morning.
Ways To Prevent Burnout
It’s not a pleasant feeling, and I’m sure you’d prefer to avoid even a mild form of it if possible… so here are some ways you can do that!
1. Prevent burnout by taking just 10 minutes for yourself each day
I know this sounds impossible: we’re all busy professionals, entrepreneurs, or volunteers who have a gazillion things to juggle every single day. But the fact is that taking 10 minutes out for yourself every day will benefit your productivity and well-being more than almost anything else you could do during those 10 minutes.
Schedule your “me time” to make it happen! It might be the first thing you do when you get home each day, or note down the ideas so you can write them at the end of each day.
If making time is too difficult for you right now, try saying no more often than yes — focus on your existing commitments and see what can be shortened or dropped entirely. As your business grows, you’ll find yourself with more time, so people don’t feel they’re losing out by not having enough of your time right this minute.
2. Prevent burnout by learning to say no
Even if you are not in very much of the practice of saying no more often, keep on trying to. Saying yes often can mean that you wind up overwhelmed and exhausted and that critical tasks don’t get done because you’re already booked up with other commitments. When it comes to team management, there’s always going to be plenty for everyone to do — so focus on your existing jobs and make sure nothing falls by the wayside.
3. Prevent burnout by trying dealing with stress alone
Find a trusted friend or colleague who’ll give you a reality check now and again (“Hey, are things so bad?”), or let a professional help … someone such as a counselor or therapist might be able to help you manage your stress levels more effectively. If you feel that the pressure is getting on top of you, talk to someone who can help!
4. Prevent burnout by trying not to be a superhero
I hate to say it, as I know so many business owners want to do this — but the truth is that trying to spread yourself and your team thinly across everything at once will eventually lead you down the path towards burnout.
When people start spreading themselves too thin, they find themselves working longer hours for less reward until ultimately they do things badly or not at all. The key here is finding balance: no matter how much you work, there’s always something else left undone unless you deliberately take some time out to relax.
5. Prevent burnout by trying not to get everything done yourself
If you’re not careful, over-extending yourself is one of the quickest ways to burn out. For example, delegating a task that would typically take around 30 minutes or an hour (i.e., an executive assistant’s workload) and then spending two days on it yourself because you don’t trust anyone else to do it right will stress you out … and even lead to errors as you grow impatient with the process of checking the person’s work!
Delegate tasks clearly and give people enough time to complete them without feeling rushed. If they think they have plenty of time, they’ll be much less likely to cut corners!
6. Prevent burnout by trying not to be in all places at once
There are lots of tasks that we never bother delegating even though it would relieve loads from our shoulders if we did … but the main one I see is trying to be present for every training session or meeting with a client or team member, as well as being available for meetings with others who aren’t on-site and working themselves remotely.
You can make time for these meetings — but maybe not in the way you’re used to! For example, if you’re working virtually with people in your team who are all over the world, then there’s no point in having one big Skype call or Google Hangout each day; TeamViewer allows you to connect to their machines and see what they’re doing as well as talking to them via a microphone … so conference calls aren’t required.
This means that when your clients come online, you don’t have to drop everything else and be present (which is stressful!) — instead, log in to their computer and work together.
If other people can do some of this work — whether they’re part of your team or not — then you’ll have time to do more of what’s essential, which is doing the work that only you can do.
Follow the Rule of Three!
This trick is pretty simple: every time you come across a stressful situation, whether it’s related to your job or personal life, ask yourself: is this something I can do myself? Can someone else help me with this? Should I wait until later to deal with this?
1. Make A Plan!
These are the most important things if you want to avoid burnout. It would help if you got overwhelmed by work and make sure that everything gets done on time.
To calculate how much work you should be doing daily, take into account these three factors: your skills and abilities (i.e., how fast can you type?), the tasks at hand (how many e-mails do you have in your inbox?), and the deadline (when do you have to finish your work?)
Always start with clear goals: what exactly is it that you are trying to achieve? Allocate a time to each task: don’t spend 10 hours in one go on completing a single charge; allocate an hour per day.
Over-planning is better than under-planning: take into account days when you will be out of the office or simply unable to deliver the best results due to unforeseen circumstances. Make sure there’s some room for flexibility: if your tasks change or something doesn’t get done, don’t panic! Just move those tasks to another time slot; try not to let them pile up, though!
2. Take It Easy!
Burnout happens due to overwork, so you need to give your mind a chance to relax and recover. If possible, work with shorter deadlines will make it easier for you and your colleagues if something goes wrong.
Try not to work on weekends or schedule when you don’t have any responsibilities, like family gatherings or playing sports. And last but not least: take holidays! The more breaks you give yourself in between stressful periods of work, the better!
Acquiring skills that will make you less stressed is an important goal for everyone planning on having a long career in business because when you deal with stress now and then is inevitable. So if you search to work in a successful business, look for an employer that offers excellent conditions
It will not only make your job more enjoyable. But it will also allow you to dedicate your time and efforts to the tasks at hand.
3. Enjoy Yourself!
Take some rest and then and do something you enjoy. Don’t forget about hobbies or sports, make friends and try going out with friends. This is especially important because stress affects people’s brains differently: some become anxious, some get depressed, while others withdraw from social life completely. Some even have obsessions w with their work (e.g., gamblers). If these symptoms surface during stressful periods, don’t hesitate to take a step back and spend some time doing something completely different.
All in all, preventing burnout starts from within. It would benefit if you did whatever you can to keep your mind at ease by reducing the stress levels throughout the week or month and giving yourself enough time off during weekends or vacations, and avoiding long work hours for an extended time.
So if you’ve been experiencing any signs of burnout recently, definitely give these tips a try! They will make your life much more manageable and enjoyable!
It is recommended that adults get between 7-8 hours. Don’t skimp on rest: take time off, even if you’re busy. Eat healthy food: those who take care of their body will have fewer health problems and be less stressed throughout the day. Stay active: exercise boosts your mood and keeps your body in shape, schedule it into your daily routine Drink water regularly: dehydration can lead to headaches and make you tired as well. Stress management: if you feel overwhelmed, take five minutes to breathe deeply or drink some water. Please find a way to relax every day: maybe it’s meditation, taking a walk, doing yoga, playing with your cat, or listening to music.
Take Help From A Doctor When You Feel Burnout Setting In
Burnout doesn’t get better with time. So, it’s essential to seek medical help when you feel you’re on the verge of burning out. Of course, getting medical help costs money. But it may save you from losing your whole business as well as your health!
When I see burnout clients, there’s a chance that some of them will be suffering from other underlying problems, too—for example, depression or drug dependency. So, make sure you seek medical care if you’re feeling down and depressed for no apparent reason. Even if the doctor can’t help with those issues, they’ll probably give you an anti-depressant to take on a prescription basis. It will help with the anxiety we feel when things are going badly in life.
It may be that any pain associated with burnout is due to eventual chronic stress rather than any physical cause. From my own experience, when I take a mild anti-depressant on prescription, the pain is instantly removed.
By paying attention to your burnout levels and preventing them before they happen rather than trying to cure them after they’ve started taking over your life, you should be able to keep on top of things and prevent large-scale failures. Even if that means scaling; back and saying no occasionally! If you have any tips for treating or preventing burnout, please leave a comment below; I’d love to hear from you. 🙂
Wrapping Up
If you’ve tried everything else, slow down!
If all the tips above still haven’t worked to combat your burnout, it might be time to reconsider your overall strategy. For instance, if you’re overwhelmed with the number of things on a never-ending “to-do” list and feel like too much is being taken away from your personal life, slow down for a while and see if the rest of the world will slow down with you.
One of my clients had tried all my usual tips to get through her burnout. Nothing made any difference until she took a complete break from work for three whole months! She went on sabbatical at her husband’s suggestion and came back more refreshed than ever before.
Suppose you currently feel that you’ve tried everything else. In that instance, you may want to deliberate taking a short sabbatical or vacation from your business altogether. Make sure someone keeps an eye on things while you’re away, so they don’t go too far off the rails!
Burnout can seem like an unsolvable problem, but with the right approach, it’s possible to get past it and onto a better way of working. If you’re feeling exhausted from the stress, consider what changes you need to make to avoid burning out in the future. Also, remember that if all else fails, take some time to recover before you try anything else.
This is a great article, very much relevant to the corporate world. If you want to see more of this kind of article and other insightful and helpful posts, go ahead and subscribe here. It’s very easy to do – mark my words.
All the best!
References
Identifying And Preventing Burnout by Kayla Webley, published on Small Biz Trends.com | 19/02/2015 08:07 AM. Retrieved from http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/02/identifying-preventing-burnout.html.
Burned Out? How To Get Back On Track by Robin Fisher Roffer, published on Forbes.com | 27/10/2012 09:41 PM . Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/robinfisherroffer/2012/10 /27/burned-outhow-to-get-back-on-track/#45fb7c5e2b8f .
How to avoid burnout in a startup by David Cohen – Mashable Business | 14/12/2013 02:41 PM. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2013/12/14 /startup-burnout/#O0B3Ri6Yiihq .
6 ways to prevent burnout by Vickie Schulz, published on Work It Daily | 13/01/2014 08:00 AM. Retrieved from http://workitdaily.com/2014/01 /13 /preventing-burnout/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+workitedaily+%28Work.It.Daily%29 .
How to Avoid burnout as a Remote Worker by Erica Douglass – Wrike Blog | 07/12/2014 12:00 PM. Retrieved from http://blog.wrike.com/remote-work/avoid-burnout-as-a-remote-worker/.