Burnout is a very real challenge facing employees in a wide variety of industries (really every industry) and job roles. Basically, any employee can reach a point of being burnt out. First, let’s identify what we mean by work burnout.
For the purposes of this article, we’re not talking about just being tired after a long day at work, where you just need to unwind a bit. It’s also not being temporarily exhausted after completing a big project. Work burnout like we’re discussing is more prolonged. It doesn’t get better after a good night’s sleep or a long weekend.
Detachment, fatigue, and cynicism are all common symptoms of burnout, and they can impact not just work performance but daily life, as well. Burnout can occur after prolonged exposure to difficult tasks or circumstances, long hours, isolation, aggressive timelines, and many other stress-inducing aspects of a job. Stresses like these have the potential to add up and affect nearly every facet of your life, leaving you feeling depressed. If you’re suffering from burnout at the office, here are some things that may help get back on track. Quick note: if burnout turns into real depression, medical help may be warranted. Don’t hesitate to speak to your healthcare professional if you are feeling symptoms of depression
Prioritize Self-care
Failing to take care of your basic physical needs is often part of work burnout. Working long hours and trying to keep up with deadlines can lead to a lack of sleep, skipping meals and generally poor nutrition, becoming sedentary and avoiding exercise, losing social connection with friends and family, and not making time for activities that foster stability and well-being, like meditation, journaling, and appreciating nature. These activities can all be crucial for recharging your physical and emotional batteries and enhancing your concentration and focus. Take a step back from your routine and evaluate how much time you are devoting to any of these self-care activities and behaviors.
Consider which of these activities used to be part of your routine, but have dropped off your schedule for a while. Find ways to prioritize the most important self-care activities that you enjoy. Then, consider adding in even more that you may not have tried in the past – like meditation, yoga, or really any other activity that seems interesting that is outside of your normal work routine.
Reduce Exposure to Job Stressors
Avoiding all stress isn’t really feasible in life or at work. And, there is definitely such a thing as positive stress. We tend to grow and evolve when faced with challenges and minor stresses. But, when situations or tasks become extremely stressful and are repeated over and over, this can be a major factor in burnout.
So, one tactic for overcoming burnout is to reduce or eliminate the excessively stressful aspects of your job. This may involve speaking with your supervisor and finding ways to revise or reduce the tasks or projects that are most responsible for generating the most stress. Similarly, you may need to address overly stressful situations at home, if they are playing a role in your over-stressed reactions.
Shift your Perspective
Taking time off to recharge your batteries and focus on self-care can help you feel less burned out and more productive, but this often doesn’t get to the heart of what is causing the burnout in the first place. When you return to work after taking time off, you may find that everything that caused your burnout is waiting for you. You still have an insurmountable pile of work, the same intractable office conflicts, and the same meager resources to get things done.
That can seem unchangeable, which will almost certainly lead to returning feelings of burnout. In this case, changing how you view a situation may be your best strategy for overcoming burnout. It can help to remember that while you may not be able to control all the situations and forces impacting your life, you are in charge of how you respond to them. Sometimes even just recognizing that you do have control over something can being to counteract some of those stresses. A major cause of burnout is the feeling of having no ability to control the situation and how it impacts you.
If you are able to shift your perspective a bit, it can help you put some distance between you and the stressors.
