11 Ways To Manage & Prevent Burnout
Posted on November 08, 2014 by Diantha Boardman, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
Professional burnout can have serious consequences. Here are some ways to manage it.
This is part three of three in my series on Burnout.
It’s not enough to just be aware of burnout because burnout doesn’t go away on it’s own and it will continue to get worse unless you address the underlying issues causing it. Burnout develops slowly which means that recovery from it will take time and patience. This is essential for your physical, emotional and spiritual health and it must become your top priority over everything else. Starting this process can be challenging if you’re still going to work five days a week, so the first step it to:
1) Take A Break. Before you start arguing that you don’t have the time to spare and you have too many responsibilities to attend to first, let me repeat myself: this MUST become your top priority. The longer you wait, the worse it will get, the more you will suffer, and the longer it will take you to recover. This is the first step towards a happier, healthier life. So take a day, or a week, or a month, or however much time you think you need to clear your head and gain some objectivity about your situation.
2) Focus On The Basics. Burnout can be hard on your body and you may have been so busy that you’ve been neglecting your basic needs. Fortunately, now that you’re on vacation you can establish a regular exercise routine, upgrade your diet, and improve the quality of your sleep. This will help reduce your stress, improve your overall health, boost your mood, and make your butt look great. :)
3) Get Support. Don’t go it alone. Reach out to your co-workers, friends, or loved ones. Get a Life Coach, therapist, or see if your company has an employee assistance program (EAP). Tell people what you’re struggling with and let them know what you need and how they can help.
4) Identify What You ENJOY About Your Job. What tasks do you like doing? What makes you feel productive, fulfilled, and like you’re actually contributing something positive? Do the tasks you like outweigh the tasks you dislike? If not, how can you change that?
5) Take A 1-Hour Lunch. I used to be notorious about skipping lunch and staying in the building all day. It’s not a good idea. Go to a new restaurant or take your lunch to the park to clear your head, feed your body, and add some pleasure to your day.
6) Set Boundaries. You need to learn when to say no. Stop working over 40 hours a week, stop taking on more than you can handle, and stop pressuring yourself to be some kind of superwoman who can do it all. Happiness doesn’t come from impressing others with your workaholic tendencies, it comes from having greater balance and being more honest with yourself. Work less. Have more fun.
7) Delegate. If you were saying yes a lot before you realized you were burnt out, you may have too many items on your To Do list. Identify tasks that could be transferred to other co-workers and run it by your supervisor. Emphasize that your excessive work load is compromising your ability to provide excellent work on your core responsibilities.
8) Unplug For A Little While Each Day. Get rid of the distractions. Turn off your phone, turn off your computer, turn off your TV and spend some face to face time with the people who matter most in your life. Our meaningful connections to others is one of the most important elements in leading a happy life.
9) Practice Mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness encourages you to be more present and aware of your thoughts, feelings, body, and surroundings in an accepting and non-judgmental way. This promotes stress-reduction, increases focus and attention, and can even improve relationships. Basically, it can provide you with some useful ways of managing day-to-day stressors.
10) Reevaluate Your Goals & Priorities. What are your most important life values? Is the work that you’re doing fulfilling and meaningful in ways that align with what matters most to you? If not it’s okay. While individuals can find ways to cope with the symptoms of burnout on their own, it may not be enough. If your actual employer and the structure of the agency you work for are the primary sources of your burnout, then the only way to truly prevent burnout is through organizational change which is largely out of your control. I reached this point when I was a therapist and it basically boils down to two choices: you can remain at your current job, ensuring that you will continue to experience worsening symptoms of burnout, or you can…
11) Quit Your Job. This is a scary idea for many of us and I will write more on this topic at a later date but it could also be the solution you’ve been searching for. If you’ve been contemplating this course of action but aren’t quite sure, contact me and find out how coaching might be able to help.
I hope y’all found these posts useful and I’d love to hear your feedback. Happy weekend and thanks for reading!
