How To Overcome Burnout
Do you find yourself feeling tired, unmotivated to work, and stressed lately?
Are there times when you feel exhausted and don’t know what to do to gain the motivation to work? If you can relate to any of these, then you may be on the way to, or already experiencing burnout.
What exactly is burnout?
The World Health Organization (WHO) categorized burnout as a “syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” They identified it as an occupational phenomenon and not a medical condition. This means that it occurs as a result of work or occupational reasons.
It is a state in which you experience an overall feeling of being overwhelmed. You are mentally, emotionally, and physically tired. Burnout may ordinarily look like the usual tiredness caused by stress, but it is a lot more than just stress. It affects your emotional health, and is mostly a result of continuous stress and overworking.
You may find yourself struggling to do what you formerly loved to do. When working on a project, you may find yourself unmotivated, and tired of it, then you move on to another project and get tired of it too. It becomes a cycle of half projects and unwillingness to do anything. At this point, if you don’t take a break, you may experience a total break down.
What causes burnout?
Some major causes of burnouts include
- Taking on a lot of tasks simultaneously.
- Not taking enough breaks.
- Working in a toxic environment.
- Not having an interest in the work you do.
How do we overcome burnout?
Overcoming burnout is not a day’s work. It takes some time, but it is very possible. You mainly need patience and a good understanding of what you’re going through.
Let’s go through some ways to overcome burnout;
- Try to take breaks when you finish projects — After a project, try to take some time off. You may not understand the need for it because you feel energetic and want to be “productive”, but you should make sure to take a break. Breaks help us rest our bodies and brain to function and feel better later. Working non-stop should be reserved for machines and not humans. During such breaks, you can sleep, take long walks, watch movies, and catch up with friends if you feel like it.
- Get rid of excesses — Try to understand when you’re stretching yourself and doing more than you can handle. If you are feeling burnt out, then it is very obvious that you may be doing more than you can handle. This is the best time to reduce your workload. If you work in a professional setting, you can talk to your manager to take off some of your workloads, and if you work for yourself, you can try to spread out your work. Delegating is also a good idea.
- Reevaluate your work environment — Make time to think of how your workplace makes you feel. Do you look forward to going to work or do you dread it? Are your colleagues or boss understanding? Do they make you comfortable or not. Does mental well-being matter in your workplace? These are all valid questions to determine your next step. If you feel that your workplace is toxic to you after answering these questions, you may need to start looking for somewhere better.
- Reward yourself for achievements — Learn to reward yourself for anything you achieve, whether small or big. It gives a feeling of accomplishment and makes you see life from a better perspective. Do not wait for big wins before celebrating, else you may start to feel like you are not doing enough. Such feelings make you want to work harder, and by working harder you may end up extremely stressing yourself and become burnt out.
- Create a new routine — Make out time to create a new routine. One that focuses on things other than work. You can write out all the things that you love to do and give them more time than you dedicate to work. Try new things and engage in activities that make you genuinely happy.
- Reach out to friends and family — Having people to talk to is very important for every person. When feeling burnt out, reaching out to friends and family may have a positive effect. Catching up, hanging out, and doing fun things can help reduce the amount of stress that led to the burn out in the first place. Having human interactions outside of work can be very beneficial, and when burnt out don’t hesitate to reach out to them.
Burnouts can be very tiring and hard to deal with. If all of the above does not make you feel better after a while, then you may be experiencing something more than burnout. Remember that reaching out to qualified professionals will always yield positive results. So, if you feel like what you need is something more, do not hesitate to reach out to a qualified healthcare practitioner to get medical help.
