If continuous pressure has you feeling helpless, disillusioned, and totally exhausted, you might be on the path to burnout. When you are burnt out, difficulties seem insurmountable. Burnout can trigger unhappiness and detachment, sabotaging your work, your relationships, and your wellbeing. However, by recognizing the first warning signs, it is possible to take action to reduce it, thereby recovering your balance and confidence, helping you to feel optimistic and yourself again.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is a psychological condition brought on by excessive and prolonged anxiety. It happens when you are feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and not able to satisfy continuous demands. As the pressure continues, you start to lose your attention and motivation which you had in the first place.
The Consequences of Burnout
Burnout may bring about long-term changes to your body which can make you vulnerable to illnesses such as colds and flu. Due to its many side-effects, it is important to handle burnout straight away.
If you think you are on the path to burnout, here are some warning signs:
- Feeling drained and tired all the time
- Lowered immunity, becoming sick a lot
- Taking your frustration out on others
- Loss of motivation
- Reduced satisfaction and sense of achievement
- Withdrawing from responsibilities
All of us have occasionally felt times of helplessness, overload or even a sense of unappreciation, but if you feel like this most days, you might have burnout.
How to Avoid Burnout
If you understand the warning signs, there are many things you can do to stop burnout from happening. These include:
- Turning to others – talking face to face with an accomplished listener is among the quickest ways to calm your nerves and alleviate anxiety, and it will only help to strengthen your friendship.
- Invest in your closest relationships, including the ones with your spouse, kids or friends – attempt to put aside that which is causing you burnout and make quality time with the ones you love instead.
- Attempt to be more social with your colleagues – if you take a work rest, for example, rather than directing your attention to your smart phone, consider engaging with your co-workers. Try setting a time every day to completely disconnect from your laptop and your emails.
- Join a cause or a neighbourhood group that's personally meaningful to you – this could be spiritual, social, or even a service group. Being helpful to others provides immense pleasure and will help to greatly reduce anxiety while expanding your social circle.
- Find balance in your daily life – start looking for satisfaction and meaning elsewhere in your life through loved ones, hobbies, friends, or voluntary work. Concentrate on the areas of your life that bring you pleasure.
- Take time off – if burnout appears to be inevitable, attempt to have a complete break from work. Go on holiday or request a temporary leave-of-absence. Utilize the time off to recharge your batteries.
- Set boundaries and do not overextend yourself – if you find this hard to do, just remind yourself that saying "no" permits you to say "yes" to the things which you truly would like to do.
- Set aside comfort time – relaxation techniques including meditation, yoga, and deep breathing trigger the body's relaxation response, a state of restfulness that's the reverse of the stress reaction.
- And final, sleep – feeling drained may exacerbate burnout by inducing one to think irrationally.
Now's the time to pause, change your life and prevent burnout from happening. By studying ways to help yourself overcome stresses and distractions, you will feel healthier and positive again. Just remember, there are positive actions you can take to handle burnout and get your own life back into a state of equilibrium.