Everyone has experienced burnout, to some degree and at some point, in their lives. The crippling and abysmal feeling of heavy sadness and exhaustion is signature, and that feeling can overwhelm even the most positive person. Although not a medical diagnosis in itself, a lot of medical conditions like depression can contribute and lead to burnout.
Defined as a state of physical, mental, and emotional stress accompanied by lethargy and an identity crisis, burnout takes its toll on the overall lifestyle of the victim. A sufferer will likely experience lethargy, insomnia, fatigue, irritability, unproductiveness, and in extreme cases, can even begin to abuse drugs and alcohol. It is such a horrible phase to go through, but there are a few things one can do to ease the ordeal and maybe help it pass quicker.
Source: Medium.com
Contents
Get Professional Help
Rarely do burnout episodes go away without seeing some kind of support. It is very important to get professional help while going through it. A therapist is well trained and equipped to handle the situation and proffer the right kind of assistance needed. Employee assistant programs at work are also designed to offer support to the company staff to ensure their mental well-being. A more personal and cost-effective way is to reach out to family, friends, and co-workers for help.
Engage In Recreational Activities
All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. With burnout, the last thing the brain needs is to be bombarded with work. A wise way to deal with burnout is to engage in recreational activities that will take the mind of all stressors and provide relief for a while. Outdoor activities like running, hiking, and camping are great ways to lift the spirit. Time in nature very often reminds people of the important things in life. Yoga and meditation work wonders for some people. Physical sport like golf, tennis, and basketball help work the body into exhaustion and could help the mind shut down. Online games like Novibet casino online are also a good outlet.
Source: Medium.com
Sleep
Sometimes, the cure to burnout is simply a series of good night’s sleep. A lot of people today are walking around like zombies, stressed and tired out of their minds from work, school, parenting, and every other human activity that naturally takes its toll on the human mind. People are genuinely tired and sleep-deprived. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can cause all manner of ailments like depression, ulcers, heart disease, high blood pressure, and so on. Burnout can also be a consequence of this. Avoiding and healing from these illnesses often require the same treatment—a good night’s sleep.
Practising Self-Preservation
Being proactive in the prevention and handling of burnout is key. Avoid toxic situations or environments and people that trigger depressive episodes. Eat regular and healthy meals. Develop and maintain a good sleep schedule. Avoid drugs and alcohol. Have healthy and realistic expectations from life and yourself. Avoid having high expectations from people. This will prevent unnecessary disappointment. Being conscious of oneself and ensuring the integrity of one’s state of mind will prevent and help manage the occurrence of burnout.
Possible causes of burnout
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Excessive workload
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The major reason for burnout can be the excessive workload. Workload, to some extent, is fine and being a working individual, it’s common to face workload. But things can go sideways if you are under the pressure of excessive workload on your shoulders. In no time, you will start having physical, mental and emotional stress.
Physically your body will give up to work further if you are taking an excessive workload. Similarly, mental stress can lead to mistakes in work and will take more time than usual to finish a similar task, and emotional stress can lead to changes in behaviour around your family and colleagues. It’s important to have a healthy piece of mind and body to stay out of burnout.
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Lack of control
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You can even face burnout when you are not in control of your professional life. Lack of authority and feeling left out while making decisions that affect your job can be irritating and overwhelming, which can lead to a lack of willingness to work and unproductiveness.
Having control over your job and being able to make the decision that affects your job like assignments or targets is very important. Lack of control and imposing decisions can make you suffer from burnout. Don’t agree on things that you don’t want to do, and don’t let anyone take control of your decisions.
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Social support and interactions with people are really important in everyone’s life. You must have at least one person to whom you can go and share your feelings and get emotional comfort. Feeling isolated in your workplace as well as your personal life can lead to some serious mental and emotional stress and discomfort, causing burnout to some serious extent.
Make friends in your personal life as well as in your workplace, have more interactions with people you find comfortable to talk with. Participate in activities that help you to engage with people and seek social support when you need someone to talk with.
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Work-life imbalance
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A balance between work and life is not easy for a working individual. But somehow, you have to maintain a balance between professional and personal life as well. An imperfect work-life balance can make you feel extremely stressed, causing fatigue, overthinking, and irritability which are the reasons for burnout and coming out of it can be difficult.
Giving less time to work can build work stress and workload, and spending less time with family and friends will emotionally detach you from them and can lead to problems in your personal life.
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Dysfunctional workplace dynamics
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Having a peaceful and comfortable workplace is of utmost importance to maintain a steady workflow and work efficiently. You cannot be much productive if you have dysfunctional workplace dynamics and will lead to incomplete targets and build work pressure. It is nearly impossible to work in an environment where you are criticized by colleagues and demotivated by a supervisor or boss. You will feel stressed out all day, and this can directly lead you to burnout.
Conclusion
We tend to overestimate our humanity, and this gets us into trouble quite often. To deal with burnout, we must be kind to ourselves and take the necessary measures to protect ourselves from mental trauma.
