How to avoid burnout
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What is burnout?
“Burnout is a state of mental and physical exhaustion that can zap the joy out of your career, friendships, and family interactions. Continual exposure to stressful situations, like caring for an ill family member, working long hours, or witnessing upsetting news related to politics and school safety can lead to this stress condition”
Coined by the psychologist, Herbert Freudenberg in the 1970s, burnout describes a severe stress condition that leads to severe physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Much worse than ordinary fatigue, burnout makes it challenging for people to cope with stress and handle day-to-day responsibilities.
People experiencing burnout often feel like they have nothing left to give and may dread getting out of bed each morning. They may even adopt a pessimistic outlook toward life and feel hopeless. Burnout doesn’t go away on its own and, if left untreated, it can lead to serious physical and psychological illnesses like depression, heart disease, and diabetes.
The difference between stress and burnout
The difference between stress and burnout
Burnout may be the result of unrelenting stress, but it isn’t the same as too much stress. Stress, by and large, involves too much: too many pressures that demand too much of you physically and mentally. However, stressed people can still imagine that if they can just get everything under control, they’ll feel better.
Burnout, on the other hand, is about not enough. Being burned out means feeling empty and mentally exhausted, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations. If excessive stress feels like you’re drowning in responsibilities, burnout is a sense of being all dried up. And while you’re usually aware of being under a lot of stress, you don’t always notice burnout when it happens.
Check out the following resources to help you with avoiding burnout:
Burnout to Breakthrough: Building Resilience to Refuel, Recharge, and Reclaim What Matters: https://amzn.to/2Z3Ydid
Powerful Solutions to Manage Stress, Reduce Anxiety & Increase Wellbeing: https://amzn.to/3tHqGbK
Manage Your Stress and Pain Through Music: https://amzn.to/3cSRU9n
Relaxing music:
https://relaxingmusic.website/relaxing-music-shop/
Who is at risk?
Anyone who’s continually exposed to high levels of stress can experience burnout. Helping professionals, such as first responders, doctors, and nurses are especially vulnerable to this health condition.
Along with career-induced burnout, people caring for children can also have this type of extreme exhaustion. A recent study found that, just like doctors and business executives, mothers and fathers can also burn out.Personality characteristics like needing to be in control, perfectionism, and being “Type A” can also increase your risk of burnout.
5 ways to diagnose burnout
Worried that you may be experiencing burnout but unsure of the signs? We’ve compiled a list of symptoms that you can use as a guide.
Exhaustion. Feeling physically and emotionally depleted. Physical symptoms may include headaches, stomachaches, and appetite or sleeping changes.
Isolation. People with burnout tend to feel overwhelmed. As a result, they may stop socializing and confiding in friends, family members, and co-workers.
Escape fantasies. Dissatisfied with the never-ending demands of their jobs, people with burnout may fantasize about running away or going on a solo-vacation. In extreme cases, they may turn to drugs, alcohol, or food as a way to numb their emotional pain.
Irritability. Burnout can cause people to lose their cool with friends, co-workers, and family members more easily. Coping with normal stressors like preparing for a work meeting, driving kids to school, and tending to household tasks also may start to feel insurmountable, especially when things don’t go as planned.
Frequent illnesses. Burnout, like other long-term stress, can lower your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds, the flu, and insomnia. Burnout can also lead to mental health concerns like depression and anxiety.
12 Stages of burnout
Unlike a cold or the flu, burnout doesn’t hit all at once.
Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North have outlined the stages of this syndrome:
Excessive drive/ambition. Common for people starting a new job or undertaking a novel task, too much ambition can lead to burnout.
Pushing yourself to work harder. Ambition pushes you to work harder.
Neglecting your own needs. You begin to sacrifice self-care like sleep, exercise, and eating well.
Displacement of conflict. Instead of acknowledging that you’re pushing yourself to the max, you blame your boss, the demands of your job, or colleagues for your troubles.
No time for nonwork-related needs. You begin to withdraw from family and friends. Social invitations to parties, movies, and dinner dates start to feel burdensome, instead of enjoyable.
Denial. Impatience with those around you mounts. Instead of taking responsibility for your behaviors, you blame others, seeing them as incompetent, lazy, and overbearing.
Withdrawal. You begin to withdraw from family and friends. Social invitations to parties, movies, and dinner dates start to feel burdensome, instead of enjoyable.
Behavioral changes. Those on the road to burnout may become more aggressive and snap at loved ones for no reason.
Depersonalization. Feeling detached from your life and your ability to control your life.
Inner emptiness or anxiety. Feeling empty or anxious. You may turn to thrill seeking behaviors to cope with this emotion, such as substance use, gambling, or overeating.
Depression. Life loses its meaning and you begin to feel hopeless.
Mental or physical collapse. This can impact your ability to cope. Mental health or medical attention may be necessary.
How to avoid burnout
Whether you recognize the warning signs of impending burnout or you’re already past the breaking point, trying to push through the exhaustion and continuing as you have been will only cause further emotional and physical damage. Now is the time to pause and change direction by learning how you can help yourself overcome burnout and feel healthy and positive again.
Dealing with burnout requires the “Three R” approach:
Recognize. Watch for the warning signs of burnout.
Reverse. Undo the damage by seeking support and managing stress.
Resilience. Build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health.
Stress may be unavoidable, but burnout is preventable. Following these steps may help you thwart stress from getting the best of you:
Exercise
Not only is exercise good for our physical health, but it can also give us an emotional boost.Stretched for time? You don’t need to spend hours at the gym to reap these benefits. Mini-workouts and short walks are convenient ways to make exercise a daily habit.
Eat a balanced diet
Eating a healthy diet filled with omega-3 fatty acids can be a natural antidepressant. Adding foods rich in omega-3s like flaxseed oil, walnuts, and fish may help give your mood a boost.
Try to find some value in your work. Even in some mundane jobs, you can often focus on how your role helps others, for example, or provides a much-needed product or service. Focus on aspects of the job that you do enjoy, even if it’s just chatting with your coworkers at lunch. Changing your attitude towards your job can help you regain a sense of purpose and control.
Make friends at work. Having strong ties in the workplace can help reduce monotony and counter the effects of burnout. Having friends to chat and joke with during the day can help relieve stress from an unfulfilling or demanding job, improve your job performance, or simply get you through a rough day.
Set boundaries. Don’t overextend yourself. Learn how to say “no” to requests on your time. If you find this difficult, remind yourself that saying “no” allows you to say “yes” to the commitments you want to make.
Take a daily break from technology. Set a time each day when you completely disconnect. Put away your laptop, turn off your phone, and stop checking email or social media.
Take time off. If burnout seems inevitable, try to take a complete break from work. Go on vacation, use up your sick days, ask for a temporary leave-of-absence, anything to remove yourself from the situation. Use the time away to recharge your batteries and pursue other methods of recovery.
Practice good sleep habits
Our bodies need time to rest and reset, which is why healthy sleep habits are essential for our well-being.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, avoiding caffeine before bedtime, establishing a relaxing bedtime ritual, and banning smartphones from the bedroom can help promote sound sleep hygiene.
Nourish your creative side. Creativity is a powerful antidote to burnout. Try something new, start a fun project, or resume a favorite hobby. Choose activities that have nothing to do with work or whatever is causing your stress.
Ask for help
During stressful times, it’s important to reach out for help. If asking for assistance feels difficult, consider developing a self-care “check-in” with close friends and family members so that you can take care of each other during trying times.
How can you help others?
How can you help someone experiencing burnout? While you can’t take away someone’s stress, offering support can help lighten their emotional load.
Listen
Before jumping into “fixing” mode, offer to listen to your friend or family member’s difficulties.
Having someone to talk to can make a world of difference. Often people need someone to witness their stress and suffering, and listening can go a long way.
Validate feelings and concerns
When friends and family members are feeling the effects of burnout, saying It doesn’t sound that bad or I’m sure things will get better — while meant to offer reassurance — can feel invalidating if someone is really feeling low and hopeless.
Offer specific types of help
Individuals who are burnt out are often too tired to think of ways that others can help them. Instead of asking, “How can I help?” offer to drop off a meal, pick up dry cleaning, or do a load of laundry.
Kind gestures
Sending flowers, a thoughtful text message, or a written card can remind friends and family members that they’re not alone.Because they’re often working long hours, people with burnout can feel lonely and underappreciated. But small gestures of kindness can be nurturing.
Research resources
If friends or family members need additional support, like childcare, a house cleaner, or a psychotherapist, offer to research and crowdsource for specific resources to help ease the stress.
Check out the following resources to help you with avoiding burnout:
Burnout to Breakthrough: Building Resilience to Refuel, Recharge, and Reclaim What Matters: https://amzn.to/2Z3Ydid
Powerful Solutions to Manage Stress, Reduce Anxiety & Increase Wellbeing: https://amzn.to/3tHqGbK
Manage Your Stress and Pain Through Music: https://amzn.to/3cSRU9n
Relaxing music:
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