How to stop burnout before it starts

A general guide

Have you ever gone through periods in life feeling completely drained or tired as you dread heading into work the next day? You may also have no energy to make dinner, spend time with loved ones, or focus on completing tasks. It could be something called burnout!

At one point or another, we have all felt the effects of burnout due to feeling overworked,
whether we’ve realized it or not. But when does normal stress become something bigger? This present blog post will refer to burnout in the context of the workplace as having a healthy, positive work-life balance is not always as easy as it seems. Burnout can be defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It may look like feeling emotionally drained and can result in difficulty functioning in work or other areas of life. Typically, productivity and motivation are negatively affected, also, feelings of hopelessness and resentment towards one’s employer can
often grows stronger.

Signs + symptoms:

Symptoms include not only mental but also physical symptoms.

Physical: Headaches; body pain; loss of appetite; disturbed sleep; feeling fatigued or drained.
Mental & Emotional: Concentration, motivation, + memory (i.e., difficulty completing tasks at-home and at work); depressed mood; increased stress; increased irritability or anger.
Social: Withdrawal from family, friends, and other social activities (i.e., hobbies).

Why does this happen?

Burnout can happen to anyone and is typically caused by a variety of different factors. Most notably, unclear expectations, overly demanding work, and stressful tasks with low pay off in the workplace are a few common causes of burnout.

Suggestions to cope with Burnout:

There are a few simple ways that we can prevent and reverse the effects of burnout to help live a more balanced lifestyle:

(1) Practice self-care – whatever that looks like for you!
(2) Connect with your social network (personal and professional).
(3) Set boundaries.
(4) Take time away from work or personal obligations to re-charge if possible.
(5) Exercise regularly.
(6) Spend time outdoors (i.e., daily walks in morning or on lunch break).
(7) Spend time engaging in hobbies or activities.
(8) Eating healthy.
(9) Speak to a professional counsellor if you’re struggling with symptoms of burnout and require further supporting managing it. Take your 1-hour lunch break. Use your entitled sick and vacation time. Practice saying “no” at work if feeling overwhelmed with duties; practice saying “yes” to spending time with your social group. You deserve and need it!