We live in an always-on, always-busy world. Our work lives are busy. Our home lives are busy. Even when we’re at rest, the world around us isn’t, so we’re bombarded with loud advertising, invasive technology and the constant noise of the frenetic world we live in. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that people ‘burn’ themselves out.
Being burnt-out means experiencing an exhaustion that feels like it goes as deep as your DNA. It’s a fatigue that is heightened by feelings of pessimism, disconnection and desperation. The most common symptoms of burn-out include a lack of energy, constant fatigue, sleeping problems, difficulty concentrating, problems with memory and an inability to make decisions.
Prevention is better than cure in this case and here are 3 ways you can avoid burn -out:
- Self-care
This is the first thing we forget to take care of when we’re under strain. Pressure at work takes precedence over the activities that help you to cope with pressure. When our workload is high, we stop doing things that take up our time so that we can use that time to do more work.
Self-care can mean a variety of things, but the emphasis is on one fulfilling yourself above all other things for a short period of time. If you make sure you’re doing this regularly, it will combat the feelings of pessimism and disconnection that come with burn-out.
- Team-watching
We’re not always that good at checking in with ourselves to see where we’re at emotionally. And by the time we’re at burnout stage, it’s too late. Because we’re better at observing the people around us, watching the team you work with can clue you in as to how you are doing – remember that emotions are to some degree, contagious.
- Express yourself
We live in the age of the superhero. We’re expected to have everything figured out. Most of us are still working on that. But this expectation puts us under extreme pressure. As with so many other things, communication is key. Express your frustration. Talk about your fatigue. Discuss ways to manage your feelings. Knowing that you’ve been heard and understood goes a long way in combating burn-out.
There’s a high probability that most of us will experience burn-out at some stage. At that point, we’re so desperate that a ‘scorched earth policy’ makes sense. But, with some careful introspection focused on feeling your inner-self; some self-awareness, and a healthy amount of expression, you can combat burn-out.
