Dealing with Workplace Burnout

Understanding and Overcoming Workplace Burnout

When the alarm goes off in the morning, do you feel dread instead of excitement about your work? Are you always exhausted, unmotivated, and irritable? Are you feeling less accomplished and effective at your job? These may all be signs of workplace burnout, a state of chronic stress that leads to physical and emotional exhaustion.

What is Workplace Burnout?

Workplace burnout is a unique type of stress. It’s a state of physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and worth. When you feel burnout at work, every day seems bad. You’re overwhelmed by your responsibilities, and you may feel like every day is a bad day.

Signs and Symptoms of Burnout

Feeling tired and drained most of the time? Check. Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses? Check. Changes in appetite or sleep habits? That’s a check, too. Additionally, feelings of detachment and cynicism, reduced performance and loss of satisfaction are clear warning signals.

What Causes Burnout?

Workplace burnout is typically caused by multiple factors. From a high-pressure environment, lack of control, insufficient rewards, to workplace disengagement, and unreasonable time pressure, there are several triggers that might cause one to feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained.

Dealing with Workplace Burnout

Now that you know what workplace burnout looks like and what can cause it, it’s time to look at how it can be avoided or managed. Here are five recommended strategies:

1. Prioritize Self-Care

Exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, and engage in activities that help you unwind and relax. Cultivating a healthy lifestyle can help bolster your resilience to stress.

2. Establish Boundaries

In this digital age, it’s easy to remain indefinitely at work. Make rules to disconnect from electronic communication outside of work hours. Defining this clear boundary between work hours and personal time is crucial for mental wellbeing.

3. Foster Social Contacts

Colleagues and friends who understand your work pressures make for a great support network. However, make a conscious effort to foster relationships outside work as well – this helps you create a healthy balance and prevent your whole life from revolving around work.

4. Seek Support

This can mean speaking to your boss about the issues contributing to your feelings of burnout, or seeking professional help from a psychologist or counselor. There’s no shame in seeking help when you need it.

5. Find Meaning in Your Work

It’s a lot more difficult to experience burnout when you love what you do. This is not to say you need to be passionate about your work. Rather, you need to find personal significance and satisfaction in the work you do.

Moving Forward: A Balanced Life

Understanding workplace burnout, its implications, and learning to navigate it is fundamental to long-term career success and personal happiness. Moving to a balanced life requires clarity, assertiveness, and willingness to make necessary changes. Be proactive about maintaining good mental health and do not be afraid to seek help when you need it. After all, it’s not the goal that matters, but the journey there.

* The post is written by AI and may contain inaccuracies.

About Author