09 Jun Burnout and How To Rekindle the Flame
Burnout is described by Psychology Today as “a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress”.
What causes burnout?
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Chronic work stress such as long hours, challenging assignments, or job insecurity.
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Zoom fatigue-i.e. exhaustion due to video calls or conferences.
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External stressors such as the pandemic, politics, and environmental changes.
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A hectic home life with lots of plans, or stressful situations with children or living partners.
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Relationships such as stressful, overwhelming, or draining ones.
What might this look like?
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Decreased motivation
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Physical exhaustion
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Emotional exhaustion
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Mental exhaustion
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Lowered performance
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Pessimistic attitudes
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Lethargy
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Anger, irritability
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Feelings of hopelessness
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Overwhelming responsibilities
What are some ways to cope with burnout?
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Reduce risk factors. If you’re seeing that you have too much work on, try to reduce the amount of tasks you have to do. Try to delegate some work to someone else or manage your time with certain tasks.
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Identify the main stressor and address the issue. If you know what the stressor is, it’s more likely to manage your reaction to it.
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Exercise. Exercise has been shown to decrease stress and studies have shown that burnout is easily decreased when exercise is utilized. Since exercise generally increases health and sense of well being, it might be a great way to decrease the effects of burnout.
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Communication with others. Having someone to confide in and communicate with is always a good stress reliever.
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Improve work-life balance. Try to separate your work from your home life. Have a separate place to work if working virtual and find time to decompress after your work day is over. Try to keep work life at work and keep home life at home.
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Self care. Keeping up on self care is always an option. Take a bath, a walk, or read a book. This time can be used to reflect on your day or just a good moment to decompress and do things that you love.
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Catching up on sleep. Most people who are stressed simply do not sleep enough. Lack of sleep can lead to deeper issues and can make conditions worse.
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Prioritize, delegate, and be firm about your needs. If you need a day off, take one! Make sure you’re putting yourself first. You can’t be the best version of yourself if you’re being suppressed.
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If conditions persist or worsen, consider talking with a therapist. Contact us at (734) 323-4897 or info@galvingrowthgroup.com for more information.
More information on the general subject of burnout can be found here.
Here is a study found on burnout.
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By: Grace O’Neill
