How to Avoid Burning Out

We all want to do our best and succeed, especially in the work environment, but sometimes we push ourselves a little too hard. When we’re working too much and spending too much time at work, it can ultimately lead to burnout. Physical and emotional exhaustion, lower productivity, and lack of concentration are all common symptoms of experiencing burnout in the work environment. Burnout's impact on employees and employers is considerable and can have lasting consequences if you aren’t careful. Burnout doesn’t only affect your work life; it severely impacts your personal life as well. However, for overachievers with heavy workloads and stressful deadlines, it can be difficult to avoid reaching the burnout breaking point.

Everyone feels stretched thin and overwhelmed sometimes, which can make burnout unavoidable. Unfortunately, a simple vacation won’t fix or prevent burnout. To truly avoid burnout, you need to ensure that you’re changing your lifestyle and making small differences in your days that can have a lasting impact. Let’s take a look at how to avoid burnout.

Take control

When you experience burnout, it often comes from a loss of control. You might feel that you work endless, numerous hours without stopping, that you’re told what’s expected of you and that you don’t control your schedule. When you feel your life belongs to your job, it can be easy to feel down and overwhelmed with no end in sight. To prevent burnout, taking control of your life and creating more autonomy for yourself in the workspace is essential. Talk to your boss about how you can have more control over your role, including what you do with your tasks and projects. Create your deadlines and manage your time so that you’re working on tasks when it works best for you. Taking control can help you not feel as overwhelmed and avoid burnout.

Exercise

Everyone feels best about themselves when they’re getting regular exercise. This can help you to feel more energized while creating a sense of well-being that alleviates stress. You’ll be more productive and focused in the workplace when you're working out regularly. Finding time to exercise in your packed schedule and workday may seem impossible, but it’s important to remember that any amount of exercise counts. You don’t have to spend three hours at the gym to feel better about yourself and avoid burnout. Rather, you can take a quick walk on your lunch break, do a five-minute exercise during a spare moment at your desk, or stretch in the morning when you get up. You’d be surprised at the impact even a small amount of exercise can have.

Help others

Feeling that your work, and most importantly your life, is meaningless can negatively impact your mental state. You can start to feel as though you’re just going through the motions in your routine, that your life has no real meaning, and that you’re not making an impact on the world. But there are always ways to create a meaningful, impactful life. One of the quickest and easiest ways to do this is by helping others. You can help others by volunteering, creating, grassroots activism or through donations — however big or small. Simple acts of kindness have also been proven to re-energize and encourage individuals, helping them feel better and find meaning in their lives.

Prepare for the stress

One of the biggest causes of burnout is extreme stress, which can take an unexpected emotional and physical toll on your body and mind. With stress, it's better to be pro-active: prepare for it in advanced, rather than waiting for it to kick in. Stress is not a one-size-fits-all formula: you may not be able to anticipate exactly what will happen, but you can learn to recognize the signs and how to manage them. There are a variety of ways you can cope with stress. A good therapist can teach good coping mechanisms and methods to help you shift your mindset; and there are other forms of de-stressors such as meditation, yoga, and general relaxation techniques that can help you relax and prepare to handle incoming stress.

Set boundaries

One of the hard truths of adult hoods is that no one will set boundaries and draw proper lines for you. It’s easy to be walked over and talked down to in the workplace. A loss of self-esteem and feeling down can lead to burnout if you aren’t careful. It can be hard to say no and set clear distinctions between what you’re okay with and what you’re not okay with when you’re in the workplace. But it’s essential that you have the courage to speak up for yourself and let others know what you’re not okay with for the sake of your mental health. Setting emotional boundaries with everyone in your life, from your boss and coworkers to your family members, can prevent you avoid burnout and becoming overwhelmed.

Build a community

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "it takes a village." No single person can do everything on their own. We, as humans, are wired to be social and connect. We rely on others for support, advice, and an overall sense of self-esteem and well-being. When you’re solely focused on working and feeling emotionally drained, the isolation and exhaustion can trigger burnout. That’s why it's important to focus on building a community and support system around you at home and at work that can help lift you up when you’re struggling.