You often feel exhausted, overburdened, and hopeless while doing your job. Some days are dull when you struggle to get out of bed and feel like not going to the office or job. It is normal to have such feelings occasionally, but you must check yourself for burnout if you feel this way most of the time.
Burnout does not happen suddenly. It takes time and eventually results in chronic fatigue, tiredness, and exhaustion. The leading causes of burnout include an imbalance of work-life, unrealistic and unclear expectations from the job, uncooperative or bullying office environment, monotonous job routine, and lack of control over official matters that are directly related to you, among others.
It is important to figure out signs and symptoms of burnout as they are subtle at first. If ignored, these signs can worsen and take time to cure. So, it is important to take out time to diagnose whether you have job burnout or depression. At this step, you can consider taking help from professionals who can assist you in diagnosing a real problem and guide you to step out of it. For instance, if you are residing in San Francisco, you can search for therapy near me San Francisco CA and can fix an appointment without paying a prior visit physically.
Signs of Burnout
The signs of burnout vary and can be emotional, behavioral, and physical.
Emotional Signs: The common emotional signs of burnout are when you
- have a constant fear of failure
- often indulge in self-doubt
- experience lack of motivation
- feel disappointed, helpless, and defeated
- become cynical and develop a negative outlook towards everything
- feel detached and isolated
- have lower satisfaction and sense of appreciation and accomplishment
Behavioral Signs: Behavioral signs of burnout are when you
- have lack of motivation and struggle to complete the tasks on time
- are hesitant to take responsibilities and back away from positions of authority
- criticize people and take out your frustrations on others
- become disinterested in your job, skip work, arrive late, and leave early
Physical Signs: You may have burnout if you
- feel tired most of the time
- have headaches, muscle pain, or stomach pain frequently
- face lower immunity and common illnesses more often
- struggle to sleep
- experience any change in appetite
If handled earlier and correctly, you can come out of burnout by fixing your routine. Here are five ways that you can follow to get rid of burnout and regain your energy and concentration.
Readjust your Perspective Towards Work
You may be stuck in a job that you don’t find intriguing or have a monotonous work routine that stresses you out. In either case, you face a hard time being on the job. One simple solution is to quit your current position and switch to a job where you are interested in working. However, this is not a practical approach, as you may have several responsibilities to take care of. In that case, you can readjust your perspective related to work. For instance, make a list of positive things relevant to your work, that can include anything, from a beautiful view from your office window to being located nearby from home.
Focus on the positive aspects of your job instead of the negatives. Think about how your work contributes to the company’s overall operations. It will give you a sense of accomplishment and contentment.
Maintain Work-Life Balance
People often experience job burnout when they do not know how to maintain a healthy balance between work and family life. You can cope with burnout by maintaining a life outside of your work.
Take out some time for yourself from a hectic routine and engage in fun activities with your family and friends. Participate in games, sports, community services, or any other activity that can help you regain energy and control of your life.
Plan Holidays
Holidays are natural stress reliever, especially when you spend time with your loved ones in an exotic place far away from your work life. You can avail of annual leaves or arrange with your supervisor to take time for yourself. Plan holidays with your family or friends and break your monotonous routine. When you leave the situation that drains you even for a few days, you give your mind time to restore energy and refresh.
Reevaluate your Priorities
Burnout usually occurs when you ignore the basic needs of your body—proper sleep for 6-8 hours, relaxation of mind and body, exercise, and a good diet. Take time to reflect on your routine and how it can work for your betterment. Fix some time for relaxation in your daily routine. It can include any relaxation strategy that can align with your schedule. For instance, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, etc.
You can also use apps for this purpose to relax your mind and relieve stress. Make a habit of taking 6-8 hours of sleep regularly. Don’t use tech devices 1 hour before going to sleep. It will keep your brain relaxed and away from irrational thoughts and help you to sound asleep.
Eat Healthily
What you eat ultimately results in how your mood and energy change. For instance, high-sugar, highly-refined carbonated foods, processed and high-fat foods can affect your mood adversely. Eat healthy fats like Omega-3 fatty acids to elevate your mood and energy.
Cut down high caffeine consumption, nicotine, unhealthy fats, alcohol, and foods having chemical preservatives.
Conclusion
You must recover from job burnout by recognizing the warning signs, changing your routine, and seeking support from professionals. You can also take care of your emotional and physical health if you want to stay away from burnout.