Feeling burnt out? 🔥

Heavy workloads, irrational expectations, a lack of control over one’s job, unclear job expectations, interpersonal problems, and a mismatch between one’s values and one’s professional obligations… phew! If you are experiencing any of this, chances are you’re feeling pretty burnt out. Then there is also the need to always be perfect, low self-esteem, and a lack of social support.

Sounds like you? Most certainly if the below feels all too close to home:

You’re Emotionally Exhausted A huge sign to burnout, you often feel tired even after getting enough sleep. You may also feel emotionally drained and have a decreased ability to handle stress in your personal and professional lives.

You Can’t Relate Expert call it depersonalisation, we say it is feeling too tired and exhausted to care. If you’re feeling detached from work, colleagues, and even yourself, becoming cynical and viewing your work and colleagues in a negative light, you’re definitely on the road to feeling burnt out (if you’re not there already!).

You Don’t Know Why You’re Doing It Anymore A decreased sense of personal accomplishment is common in burnouts. This can negatively impact your self-esteem and self-worth as you feel like you are not making any meaningful contribution to your company or society, and may start to question the value of your work.

The good news is you can break the cycle! Here are some things to try:

1. Prioritise self-care
Sometimes things get a bit rough and a bit too much so implementing self-care activities into your daily routine will definitely ease those stormy days. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to hit the spa every week; it could be as easy as playing your favourite tune every time you get ready for work. Find out more on self-care here.

2. Set boundaries
It’s a smart move to distinguish your work life from your personal life. Set limits when one should intertwine with the other. You wouldn’t want to take work with you when you’re having dinner with friends now, would you?

3. Take breaks
Always give yourself some timeout whenever needed. It’s very important to take small breaks throughout the day especially when you work long hours. It’s perfectly fine to get out of your seat and make that coffee you’ve been thinking about for the past two hours.

4. Get organised
This is the best way to overcome things piling up. When you list the tasks you have day by day, it’s easier to check it off because it’s clear and straightforward. Breaking larger projects down into smaller, manageable tasks can help you stay on top of your workload which eventually reduces stress.

5. Stay connected
We all need human interactions at the end of the day. Connecting with others will take some steam off. It’s important to have supportive people around you as it encourages you to stay grounded and less isolated which will definitely prevent burnouts. Nothing a good laugh with good company can’t fix.

Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash.