Feeling Burned Out From Work Here Are 6 Steps to Take
Work burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that is also marked by apathy and a false sense of purpose or identity.
While work burnout isn’t necessarily a disease, it may require some medical attention if you leave it unattended. This is because the long-term effects of burnout can only get worse, leading to other problems such as depression, substance abuse, high blood pressure, etc.
In this article, we will talk about six things that you can do to beat work burnout.
1. Take Some Quality Time Off
One of the more common causes of burnout is work-life imbalance. The workload—without time off to rest, pursue personal projects, spend time with family, or do other things you love—will quickly leave you feeling fatigued or exhausted.
If you suspect that an unhealthy work-life balance is causing you to feel tired, taking an effective and relaxing break might be a good idea.
It shouldn’t be too long, but it should be long enough for you to get away from work and find some peace of mind. This will also help you find some mental space and time to evaluate your situation.
2. Are you having job or career problems? trace
Are you feeling tired of your job or career? Being able to tell the difference will guide your response.
An easy way to tell is to make a list of things that get you excited about your job and another list of things that make you feel tired. If the things that excite you are as simple as the actual work you do, then you are likely to have a problem with the work environment, but not with the work itself.
If this is true for you, it may be one of many signs that it is time to change your job. On the other hand, if the work itself leaves you feeling tired or exhausted even when you’re away from the office, you might want to consider switching careers altogether.
However, do not take any major decision now. Your work burnout may have other causes—and solutions to it.
3. Try Some Basic Life Hacks
If work is causing you stress, it won’t always be because of a job or career change. For example, you may simply be stressed by something else, such as some challenge from your personal life to your work life.
If this is you, you can try some quick fixes to help you get through the tough times. Here are some excellent, short-term solutions:
engage in daily exercise
According to the American Psychological Association, exercise has tremendous potential to improve your mood on a day-to-day basis. It does this by triggering the release of “feel-good hormones” such as endorphins and dopamine, which can help boost your mood for several hours after exercise.
The best part is, you don’t even need to join a gym or run five miles. You can exercise from the comfort of your home or office using online apps that also offer personal trainers.
Drink a Healthy Amount of Morning Coffee
Among its many benefits, such as heart health, coffee has been shown to help stimulate mental activity, which can be helpful for people who struggle to go to work.
According to the National Coffee Association USA, one of the ways coffee combats depression and fatigue—two prevalent symptoms of work burnout—is by preventing brain receptors from binding with adenosine.
A cup or two of coffee in the morning will be enough to make you raring to go!
aim for enough sleep
Not getting enough sleep can also be a reason why you feel tired.
This Scientific American report on sleep deprivation talks about how lack of sleep can lead to higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. In addition to other effects such as obesity, high cortisol levels can then lead to feelings of burnout at work.
If you’re having trouble getting the optimal amount of rest, there are a number of sleep tracking apps that can help.
4. Take Advantage of Helpful Apps
Sleep tracking apps, like the ones we just shared above, can be a helpful way to deal with work burnout. There are other apps that can come in handy in dealing with work burnout.
In particular, there are tons of apps that help by offering tools that help you track your mood, giving you a better understanding of what you’re feeling. For example, apps like Sanvello and MoodFit help you manage your mood and productivity.
Another option like the Mindfy app helps you improve your productivity while helping you maintain a healthy work-life balance.
5. Seek Professional Help
In some cases, the root causes of work burnout may lie in deeper conditions, such as depression or stress, that can be resolved with medical attention.
If you can’t figure out the source of your burnout, it may not be work related at all! You should consider seeking help from a professional mental health therapist, career counselor, etc. For example, you can also join an online support group on Facebook.