Do you feel like you’re working all the time? You have that feeling of constant pressure to do more and more? Are you having trouble sleeping? Perhaps, you wonder what it’s all for and are considering quitting your job?
These are just some of the signs that you might be suffering from burnout.
Fear not! With these 3 healthy habits, you can banish burnout from your life.
The Danger of Burnout
Merriam-Webster defines burnout as:
burnout - noun - exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration
A key word here is prolonged. In small doses, stress can actually be good for you. Much like lifting weights stresses the muscles, promoting growth, stress can help build mental strength and resilience. It’s that satisfaction and boost of confidence you feel after completing a difficult and trying project.
Continuous stress, however, is not healthy. A constant state of anxiety raises the levels of Cortisol in the body which suppresses many processes within the body. Systems like the immune system are weaker in response to an urgent threat because it’s assumed the danger is temporary. If your body thinks it’s under attack all the time, this can lead to chronic health issues.
Healthy Boundaries
The first step to avoid burnout is to set boundaries for yourself around work.
After a hard workout, your body needs time to rest so that it can repair and build new muscle tissue. The same is true with work. Your mind needs time to rest and recover before going at it again, but it can’t do that if you are working all the time.
We’ve all been there. You’re working on a project and you think to yourself, “I’ll just finish up this one last thing”. Before you know it, several hours have passed and you still have more work to do.
There’s always more work to do. So we need to build systems and habits to help us create space to rest and recover.
Pick a time when you will start and stop work…and stick to it. When you’re done for the day, shut down your computer, turn off the Slack notifications on your phone. Maybe set an alarm that goes off at the end of the day, reminding you to wind things down.
If you’re in a high-stress workplace, you may need to negotiate with your boss to make this work. Sell it as a productivity enhancement experiment for a few weeks, to see if you actually get more work done.
You may be in a particularly unhealthy workplace that is unwilling to respect the space you need. I’m not suggesting you stay somewhere toxic. But most places I’ve been are willing to work with reasonable proposals.
Healthy Body
Once you have the space to recover, the second step to avoid burnout is to prioritize your health.
Another definition for burnout is “the cessation of operation usually of a jet or rocket engine”. It’s the point at which all the fuel is used up and there is nothing left to give.
The mind and the body are connected. A healthy body supports a healthy brain.
Take care of your health with a combination of sleep, exercise, and diet. All three are important keys to re-fuel your body and support your mental fitness. When you do have a stressful day, you’ll have the energy to weather the storm and work through it and not be completely drained at the end of the day.
Healthy Hobbies
The third and final step is to make space for fun.
The human brain loves novelty. Experiencing new things gives us that dopamine rush that keeps us going. Focusing entirely on work can lead to monotony and contribute to feelings of burnout.
Think back to when you were a kid. What did you love to do on a lazy Saturday afternoon? Did you love riding your bike out in the front yard? Maybe you spent hours drawing cartoons. Was there a musical instrument you enjoyed playing?
Find a hobby or activity that gives you joy just from doing it. We all need that break and variety to refresh our mind and body. If it’s something you can do with others, even better.
Bye Bye Burnout
Burnout can lead to many chronic health effects. You can’t end all stress in your life nor would you want to. But by setting healthy boundaries, taking care of your body and finding fun things to do, you can return balance to your life and avoid the worst of the burnout blues
Question: What do you do to avoid burnout?