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Self-Care Saturday here!

Today we will learn about the illness of the millennium. Burnout, a silent assassin, is very common, especially after the last challenging years.

If you feel you are a victim of burnout, or know someone in this situation, know that everything can be cured and burnout is a good example, spotted early can be cured without the confusion that normally comes with it.

What Is Burnout?

“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
• reduced professional efficacy. [1]

Even if we try to think of it as just stress, burnout is a serious disease and needs to be taken seriously.

How To Spot Burnout?

Like I said in the beginning, Burnout is serious and needs to be spotted and treated like your ordinary flu. The mystery is how to spot burnout. Here is how.

Just like any disease, burnout has its common signs or symptoms. These are:

• Feeling tired or drained most of the time
• Feeling helpless, trapped and/or defeated
• Feeling detached/alone in the world
• Having a cynical/negative outlook
• Self-doubt
• Procrastinating and taking longer to get things done
• Feeling overwhelmed

As someone who experienced burnout in the early 2020, just when covid struck, I can verify every symptom, I felt them too. At first, I thought it was normal to feel this way, because I hated my job, so I didn’t take the situation as seriously as I needed to do.

How To Heal And Recover From Burnout?

If you spotted burnout syndrome in yourself or someone you know, knowing how to heal from it is the most important thing you need to know. My way of recovery, even if it is not a good one, because I regretted it soon after, was to leave my workplace. When burnout was at its peak in me, I made the impulsive decision to leave and went unemployed for almost two years after that, that’s why I think it is really important to treat burnout, rather than making impulsive decisions.

Here are some tips to heal from burnout.

Track Your Stress Levels

In the era of technology, it is very easy to check ourselves and track our lives. With so many devices in our lives, there are many ways to track our health. Tracking your stress levels is amazingly important when battling burnout. This way, you can find out more about your stress patterns and how to avoid some dead ends.

Identify Your Stressors

Knowing what your stress triggers are will allow you to avoid or reduce interactions with them.

Try paying attention to incidents, people, or situations that consistently trigger stress. Aim to avoid them as far as possible.

Journaling

Creating a habit of journaling is very important. When we are stressed, it is hard to balance everything, especially when we keep our thoughts in. Have a journal where we can vent and let the warm anger our of our system is a good way to battle burnout.

Speak Up For Yourself

Being honest about your situation with a boss or manager can result in a reduced workload and prevent you from working long hours. Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself to create change that could better suit your mental and emotional needs.

Be Mindful Of Your Work-Life Balance

One of the many causes of burnout is an imbalanced relationship with work. Cultivating a work-life balance will help you lead a much more functional and stress-free life.

Start with small daily actions to balance time spent at work and time spent on non-work activities. For example, use time blocking to reduce your screen time and take up a new health and wellness trend.

If you’re a working parent, take enough vacation days to spend quality time with your friends and family.

As well as prevent burnout, having a good work-life balance will improve your relationships with loved ones, which is a key aspect of your health and wellbeing.