How to Manage Burnout and Stress

How to Manage Burnout and Stress

In today’s always-on society, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The fast-paced business world demands we work harder and longer than ever before. With smartphones, we’re always connected to our jobs and life, which makes it nearly impossible to escape the chaos of the everyday (unless you book a one way ticket to Bali, but that might seem a bit radical).

This constant pressure to perform can create a great deal of stress in our lives. Unfortunately, when that stress builds for too long, it can cause a symptom called burnout.

 

WHAT IS BURNOUT?

If you’ve had burnout before, you know what it feels like: total exhaustion across the board, including your mental, physical or emotional state. Your energy feels depleted, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to overcome all the mounting stress. You lose motivation. You lose ambition. You become a shell of yourself, and that directly impacts other aspects of your life, like your job and your relationships. In a state of burnout, you’re even more susceptible to illness—a testament to how the mind can affect the body.

Unlike simple stress, which can heighten your senses and make you work harder, burnout is that state where you’ve worked so hard you now have nothing left to give. It can come from a multitude of sources:

●        Work: You’re working too hard and not getting enough recognition, or the work is understimulating and incredibly tedious.

●        Lifestyle: Not getting enough sleep or overcommitting to your social responsibilities in addition to your work stress.

●        Internal: If you tend to be a bit neurotic or a Type-A perfectionist, those traits can sap your energy even faster, leading to a more pronounced burnout. 

Fortunately, we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll explain how to spot the warning signs of burnout before it occurs, and how to deal with it effectively when it strikes.

HOW TO SPOT THE WARNING SIGNS OF BURNOUT

Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a slow and gradual process, starting with subtle feelings and signs that worsen in intensity over time. These signs appear either emotionally or physically, so it’s important to keep a watchful eye on yourself and ask for help when you need it most.

Physically, burnout can manifest in many ways:

●        Constant Exhaustion: You feel tired all the time, no matter how much sleep you get.

●        Insomnia: You start to experience difficulty sleeping in the first place

●        Aches and Pains: Whether a headache or other bodily ache, these usually come out of nowhere and last for several weeks.

●        Stomach Issues: You aren’t able to digest and process food as well as you used to.

●        Appetite changes: Compared to your normal eating habits, you now have the urge to eat much more or much less. 

Emotionally, burnout can appear in a much more subtle way:

●        Increased Cynicism: You start to feel like nothing in life matters, and you view the world through a negative lens.

●        Feelings of failure and self-doubt: You seriously doubt your capacity to perform, which makes success feel like something you could never achieve.

●        Feeling disengaged: In a state of burnout, you might totally removed from things that once gave you a lot of joy.

●        Heightened sense of Perfectionism: When you feel like things have to be perfect all the time, this can be a sign of pending burnout. Perfectionism burns through your energy, which accelerates the mental decline.

●        Less Motivation: Instead of approaching life with zeal, you now find yourself procrastinating more, coming into work late, and simply not caring as much as you once did.

HOW TO DEAL WITH BURNOUT

As you can see, those warning signs that a burnout is coming can be pretty difficult to spot. If you do happen to catch burnout before it occurs, it’s important to speak with the key players in your life that can help manage all the stressors on your plate. This could be your boss, your co-workers, your friends, or even a spouse. Proactively reducing your workload, or booking a vacation, is a great way to reset and recharge.

However, if burnout strikes, there are some additional steps you can take to help recover.

Exercise:

Although you may be physically exhausted, it’s important to maintain some activity to regulate your hormones and mental state. No need to go for a long, difficult, run. A 30 minute walk once or twice a day should suffice.

Food and Drink:

In a state of burnout, it’s a good idea to ditch caffeine and high-sugar drinks, as they can be overly stimulating and brink about anxiety in the process. Be sure to hydrate lots and get lots of healthy fats, proteins and vegetables: the kind of brain food that can regulate your blood sugar and keep you engaged.

Sleep:

If possible, put lots of focus on getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Some good ways to achieve this are to turn off all electronics at least 1 hour before bed, set the bedroom to a cool(ish) temperature and try to regulate your sleep schedule as best as possible.

Take a break: 

Whether it’s a few weeks or a few months, take a break from the stressors that consumed you. You don’t necessarily have to go on a vacation to some tropical land, but we won’t blame anyone that does. 

Seek Help: 

Talking to a professional is perhaps the most effective way to handle burnout and stress. With the right counselling, you can pinpoint the underlying issues and causes behind your symptoms, which is the first step to recovery. And with proper training, you can get a grip on the best tips and tricks to manage stress for a long-lasting solution.

LET’S TALK

If you or a someone you know might be on the brink of a burnout, we want to help you through it. Contact us here, or give us a call at 968 576 155 - 282 761 845. We’ll schedule an appointment, and together, we’ll help stop the stress in its tracks with innovative techniques and highly-trained psychologists.