Signs of burnout and what to do about it

Work burnout occurs when you feel emotionally, physically or mentally exhausted or "burned out" and is the result of work overload.

Burnout syndrome can be identified by the following features:

Mental and physical exhaustion. When someone from the team experiences mental exhaustion, he gets the feeling that he cannot give more of himself.

Depersonalization. Loss of motivation can lead to depersonalization of a person suffering from burnout syndrome. The team member will begin to act cold, become more irritable, and make disparaging remarks about other teammates.

Job dissatisfaction and decreased productivity. In this area of the burnout syndrome, it happens that the employee feels that he is not able to meet the requirements placed on him.

It occurs, in particular, when there is too much work, and especially when you have little time left to do what you love outside of working life.

Step 1: Rollback

There are many strategies for reversing burnout syndrome. Which one is best for your case will depend on your specific situation and your personality. But don't stick to a single strategy. Try these strategies in combination with others for better results.

Feeling burned out at work? Try the following:

Plan your breaks. Burnout syndrome occurs because you have suffered from chronic fatigue and emotional fatigue. You probably have a lot of work to do and you feel a lot of pressure to finish everything. To start counteracting burnout, schedule breaks throughout the day. They can be short, such as taking you five minutes to walk to the kitchen to make coffee, or another five minutes to take a little walk and sunbathe. If possible, disconnect from technology during breaks to give your mind time to relax.

Set boundaries. All causes of burnout have something in common: external pressure. One of the best ways to get rid of burnout syndrome is to limit yourself. If you can, choose a time to unplug from work each day. Try turning off your notifications on weekends so you don't get tempted to reply to messages. at the end of the day, put away all work-related items in a box or drawer.

Take a day off. It may not be an option to put it into practice immediately, but taking a few days off would be great to relax, recharge and prevent burnout. Even if you spend a day or a day and a half without work, this will be a great opportunity to take some time for yourself. When you have a day off, be sure to let your manager know that you will be offline or otherwise unavailable. If you really need to be available during part of your vacation time, make sure you clearly define the boundaries of what this availability will be.

Take care of yourself. Very often, burnout syndrome occurs due to the fact that we devote too much time to work and do nothing for ourselves. Instead, take the time to take care of yourself. Do what you enjoy and see if you can get away from work for an hour, a day, or a weekend. Don't forget to get enough sleep and make time for your loved ones. If you can, try to live your daily life with awareness, using practices such as yoga or meditation. You can also seek help from medical professionals or seek psychological help. All of these can be helpful in dealing with stressful situations and improving your well-being and your lifestyle.

Step 2: Build Resilience

Anyone can suffer from burnout syndrome; Just because you defeated him once doesn't mean he can't come back. To prevent this from happening, follow these steps:

Build good relationships in the work environment. Often, burnout occurs because you are isolated and at the same time under a lot of pressure. A good option for building resilience to prevent burnout is to develop good relationships at work. This way, if the pressure starts to build, you will have social support from peers to help you, even if it's not over coffee and pleasant conversation.

Align work with goals. This is important to prevent burnout syndrome. While aligning work with goals doesn't necessarily mean you won't have a lot of work in the future, it does mean you'll have a clear idea of why your work is important. When you understand what you contribute with your work, it will be easier for you to understand where each specific task of the project fits into the organization's overall planning scheme. Plus, if the pressure builds and you need to take a break from some work, you can effectively prioritize your most important tasks without worrying about not achieving your goals.

Find a balance between personal life and work. When your professional life is out of balance with your personal life, there is a greater risk of burnout. In addition to getting enough sleep and hanging out with the people you love, don't forget to make time for your own interests outside of work duties. Do what you like, you can read a book, meet friends, develop creativity, play sports or any other activity. This is similar to diversifying your investments, but in this case, what you invest in is in your own interest.