People have started using the term “burnout” so frequently that many of them casually say, “Oh, I’m so burned out,” even when they are just going through a bad day or a bad week. Burnout is much more horrible than a bad day or a bad week. It not only interferes with a person’s physical life but also destroys the health, happiness, and overall quality of life. Due to a lack of awareness, few burnout victims identify the problem before it’s too late to prevent it. The good news is you still have the ability to recover from this state. You can adopt the prevention tips at this stage as well, but a full recovery requires some additional steps, which are described below:
- Take Time Out for Yourself
Once you are aware you are affected with job burnout, you need to take a break from your work and get some rest in order to heal from this condition. Take a leave of absence from work. Many individuals who have high goals or who are high achievers may feel like taking a break is a cop-out, but it is not. It may save someone from becoming burned out in one’s daily routine. Many organizations offer vacation or personal time for their employees. Check into what may be available through the organization. Try spending time with your family or friends to lessen the effects of your workload.
The time that you give to yourself is invaluable and you will be amazed at how much better you feel after doing it. While you might think that you need to spend all of your time on work in order to get it done, it is amazing how much more you will be able to get done after a little bit of a break. While the work may take you five hours to do without interruptions, if you take an hour or so to have some fun or go do something else, it might only take you three or fewer hours to get it done since you have given yourself that break and relaxed a bit.
- Manage Stressors
Once you have been able to find out what is making you feel like you are going through job burnout, you will need to come up with a plan that allows you to address these issues. If you never address the issues and take care of them, you will never be able to fix the problem.
There are many different ways that you will be able to manage the stresses in your life. Each person might find different ways to manage their stress. You could try doing some meditation in order to clear out your mind, do some routine exercise, read a good book, go and get a laugh somewhere, talk to a good friend, cooking, picking up, or anything else that can get your mind from the stress of work for a bit of time. After taking that time off from thinking about work, you will be able to come back with a fresh new mind and can get the work done more quickly.
- Evaluate Options
You need to take the time to figure out what options are available for you to pursue. You can first talk with your supervisor and find out if there are some ways to come to a compromise or change the expectations that they have for you. For example, would you ever be able to telecommute? Is sharing some of the responsibilities of the job an option? If the position does not offer any flexibility, it might be time to look for a new position. Finding a new solution that takes some of the pressure off of you and helps you to get a little bit of relief from all of the stress can really help you to feel better.
You should also be prepared in case your boss or manager is not willing to make any compromises. They might feel the workload is fair and you should be able to do it or thy might not have the resources to let you do things differently. What do you plan to do if the workload is not going to get better? Most people choose to stay with the position they are in because it is a steady job and better than having to go through the process of looking for a new one. There is the possibility of talking to someone who is higher up in the company or even looking for a new job with more defined or fewer responsibilities.
- Seek Support
You need to have some support in order to get the help that you need when it comes to job burnouts. You can pick anyone you would like whether it is a loved one, friends or even a co-worker, but find someone who is able to talk with you and help you cope with the stress of your job and the feelings of burnout that you are dealing with. Some jobs will give you access to a type of employee assistance program; you should take advantage of this service (if it is available) to talk over the issues and get the job burnout under control.
You are not going to be able to do things all on your own all of the time. You are going to need the support of someone else to help you get through the stress and the issues. This can help you in several ways. First, it can help you to get some feelings off your chest and just vent when you are talking to someone. Also, you might be able to find some new solutions when someone else hears your side of the story. Make sure that you have someone available to talk to, whether it is a friend, family member, or someone in the HR department at work.
- Exercise
When you are dealing with stress, you need to take the time to get exercise in to your daily routine. The exercise does not have to be too crazy, biking or walking will do. Exercise is a good way to help you to deal with the stress you are going through. This is due to the endorphins that are released as well as the fact that you will be able to get the mind from work and on to thinking about something else. Sometimes all you need to get rid of job burnout is to focus your mind on something else for a bit; it is easy to get stuck on the stresses of work rather than thinking about what you should be.
It can be difficult to find the motivation to get up and get moving with exercise if you are not feeling all that great from job burnout. However, you have to go through it and make yourself do it. Find a workout that you really enjoy or someone who is willing to work out with you. Once you get into the habit of working out, it will be a lot easier and you will love how much your mood improves, how much your levels of stress go down, and how great you feel.
- Share Your Feelings
A person affected by burnout needs the support of friends and family. These people may not solve his/her problems, but speaking out and expressing your feelings sometimes solves half your problems. As mentioned before, you should take the time to find someone who is going to be there for you to talk to about your problems. Family and friends are the best options because they are able to hear you and are willing to have your back in any situation. If all else fails, find a counselor you can meet up with and discuss your feelings.
- Set Your Priorities
“Most stress is caused by three things; family, money, and family with no money.” Picking which priority is the most important to you can be difficult when they are tied so closely together.
As the person suffering from burnout overloads him/herself with work that effects their social and physical activities, so there is a need to limit yourself and set priorities. Nothing is more important than your health and your family relationships. Try to discover if are you happy with your career or not and whether you need to change your field. Only do what you can; do not involve yourself in work that is irrelevant to your abilities.
Many people who are experiencing job burnout will have the issue with holding on to the wrong priorities. They think work is the most important thing and that everything else needs to take a back seat and wait. They might have started out with noble goals; they wanted to work hard to support their family, to get a house, to go on a vacation and so on, but then it took a turn and nothing else mattered except getting the work done. If you feel like job burnout is on the horizon for you, it might be time to take a look at the priorities that you have in life. What comes first for you – your work or your family and other interests? Be honest with yourself or this is not going to be effective at helping you out. You may be surprised that your family and other values you used to hold dear have become less important while work went on top. Decide how this makes you feel and then decide what will be the right steps to take to fix the problem.
- Change Your Job Task
Take on a new task at work. A person may find that trying something new at work could break the monotony of their everyday routines. An employee could try speaking to their supervisor about taking a break from their current project or working on something new instead. By switching tasks that individual may feel challenged and may renew one’s passion for the job instead of burning out.
This can help you get out of the rut and do something that might interest you more. It is also going to show some initiative to your boss that you are willing to be a team player and move forward rather than being stuck in the same position forever. And you could get the break that you have been looking for. This is an especially useful task if you are dealing with job burnout because you are bored or the task at hand is too mundane and easy to do. Talk with your supervisor to see what is available for you to try out that would be new and exciting and which could help get you out of the rut that you are in.
- Convince the Organization to Organize Support Groups
Be the change that the organization needs. If the organization does not offer the programs needed to combat stress, then an employee should be the one to take the initiative. An individual within the company can change things around for many colleagues just by starting a support group within the organization. Many individuals may need a little help but are afraid to ask others for it. With a support group, more employees may feel comfortable talking out the issues they are having and may work on solutions together.
If none of the above has worked in recovering from a burnout at work, then it may just be time to switch to another organization. Look into other places that offer the support you need. Many organizations offer stress or burnout prevention programs as well as time off, if needed.