Burnout

Burnout is a state of complete exhaustion, physically, mentally and emotionally.

If you are experiencing burnout, you may notice yourself finding it difficult to take part in activities that you usually find fun or enjoyable. You may also find yourself feeling unmotivated and tired.

Disconnecting and setting boundaries between your work and professional life versus your personal life, along with keeping time for yourself is important in avoiding burnout. In this article, we discuss some advice with regards to managing burnout and trying to avoid the effects through having a good work-life balance.

How to work towards reducing burnout

You may be questioning how to approach burnout and what you should do to try and help yourself disengage from work and not feel as anxious – below are three main points to consider:

Exercise - This will probably be the last thing to come to mind, but it is an important point to consider. When you burnout you will feel tired, but sometimes sitting and accepting it may make you feel worse and more lethargic, feeling like you lack energy and leaving you prone to having it spiral out of control and feeling like you have no motivation to work at all. Getting out will get your heart pumping and your blood flowing making you feel more energised and motivated and releasing endorphins into your bloodstream, helping lift up your mood and reduce stress. The hardest part will be trying to get yourself out doing some exercise, but even a brief walk can help, and you might even want to try something new like yoga!

Self-care - many people who experience burnout neglect their own needs, so don’t be afraid to make yourself a priority! Take some time to do something that you want to do, this could be running a nice warm bath, doing a face mask, some journaling, reading a book or listening to a nice podcast. These are only a few things you can do to help manage how you and your body feel.

Set boundaries - establishing clear boundaries between your work and personal life is essential for preventing burnout. Not having a good balance and focusing too much on work outside of work can put a lot of stress on you. Having a good work to life balance can give you a good chance to do and enjoy the things you like doing, as well as giving you the opportunity to explore new things. It can be quite unhealthy to constantly be working and putting all your focus onto work can soon become draining, causing you to burnout.

Experiencing burnout can make you feel very lonely at times, therefore it is important to look after yourself, have a healthy work- life balance and set those boundaries up. If you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed at work, ensure you are taking good time off at home after work and make time in your day for a little self-care.

Little things like a little bit of self-care can go a long way. Finally, if you haven’t had a great day at work, try not to dwell on it at home. Sometimes talking about it to someone rather than bottling it up will make you feel a lot better.

If you would like some further tips and advice for as to how you can disengage from work and help make time for yourself at home, Forbes has written up a guide with some helpful points to give you more ideas.