What’s at Stake

Are you suffering from burnout? Can you recognize the symptoms? If so, do you know how to fix it?

What’s the Risk

Burnout isn’t simply feeling exhausted at the end of the week or having a bad day or two. Stress-filled days are common for many people. But constant stress can lead to burnout, a persistent state of feeling hopeless, resentful and powerless, which produces physical and emotional responses.

Example

Physical symptoms can include exhaustion and difficulty sleeping and eating. Emotional symptoms may include sadness, anger, indifference or a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach from the moment you arrive at work. Left unaddressed, burnout can lead to serious health problems.

How to Protect Yourself

Warning signs that you could be headed for burnout include:

• Anxiety at the thought of going to work
• A lack of ambition
• Irritation around co-workers
• Low energy at work
• Change in sleeping habits
• Change in eating habits
• Having a hard time making decisions
• Procrastinating

10 Ways to Battle Burnout

Thankfully, being on the road to burnout doesn’t mean you have to finish the trip. There are steps you can take to turn the situation around.

1.) See your doctor to determine whether your health is being affected and what you need to do about it, such as addressing high blood pressure or insomnia.

2.) Look at other aspects of your life. Are you eating properly? Drinking or smoking too much? Not getting enough exercise? Making some important lifestyle choices can make a big difference in how you view life.

3.) If you’re feeling overwhelmed with work, write down all of the tasks you’re currently doing and take the list to your supervisor to help prioritize the tasks that are most important.

4.) Take a good look at your personality. Are you a perfectionist? Is that slowing you down and making you feel overwhelmed? Do you lack assertiveness and let people walk all over you?

5.)Distance yourself from irritating co-workers. Talk to trusted friends to help change your attitude.

6.) Try to do everything a little more slowly. Besides working at a more reasonable pace, try to walk, talk, drive and eat more slowly.

7.) Say “no,” especially to worry. If needed, set aside 20 minutes a day as your “worry” time. Each time a worrisome thought comes along, take a moment to write it down and then put it out of your mind. At the end of each day, take 20 minutes to go over your notes. This helps you to put a limit on worry.

8.) Plan fun things to look forward to. Maintain a balance in your life between family, work and play. Be sure to get in play.

9.) If everything still seems too much, talk to your doctor or see a counselor.

10.) Focus on one small step at a time. Don’t try to fix everything at once.

Final Word

Don’t drown in a sea of stress. Be aware of the symptoms of burnout and address them before they lead to serious health problems.

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