5 Practical Tips To Prevent Work Burnout
Quite some number of people experience the problem of work burnout. It’s a big issue because work burnout reduces productivity and ruins the overall quality of life, while many individuals are not even aware of this condition.
Recent surveys revealed that there are 70% of families with dual-earner parents, almost twice as much compared to 40 years ago. Because both professional and family roles demand substantial amounts of time, this information raises concerns about work-life balance, especially for women. In such circumstances, it is key to know the definition of work burnout, a feeling of physical and mental exhaustion, followed by disinterest in everyday duties.
Work Burnout Symptoms and How to Detect Them
- You deny it – If you feel tired and overwhelmed with numerous tasks all the time but don’t want to admit it. You are most likely in denial. This is one of the crucial symptoms of work burnout.
- You don’t care about the job – If you used to be a genuine workaholic but all of a sudden you completely lose interest to work, it’s an obvious syndrome.
- Emptiness – When you constantly feel empty inside and think that your work doesn’t have a meaningful purpose.
- Different behavior – People often change lifestyle and behavior patterns while experiencing this problem, so pay attention if your friends and family point it out.
- Anxiety and depression – The feelings of anxiety and depression are closely related to work burnout in most of the cases.
Now that you’ve seen the most common symptoms of the problem, it’s crucial to think about it and be honest with yourself. Just like Donald Metcalf, a psychology advisor at Careers Booster stated, “Work burnout can become a major life disturbance if you don’t deal with it on time. But if you are ready to admit the problem, it’s already halfway to its solution.” If you are willing to do that, pay attention to our suggestions how to overcome the issue.
Complete dedication
If you have doubts whether it’s the work burnout or just a bad day in the office, you need to first reflect on the situation. Be fully devoted to this problem and make sure to believe in the solution. If you don’t know how to escape from the work burnout problem, simply keep asking yourself a few questions: What makes me happy? What should I avoid because it makes me miserable? What kind of work do I enjoy?
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Take a break
You are not a machine and do not have to work straight without a pause. With so many private and professional duties, you can feel a lot of stress and should find a way to reduce it. Occasional breaks at work are a convenient way to start the healing process. Make sure to allow yourself 10 to 15 minutes every once in a while to set your mind free from everyday responsibilities.
Stay offline
A research revealed that more than 80% of people check work email on weekends, while more than half of them do it late in the evening or during vacation. This is the perfect way to earn yourself work burnout. You should keep in mind to avoid any digital environment whenever possible. It may sound difficult in this modern age but you’ll be surprised to see how quickly you can get used to the new regime.
Change daily routine
A lot of people underestimate the power of boredom. If you never change daily routine, simple thing like boredom can easily initiate the feeling of work burnout. In such case, you should introduce changes to your daily rituals – join a yoga class, find a hobby, or make plans to travel. Whatever works for you is acceptable but don’t leave things the same all the time.
Create work-life balance
In the time when almost 60% of employees think that contemporary methods of work ruined the definition of a family dinner, it’s getting more important than ever to maintain the life-work balance. Try to re-organize your duties in a way that will help you stay a successful professional but also a caring member of the family.
No one enjoys the feeling of constant pressure and responsibility. It can easily cause devastating effects of work burnout, so you have to be aware of this problem and begin solving it immediately.