Effective Ways to Overcome Burnout

When you have experienced a long bout of stress, whether on your job or in your home environment, it is expected you will suffer from burnout. This is the point where you become almost numb to your situation. You lose the drive to even get up and try to complete your daily tasks.

Life looks bleak, and you may not see a way for things to ever change. Many people who suffer from burnout may give up on their jobs and their relationships out of a feeling of hopelessness. When you feel that burnout is becoming a problem, you need to focus on getting the support you need to recover, before an absolute breakdown occurs.

Stress vs Burnout

When a person is stressed, they become anxious and try to figure a way to complete a number of tasks that may seem overwhelming. Burnout is well beyond the severe stress level. It is the phase where a person seems to give up. They go through the motions of daily life, but are mentally detached from people and activities. Burnout is the point at which continual high levels of stress have exhausted a person mentally to the point where they have no motivation to go on.

Overcome Burnout

There are a number of ways to overcome burnout. These include but are not limited to:

  • Change jobs — if it is your job that is causing the problem. A fresh environment may do the trick. If this is not possible, maybe talking with your superior about changing some aspect of your job will help.
  • Take time off from work, if you have vacation days coming or sick days. You may find taking a vacation will help shake the feeling out of your mind. It will give you the time to rejuvenate and rest.
  • Talk to a friend about how you feel. Keeping everything to yourself will only make things worse. You may find it helpful to consult a therapist or counselor for assistance.
  • Take Modafinil – a prescriptive, no side effect drug that will help boost your overall well-being. It improves your brain function and helps you deal with sleeping disorder which add to the stress you are undergoing.
  • Exercise and get your body moving even just 30 minutes a day will help you feel better. Practice deep breathing regularly to calm yourself and relax.
  • Do something that you enjoy. Even if it is a small thing, sometimes doing something for yourself, as others take so much from you, can really help turn things around.

Whether your burnout is being caused by too much to do at work or at home, getting support from family or friends will help.

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Overwhelmed in the Workplace! 5 Reasons for Employee Burnout

In today’s competitive business world, employee burnout is a growing occupational hazard. Characterized as exhaustion accompanied by a loss of interest in work-related activities, burnout is said to be primarily stress-related. While there are a number of factors that can contribute to burnout in the workplace, certain stressors have been identified that employers seeking to mitigate employee turnover should be aware of. The following is a short list of the five main reasons employees experience burnout.

Unrealistic Expectations and Employee Burnout

To stay competitive, companies often cut back on personnel and resources while expecting the same or better results. The result is that employees are faced with unrealistic expectations by management as to what they should be able to accomplish. This can lead to a stressful work environment where employees are unclear as to how to proceed and constantly worry that they do not have the time or resources needed to properly complete the task. Try as they may they will never feel successful in meeting management’s impossible expectations, putting them at higher risk of burnout. Managers need to be sure that employee work requirements are both realistic and that the means of achieving desired objectives are clearly understood.

Lack of Sufficient “Down Times”

Today, many employees are subject to high-stress “crunch times” that require them to put in long hours in order to handle more intense workloads. As long as these intense work periods are followed by adequate down times, employees can generally handle them. But when every day feels like “crunch time”, and the down times become few and far between, stress builds up as employees feel overworked and under appreciated. To avoid employee burnout from overwork it’s incumbent upon management to factor sufficient down times into the work schedule.

Lack of Empowerment

Employees thrive best in a work environment that gives them a sense that they belong, have a real purpose, and that the work they are doing really matters. They also do better with managers who ask for ideas and suggestions relative to the job at hand and allow them the opportunity to use their creativity and skills to solve problems without being micromanaged. Conversely, work environments where employees feel that they have no say or control over how the work gets done, and are constantly micromanaged, are at risk of creating burned-out workers.

Lack of Recognition

Working for a company that never shows appreciation and employee recognition for a job well done is no fun for anybody. Companies where management fails to recognize and reward both individuals and teams for their achievements run the risk of putting employees who feel under appreciated and taken for granted on a path that will lead to burnout. Implementing a program that recognizes and rewards employee achievements via awards, public praise, bonuses, and other means can go a long way in elevating morale and reducing burnout. The key is to avoid generic cookie-cutter awards and make sure that employees are recognized and rewarded in ways that are personal, meaningful and relevant to them.

Poor Communication

In every company there are barriers to communication that exist between employees and management. Failure to address and break down these barriers can lead to poor communication and eventual employee burnout. Good workplace communication is about managers engaging employees with real-time face-to-face conversations. It’s about sharing passions for the company and clearly explaining the company’s mission and objectives. It’s about being open and encouraging honest feedback to show employees that their ideas and opinions matter. Most importantly, it’s about staying positive and helping employees feel confident, inspired and empowered.

When employees stay motivated to light things up they are far less likely to ever burn out.

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