How to avoid work burnout

Work burnout

Work burnout is the mental and physical exhaustion that a person feels at work when demands that are put on them constantly exceed capacity and they are under prolonged periods of high stress. Many factors can contribute to burnout over a short or prolonged period. They can affect your productivity at work and spill over into your personal lives if not addressed. Common work burnouts can be a result of:

• Unfair treatment in the workplace
• Lack of communication or support from managers
• Impossible to meet or pressurised deadlines
• Work-life imbalance
• The culture and values of the company are in stark contrast to your own
• Bigger workload than you can manage
• Unclear job expectations
• Little or no control over your working conditions

The signs of work burnout

Spotting the signs early can help you evaluate and make positive steps to change, reducing your chance of burnout. Ignoring burnout can have huge consequences for you such as:

• Excessive stress
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Sadness, anger, or irritability
• Alcohol or substance misuse
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Vulnerability to illnesses

How to prevent or reduce work burnout

If you are noticing the ‘Work Burnout’ signs in yourself or a colleague at work then stop, act, and prevent the situation from escalating. Its not an easy journey but one that is vitally important for your mental and physical wellbeing. No business wants to lose their best worker to burnout; however, most do not realise until it is too late. Below are 6 tips to change this path and act early.

1. Be Realistic When Assigning Tasks 

   Find a work life balance that works for you and the business. Workload is the most usual form of stress so make sure you allocate task in a sensible time frame. Delegate if you need to and look at other resources available to you. Eliminate unnecessary work, prioritise important tasks and keep control of your to-do list.

2. Its OK to say ‘No’ 

   Sometimes saying yes will have a detrimental effect on our workflow and productivity. Saying yes to everything is not the answer. Learning to delegate and offering alternative solutions means you will not be putting yourself under additional stress or working long hours to complete. Communication is key and being able to have open conversations with your colleagues, managers, directors will align expectations and build support.

3. Take time out to evaluate 

   If you find your world spiraling, then stop, evaluate, and ask for help. Discuss specific concerns with your line manager and work together to change expectations, reach compromises or solutions. Do not feel alone, keep an open mind, and consider your options.

4. Exercise

   Being stuck in the moment or up against a big deadline can be all consuming. But not allowing yourself time out or away will reduce your productivity, creatively and lower your mood. Find an exercise regime that works for you and stick to it. Even if it is taking 15 mins out each day to go for a walk or yoga, Pilates, will recharge your mind, body, and soul. Sometimes walking away from the daily grind can give you a fresh perspective.

5. Rest and Relaxation

   If you are entitled to Annual leave, take it! Time out is important as it will recharge your batteries. Just think, you will always recharge your mobile when low, so make sure you charge yourself to! Relaxing is vital to enabling you to have the energy, passion, and inspiration to be the best version of yourself. So, book in time off for a little bit of rest and relaxation.

6. Keep Talking

   It is so important to talk. It will give you an opportunity to offload your worries, share your concerns, and let people know how you are feeling. Take the stigma out of something that affects us all. Together we can break down stereotypes, improve relationships, aid recovery, and help prevent workplace burnout.

For more information on ‘Work Burnout’ click the link here to read more from Mental Health UK or click here to download one of their useful resources to learn more about managing wellbeing, stress and mental health.