Tired, unhappy, fed up and the week has just begun? It’s not just the zzzs — you might have to catch up on more than sleep.
You could be having a burnout — a state of mental and physical exhaustion, caused by excessive stress. It causes a drop in productivity, makes you feel sapped of energy and devoid of motivation. And it’s affecting larger numbers of people as we read this, warn doctors. “Lots of people, even young corporate folk, are suffering from burnout. With the year end getting people to juggle festival time, home and office, we’re sitting on an explosive situation.

 

Work-related causes of burnout

▪                Feeling like you have little or no control over your work

▪                Lack of recognition or rewards for good work

▪                Unclear or overly demanding job expectations

▪                Doing work that’s monotonous or unchallenging

▪                Working in a chaotic or high-pressure environment

 

Lifestyle causes of burnout

▪                Working too much, without enough time for relaxing and socializing

▪                Being expected to be too many things to too many people

▪                Taking on too many responsibilities, without enough help from others

▪                Not getting enough sleep

▪                Lack of close, supportive relationships

 

Personality traits can contribute to burnout

▪                Perfectionistic tendencies; nothing is ever good enough

▪                Pessimistic view of yourself and the world

▪                The need to be in control; reluctance to delegate to others

▪                High-achieving, Type A personality

 

Burnout prevention tips

• Start the day with a relaxing ritual. Rather than jumping out of bed as soon as you wake up, spend at least fifteen minutes meditating, writing in your journal, doing gentle stretches, or reading something that inspires you.
• Adopt healthy eating, exercising, and sleeping habits. When you eat right, engage in regular physical activity, and get plenty of rest, you have the energy and resilience to deal with life’s hassles and demands.
• Set boundaries. Don’t overextend yourself. Learn how to say “no” to requests on your time. If you find this difficult, remind yourself that saying “no” allows you to say “yes” to the things that you truly want to do.
• Take a daily break from technology. Set a time each day when you completely disconnect. Put away your laptop, turn off your phone, and stop checking email.
• Nourish your creative side. Creativity is a powerful antidote to burnout. Try something new, start a fun project, or resume a favorite hobby. Choose activities that have nothing to do with work.
• Learn how to manage stress. When you’re on the road to burnout, you may feel helpless. But you have a lot more control over stress than you may think. Learning how to manage stress can help you regain your balance.

 

Ways to tackle burnout:

– Once home, remove yourself from anything associated with work, like a computer.

– Be aware of burnout symptoms (excessive fatigue, daily headaches and feelings like, ‘I can’t handle this anymore’).

– Delegate as much as possible.

– Resist taking work home.

– Let your employer know you are having a burnout and explain that your productivity is dropping, then ask for a day off.

– On your holiday, don’t do too many chores but relax. Go to a spa, watch TV or do whatever else you might like.

Relax yourself- You deserve it!