3 Steps to Prevent Burnout & Identifying it

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This article discusses a critical topic essential to mental health: 3 steps to prevent burnout: identifying and preventing burnout. Does your work stress you and cause you burnout, or do you need a vacation? Do you find yourself emotionally numb, depressed, or irritable all the time? Do you feel overwhelmed and find it challenging to maintain your usual energy level? If so, you might be experiencing burnout.

Burnout occurs when your energy, enthusiasm, motivation, and productivity have fallen, but you will continue to go to work. Unfortunately, your immune system is already compromised when you burn out, and you could develop several illnesses. Your appearance and mood may also be poor, affecting your relationships and work performance.

The signs of Burnout at work are when a person struggles with work and extreme fatigue. As a result, their motivation and creativity may have weakened, and their negative emotions have intensified.

Burnout symptoms include feeling fatigued, weary, regularly exhausted, always rushing to deadlines and constantly feeling behind schedule. Symptoms also include the inability to maintain a work-life balance and create positive work environments for yourself and those you work with. You may always feel stressed out; it does not matter what you are doing. Reduced interest in hobbies and interests, feeling distracted, easily annoyed, anxious, suspicious and suspiciously distrusting are also displayed. Sudden onset of a phobia such as heights, claustrophobia, or aviophobia could occur. There could also be dependence to substance abuse, such as misuse of caffeine, alcohol, and illegal drugs could be manifested. The person could have trouble concentrating on anything other than work.

How to treat burnout: 3 steps to prevent burnout

The First step is to take a moment for yourself whenever possible. Remind yourself that you come first and that what you want matters; also take time for yourself. Your children, loved ones, hobbies, and sleep should be your priority. Appreciate some of the good things in your life and give yourself credit for the many things you have. And then take moments in your day to recharge yourself, rejuvenate and create that work-life balance. Don’t feel guilty about taking that moment because you deserve it.

Using Time-Off for Self-Care

The second step is to take time off – a personal wellness program. Time off may be the best way to restore your health and wellness equilibrium. Set up a personal wellness plan to determine what you can do with your time off, more than just a holiday. This will require a conversation with your manager. Next, ask yourself: What can you do in these next few weeks to restore equilibrium to your personal and work life? How will you feel about your work-life balance when you return? What will you do to be back at work the following week?

The third step: you might be fearful that if you admit that you feel burned out, it would show that you’re weak or “can’t handle” things at the office. But what most never realize is that by acknowledging burnout is a mental illness, you reap the immediate benefits of:

  • Control– You take control of your burnout and start doing something about it.  Until then, burnout is just something that is “happening to you”.
  • Freedom– You stop hiding. Hiding takes energy, resources, and Time.  It’s a burden to carry. So when you acknowledge burnout, it’s your first step to freedom.
  • Connection– Deeper connections.  Acknowledging burnout makes you vulnerable but opens up a new conversation and much more profound relationships.

Conclusion: steps to prevent burnout

So does burnout go away? These 3 steps to prevent burnout: identifying and preventing burnout when you experience it is the key to achieving good mental health and well-being.

To recap: Making time for yourself is not brutal and not selfish; schedule things that you like, don’t let your job become your number one priority, and take time away from yourself. Learn about work-life balance and control your emotions, get in touch with your friends and know your limits. Know what you can do and not be pressured to do more than what you can handle. Think about how your choices affect others. Think about your co-workers, and don’t take things personally.

Take care of yourself. You are worth it.

If any of these strategies resonate with you,  Call me or email me hello@andreaasmith.com and read more about 10 ways you recognise your stress symptoms.

Picture of Andrea A Smith
Andrea A Smith

Helping women navigate the challenges of chronic Stress & Repetitive anxiety disorders with strength & resilience without the added burden of lifestyle changes or reliance on medication.