Occupational burnout is caused by a continual demand for energy, stress, or resources at work. The first part of this article: Recognizing Job Burnout will help you familiarize yourself with it and its phases. This second edition will teach you how to prevent burnout from taking over your life by avoiding it altogether.
Stress or Burnout?
Are you experiencing stress? Or perhaps you have progressed through the five phases and have become burned out? Understanding the differences between these categories will help you determine which category you fall into.
Stress is a factor that affects the daily lives of most people, especially through their work. There is a fine line between stress and burnout at work. Stressed individuals are more likely to blur the lines between the two and struggle to recognize when they require professional assistance in order to recover from being burned out.
Symptoms such as over-engagement diminished energy and irritable emotions can all be linked to stress. Depleted energy levels, anxiety, and depression can also result from this condition. Despite the fact that stress may appear overwhelming, it can be managed through a variety of treatment options, most likely under the guidance of a physician or therapist. Work burnout, however, results from long-term stress accompanied by loss of motivation, emotional disconnect, and total disengagement from work. There is a never-ending cycle of negative emotions, which causes withdrawal on a physical, mental, and emotional level.
It goes without saying that burnout can truly become a debilitating triple threat in the workplace, adversely affecting a person’s mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Consequently, both your personal life as well as your professional life can suffer in the long run as a result. Even though these problems may persist once you suffer through the phases of burnout, it is entirely possible to prevent it from occurring at all if you know what to do. When it comes to preventative actions, self-care is an important outlet and should be considered strongly when seeking preventative measures.
Preventing Job Burnout
As burnout becomes prevalent, employees often believe that the solution to the problem comes in the form of an immediate fix. This can result in taking a personal day, or even a small hiatus from work such as a vacation. There is only a momentary relief from burnout from the resolutions that can be made, wholly due to the fact that the burnout immediately re-manifests itself upon re-entering the workplace.
The best way to prevent burnout at work is to take control of your role at work and make it your own. As a means of controlling it, you have to use specific learning strategies that can have a meaningful impact on a student’s learning process and present them with long-term results.
When it comes to prevention, it is all about change and how you are going to make it work for you. Burnout occurs as a result of various factors coming together, all of which contribute to various phases of burnout. As a result, it becomes necessary to create a holistic strategy in order to prevent it from occurring in the first place by impeding it in its tracks. In order to prevent workplace burnout, the following strategies should be considered.
1. Work With Purpose
If you feel more compelled to have a career than to work just to earn a paycheck then you are working towards your purpose. As a result, you will be able to minimize the amount of stress that you experience at work and avoid burnout. Consider the impact your job has on people in a practical sense. Afterwards, ask yourself what you can do to add more meaning to other people’s lives so that they may live happier, healthier lives. You may consider a transition in your career in something that will fit your personality in a more positive way if you are not pleased with your present position or role within the company.
2. Focus On Stress Management
It is important to understand that stress can result in a variety of health problems, especially if it is not managed properly. It is important to shed the spotlight on stress in time to prevent burnout from occurring. Utilize stress management effectively to assist in this process. If you wish to control your stress, you may wish to consider the following techniques. The following strategies will be beneficial to you both professionally and personally.
- Reduce or eliminate your use of social media on a daily basis.
- Consider volunteering your time to help nonprofits or charitable organizations.
- Make yourself a priority when it comes to self-care. It is important to maintain a healthy diet, exercise, and sleep for at least six to eight hours each night in order to jumpstart this practice.
- Use of alcohol or other substances should be limited.
- Mediation can be used as a method of relaxation.
- Know when you require the assistance of a licensed mental health professional.
3. Use Job Tools To Clarify What Is Expected Of Your Role
An analysis of your job will allow you to understand what is expected of you in your role while keeping you in control of your tasks and projects. Make sure you have a clear picture of your career goals in mind and follow through by taking appropriate action. If your job does not meet your standards or expectations, you might be best served by moving on to another role elsewhere.
4. Enlist In Acts Of Kindness
In this way, you can add meaning to your life and career in a simple yet effective manner. You will feel enlightened and find meaning in your career by participating in acts of kindness, such as donating time, energy or goods to others.
5. Cultivate The Ability To Self-Reflect
This may appear to be a difficult concept for many people to grasp. Maintaining a weekly evaluation of your own needs can help reduce or eliminate the possibility of becoming burnt out. During the weekly evaluation, it is important to take into account goals and expectations in order to understand which burnout phase you (may) have shifted into or where you will be heading in the near future.
6. Create A Professional And/Or Personal Support System
A support system can assist in enabling other individuals to recognize changes in your character, feelings, emotions, and daily routines, whether they are family, friends, colleagues, or even your employer. This results in a greater sense of overall wellbeing, the development of coping skills, and a healthier lifestyle in general. Further, this can reduce the likelihood of anxiety, depression, and most importantly stress.
Closing Thoughts
The phases associated with job burnout can be categorized according to their impact on individuals in the workplace. Although it shares many characteristics with stress, it is so much more than that. In general, it has the potential to determine whether your career is successful or unsuccessful. Using set learning strategies, like those described in this article, is crucial to preventing job burnout.
