Burnout

For most working class people today, this is a word that has become normal.

I could define burnout as a build up of fatigue that causes one to become emotionally, mentally and physically drained. A common cause of this is stress. 

There is a difference between stress and burnout by the way. 

Stress is defined by dictionary.com as physical, mental, emotion strain or tension. It also defines burnout as frustration or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork or intense activity. 

These days, stress seems to be part of our everyday lives. How we manage stress and eventually burnout matters to our well being.

I am at the point where I know that I need a holiday as I have managed to get to this time of the year without one.

It hits me that that I may be at the point of a burnout when I start to experience the following:

- work starts to look like a chore

- tiredness

- loss of motivation

- easily irritable

- trouble sleeping (sometimes)

- illness (mostly head aches)

- feeling that my work doesn't add up to much

- questioning mostly everything I'm doing

Our well being is directly connected to our emotional state. I didn't think much of this until a certain time when I was experiencing a really rough patch. My sleeping pattern changed totally, I couldn't sleep through the night, I woke up way too many times before morning. I had constant head aches and lost my appetite so was not eating well, at all! I was stressed about any and everything, then I started to disconnect. At this point, I was overwhelmed and knew I had to take care of myself.

The first way I tend to address burnout is to take a holiday. So I would say, to deal with a burnout:

- Reconnect with yourself through something you love doing. For me, one sure way is to travel

- Next, I try to find the cause of my burnout, then see how I can manage my work and time better

- Know your limits. Have enough respect for yourself to know when to stop!

- Be sure to create a balance. Many of us get so sucked up into work that we forget to live. Having social activities outside work is always helpful

- Have a support system - talk about what might be bothering you to family or friends. It gives me relief, especially as the people I would talk to would be those who care about me. To be reminded that they are there for me and care about my well being makes a huge difference

- Eat well, take care of yourself and find ways to let some energy out. Exercise, run, swim, etc, physical activities relieve stress. 

- Rid yourself of every negative energy! Anyone or anything that is a source of negativity should not be around you. Positive vibes are usually so much better and easier to handle!

- Finally, reevaluate - Do a self evaluation, bearing all the points above in mind, prioritise and plan

This might sound quite harsh but one thing I constantly remind myself is, if I died today, especially over work, someone would replace me tomorrow. This helps to keep me in check. You owe it to yourself to look after YOU!

I hope this helps? 

Photo Credit : Google images