Burnout can be debilitating. It will make you stop in your tracks and not be able to do anything. Well I for one, don’t want you to experience burnout so I’m giving you my 5 top tips to avoid burnout.
So, before we jump into the tips, let’s take a look at what burnout actually is.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is when you become exhausted physically and emotionally. You feel so drained that you can’t even get out of bed sometimes. It really isn’t something to be achieved yet I see so many people out there telling others that if they aren’t experiencing burnout then they aren’t really trying hard enough.
It’s long overdue that we put these dinosaur aged ideas to bed. Literally! Let them have a good old nap and get over themselves.
If you think that people should be working themselves into the ground, then you are a fool!!
How on earth are you supposed to be productive when you feel like you need to sleep for 14 hours a day just to feel normal again?
It’s a ridiculous way of living and you should be kicking it into touch if you really want to enjoy your life.
What Causes Burnout?
Burnout is brought on by workplace stress. Whether this stress is from a job or being an entrepreneur or business owner, it’s still the same.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, in 2018, 595,000 people in the UK alone suffered from workplace stress. Over half a million people in 1 year!! That’s a lot of productivity lost for businesses that can’t be recovered.
It is also a lot of people having their lives impacted.
You see, burnout doesn’t just affect you at work, it will also affect you in your home life as well. Your relationships, your physical and your mental health will all be affected.
The 5 Stages
Honeymoon phase
You undertake a new task or project and get all excited about it. You end up working harder on it than you should and with your enthusiasm you push our bodies farther than they would like to go. The candle is being burnt at both ends at this point but you feel ok about it.
Onset of Stress
This is where you are starting to feel the stress of the pressure, but most people won’t do anything about it. It’s kind of like “I’m ok with feeling stressed and people can handle me being a stress head.”
I’ll be honest with you here. They don’t like it but they’re being too polite to say anything about it.
Chronic Stress
This is an increase of the previous stage. Here you will be experiencing more severe symptoms such as lack of sexual appetite, being snappy with people, apathy and increased caffeine and alcohol consumption. You’re becoming much less fun to be around at this point.
Burnout
This is where symptoms become highly severe. This is when fatigue is just a general part of your everyday life. You are tending to isolate yourself and withdraw from the world. If you reach this point, it’s long overdue that you seek help.
Habitual Burnout
This is where burnout becomes a regular part of your life. Here depression can creep into your life as well as chronic physical and mental fatigue. By this point you are going to be looking at longer term help to come out of it.
You can read more about the 5 stages of burnout here
How to Tell if You Are Getting Close to It
“A lot of the signs and symptoms of pre-burnout would be very similar to depression,” says Siobhán Murray, a psychotherapist based in County Dublin, Ireland, and the author of a book about burnout, The Burnout Solution. Murray suggests looking out for creeping bad habits, such as increased alcohol consumption and relying on sugar to get you through the day. Also watch out for feelings of tiredness that won’t go away. “So that even if you do sleep well, by 10 in the morning you’re already counting down the hours to bed. Or not having the energy to exercise or go for a walk.”
If you find that this is resonating with you, or you are getting close to this point it’s time to stop. Start implementing some self-care principles and cutting back on your schedule.
The more in touch you are with your own body, the easier it will be to avoid this happening. You need to pay so much more attention to what your body is feeling and also what it is asking you for. Whether you listen to your body and give it regular rest when it requires it or not, your body will make you listen in the end.
You body knows just how to shut you down and make you stop. And trust me, it will do exactly that when it decides that enough is enough.
What You Need to Do to Stop Burnout
If you haven’t watched the video that I posted at the top of this post here it is again.
To summarise;
- You need to start listening to your body
- Take high strength Vit C (at least 3x1000mg a day)
- Take zinc every day
- Make time to have fun and relax
- Cut back your work schedule
- Get a massage, some reiki or a hypnotherapy deep relaxation session.
- For an extra boost in winter I also take Vit D3 every morning
If you know someone that is stressed, do them a favour and share this with them so they can start to be happier and less stressed. They'll thank you for it!
