Tips to Avoid Burnout at Work

While things are good at work we often take on any task thrown at us. When you're feeling good and things are going smoothly, it feels like you can take on the world.

However, if you take on too many things at once, you might hit a wall. Exhaustion and stress quickly take over and you go from feeling good to crumbling under the pressure.

What is Burnout?

The state of constant stress that renders you feeling useless is called burnout. Signs of burnout include physical and emotional fatigue, detachment, insomnia, lack of focus, and negative feelings like anger or cynicism.

Burnout affects your overall performance and can also result in a personality shift. Statistics show that one in five highly engaged employees is at risk for burnout. However, it can be avoided. Here are some tips to avoid burnout at work.

1. Get Enough Sleep

One of the main symptoms of burnout is insomnia. Lack of sleep directly affects the functioning of the brain as well as several other serious consequences. Lack of sleep contributes to a lack of judgment, and the development of chronic diseases like cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and depression. It has been proven that in order to function optimally an adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep nightly to function optimally.

2. Workout

Another great way to reduce burnout is exercise. Movement is crucial to your mental and physical health. Regular exercise has been proven to reduce levels of stress, improve self-confidence, prevent cognitive decline, increase productivity, and improve memory. The time away from the desk also allows you to refocus your mind making you more productive when you return to your work.

3. Have a Giggle

Research has found that laughing relieves stress. It is the perfect quick cure to burnout as it has many positive short-term and long-term effects. When you are feeling extremely tired or negative, try enjoying a quick comedy clip or joking around with some friends to relieve some of your strain.

4. Meet Friends

Another great way to reduce stress is to spend time out of work with people to make you feel better. Emotional fulfillment from socializing allows you to maintain a bond with people outside of work allowing you to maintain a balance between life and work.

5. Learn to Say No

While climbing the ladder at work it is often tempting to always say yes. Agreeing to work on every project, speak at conferences and even attend every meeting might seem like the best way to gain favor but it can quickly become too much. It is important to say no to some things in order to stay focused, engaged, excited, and energetic during the day. Focus on what is important and do your best. Avoid stretching yourself too thin.