Even if you have great passion for what you do, burnout is still something that is very likely to happen. Usually it is a mismatch between input and output that increases the chances of a burnout. When you feel like you are putting in way more than what you are getting out of it, you inch closer towards it.
It can happen when employees feel that their job isn’t rewarding but in most cases it is a result of employees taking insufficient care of themselves. For the founder of Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington, it was a rude wake up call when she hit her face on the desk and passed out unconscious.
The born again Arianna finally started believing that including time for wisdom, wonder, giving and renewal actually improves performance and that if she had known this secret earlier she could have prevented a lot of unnecessary stress, exhaustion and burnout.
Following are some powerful ways to prevent burnout:
Disconnecting
If you make a list of burnout prevention strategies, disconnecting will perhaps rank first on this list. Unless you learn to electronically detach yourself from work you will continue being an hostage.
As a workaholic you may have already discovered how staying connected always prevents you from realigning your focus and recharging your batteries as you haven’t really stopped working.
For some people avoiding work emails and calls completely may seem a bit unrealistic. Such individuals should designate specific times in a day to check their mailbox. The time should be such that it doesn’t interfere with any other commitment such as pursuing a hobby, spending time with family and kids. Having such dedicated slots of time for unwinding ensures that you are able to avert at least a portion of the stress.
Take your Body Signals Seriously
We tend to neglect our body the most and almost always have an alibi present for the actual cause of a discomfort. When our head begins to ache we may blame it on our water intake. Stomachache is really because of the extra chips that we ate and the neck is aching simply because we slept funny last night.
An ache in any portion of your body shouldn’t be taken lightly as it can be an accumulation of anxiety and stress. Burnout doesn’t happen overnight and your body will begin to show symptoms long before burnout has completely manifested itself. Your body does the talking and all you need to do is listen.
Include Relaxation in Schedule
You have it figured out when you must work. Similarly, you should also have it figured out when you must take a break. In the break you should do something that melts the stress away. It can be something as simple as reading a book or articles for 15 minutes or meditating for 10 minutes.
Scheduling such activities in your routine gives you something to look forward to in a day and also assures you that you are doing your bit to prevent a burnout. Nothing beats a good bath at the end of the day.
Don’t Rely on Sleeping Pills
It is not sleeping pills particularly that we are talking about but anything that puts you to sleep. It can be Nyquil, Valium, Benadryl, Alcohol, Ambien or any other substance that you rely on.
These substances severely disrupt our brain’s ability to get natural sleep. People who consume sedatives may have noticed how consumption of such substances causes them to have strange dreams at night.
Organising
Stress is often a result of disorganisation and stems from an inability to handle work in an organised fashion. Most of the times it has very little to do with the workload. When you find the time to organise work you will begin to feel that the load is actually manageable.
Taking Regular Breaks
Taking physiology into consideration, our performance is at its peak if we take 15 minutes of break for every hour or 90 minutes that we work. Those who experience burnout tend to work till the point they don’t feel exhausted. Such an approach can be counterproductive as you may get fatigued for no good reason without you even knowing it.
Besides the measures given above, there are several other effective ways to prevent burnout such as taking a long vacation or organising activity days out for your team.
