Job burnout happens when you’re no longer motivated by your job. You may feel exhausted and unfulfilled, even if you love what you do. It can be caused by long work hours, a toxic work environment, or a lack of work-life balance.
This is one of the most frequent reasons employees quit their jobs.
According to a study, 80% of workers feel burned out at least once in their careers.
The good news is that you can take steps to prevent and manage job burnout.
Here are ways to prevent and manage job burnout:
1) Identify your warning signs. Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It can happen to anyone who feels overworked and under appreciated at their job, but it’s more common in certain professions than others. Nurses, teachers, and social workers are three groups who often experience burnout because they’re helping people who are often in crises.
It can be hard to recognize the symptoms if you’re feeling burned out at work. The key to fighting burnout is to identify your early warning signs so you can take action before things get worse. Here are some common symptoms of burnout:
You feel exhausted all the time.
You dread going to work every day, even though you love your job.
You have trouble concentrating at work because thoughts about home keep distracting you.
Your productivity suffers from fatigue or distraction from family problems at home (e.g., health issues or financial concerns).
2) Take care of yourself first. Then you’re feeling burned out; it’s easy to lose sight of what’s most important: You! You need to take care of yourself first to be able to do your best work or focus on anything else. So before you try any of these other steps, take an action back and ask yourself how you’re doing. Are you exercising regularly? Eating well? Setting aside time for relaxation?
If not, make sure those habits are part of your daily routine. Try setting the alarm on your phone or computer screen so that every hour reminds you to stand up from your desk and move around for a few minutes. Also, consider adding meditation or mindfulness activities into your day (even if just for five minutes at a time). These simple techniques can help reduce stress and improve productivity.
3) Don’t fear change; embrace it! How to handle job burnout is to Not fear change; embrace it!
Shifting jobs can help you realize your true purpose and get unstuck.
The first thing you need to do is accept that job burnout isn’t a disease. It’s a natural response to an unfulfilling work environment. If you’re feeling burnt out, it’s not because you’re bad or because there’s something wrong with your character — it’s because your current job doesn’t meet your needs.
The next step is to start asking yourself some tough questions. Why did you choose this career? Is it what you thought it would be? What would make this job more fulfilling for you? How can you make changes so the time spent at work feels more worthwhile?
Now comes the hard part: Do something about it!
4) Learn how to say no when you need to. If you feel like you don’t have enough time for yourself or your family, it can be tempting to accept every new project that comes your way. But if you let people take advantage of your time and energy by piling more work on top of what you already have, they will keep doing it — which means that eventually, something has got to give. It might be hard at first, but learn how to say no when someone asks you for an extra favor or task; this way, they won’t expect more from you than reasonable and necessary!
5) Keep learning new skills (and remember your hobbies). Find something outside of work that makes you happy. There’s nothing wrong with taking time off position to pursue other interests, but it can be challenging to find time if all your waking hours are spent at work. Find something that makes you happy outside of work, and make sure you carve out time for it every week!
Set goals for yourself at work and track them using an accountability app like Todoist, Wunderlist, or any other helpful productivity app. This will help keep you accountable by reminding you exactly what needs to get done each day/week/month so that downtime can turn into a manageable amount of time where everything gets done!
6) Ask for help when you need it — from friends, family members, or professionals like therapists or counselors who can help you sort through what’s going on in your life and advise how best to handle these difficult situations. Ask for help when you need it. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be ashamed to ask for help from your boss or coworkers. You might need a break from your desk to recharge and regroup.
Take a vacation day or two. Take some time off so you don’t burn out completely. If your workload is too much even after taking vacation days, consider asking your boss if there’s anything else you can do to reduce the number of projects on your plate.
Discuss the situation with someone who cares about you professionally and personally at work — like a supervisor or colleague — and see if they have any suggestions for how you can keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed all the time (or at least some tips for how to get through this rough patch).
If you find yourself experiencing job burnout, it’s essential to figure out the actual cause. Restarting your career can be grueling, but it can bring renewed satisfaction and boost your productivity in the future. So if you’re considering a drastic change of direction, don’t hesitate. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
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