The dangers of burnout: tips to avoid stress at work
We have all suffered from work-related stress at one time or another – but one issue that is becoming unfortunately common is that of burnout. This can see workers becoming physically or emotionally exhausted whenever they are at work.
Common symptoms of burnout at work
Sometimes it can be dififuclt to realise that you are suffering from burnout at work. Symptoms can creep up on you, and you go from feeling generally positive about your work, to finding yourself in a place where you really aren’t enjoying what you are doing. Some of the common symptoms of workplace burnout include:
- Cyncism – have you become cynical or critical of the work you do, the business that you work for or the people you work with?
- Lacking energy – do you find it a struggle to get into work on time, or find that when you are at work you lack the energy to be productive?
- No satisfaction – do you no longer feel satisfaction when you finish a task or achieve something at work?
- Irritability – do you find yourself becoming irritable or impatient when you talk with colleagues, clients or customers?
If any of these issues sound familiar, you may be suffering with burnout at work. Here we take a look at some key tips for avoiding and overcoming burnout.
Make time for yourself
It is often the case that individuals will put their work ahead of their personal lives. In many businesses, this is an expected part of the culture, but it is important to realise that this can be a crucial factor that leads to burnout. Your working and personal life is directly linked, and if you aren’t making time for yourself to enjoy life outside of work, it can start to affect you in the workplace.
Unfortunately, there is a growing problem revolving around how workers treat their time outside of work. In fact, one survey found that as many as 40% of workers are neglecting their personal life because of their work commitments.
It is essential that you consider that your personal life is just as important as pursuing your career. The majority of people work to live rather than live to work – you should have plenty of time to relax and pursue your own interests when you aren’t at work.
Be passionate about your work
One issue that commonly leads to burnout in workers is that they aren’t particularly interested in or passionate about what they do. No, not everyone can have their absolute dream job, but if you don’t feel good about what you are doing every day, that is a surefire way to find yourself burning out.
“I value finding passion and harmony in my work by being connected to and caring about my team and my customers and making a big difference in their lives,” says Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments “I would burn out way faster working five hours a day at a job that was hurting my soul than I would working 15 hours a day at a job that’s feeding my soul.”
If you don’t feel passionate about the work that you are doing, maybe it is time for a change. You don’t have to love every part of the job that you do, but it is important to be able to find aspects of it that you are passionate about.
Don’t take the job home with you
One way that many workers become burned out – even in jobs that they truly love – is that they never have a break from it. It is the case that it is easier than ever before to access everything that you do at work when you aren’t working. A recent survey estimated that around 80% of workers take their work home.
It may be the case that you have your work emails on your mobile phone, and those notifications ping in your ears around the clock. Many workers use their private phone number for work too, which means that clients and colleagues can get in contact with them at all hours of the day.
To avoid burnout, it is extremely important to separate your home life and your working life.
Take your holiday
Some workers think that one of the best ways to avoid burnout is simply to get ahead of their work. Instead of taking time off, they simply carry on working through in order to get more work done. Or worse, they take their holiday with a specific plan in mind to work at home. Holiday is for time off and relaxation, not doing more work.
Taking annual leave has a range of benefits including promoting good mental health at work and improving work-life balance.
Workplace burnout can be a real problem, not only for businesses that see staff with lower productivity and efficiency – but it can also be a huge issue for workers themselves. Suffering burnout can lead to poor performance, becoming disillusioned at work, and can detrimentally affect many other aspects of mental health.
Taking the steps above can do a lot to help you combat burnout – but in other cases it can be necessary to seek professional help and advice.
For information and advice, please call us on 01482 240133, email [email protected] or chat to us live (using the chat box in the right hand corner).
