Tips for Avoiding Work Burnout

Since 2020, people have experienced a higher rate of work burnout. Specific careers and industries were hit hardest, especially those in the medical fields. The prevalence of work burnout continues to rise in other sectors as the world tries to cope with viral variants, financial downturns, and natural disasters. Carlsbad Christian Counseling can help you navigate stress and find renewed strength.

If you are concerned about the future of your career, learn how to avoid work burnout.

What Work Burnout Looks Like

Work burnout can take many forms. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I angry and irritable all the time?
• Do I feel physically and emotionally exhausted?
• In the evening, do I dread returning to work?
• Am I starting to slack off at work?
• Am I clashing with coworkers and superiors?
• Am I losing patience with customers or clients?
• Am I having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?
• Do I reach for food for comfort or skip meals?
• Do I have achiness and muscle tension?
• Am I grinding my teeth?
• Am I getting sick easier?

If you answered yes to a number of these questions, you might be on the path to work burnout. Learn how you can avoid or reverse burnout.

What You Can Do to Avoid Work Burnout

You need to strengthen your emotional resilience to prevent burnout. Resilience is the ability to allow the stress and events of the day to roll off you enough for you to carry on. It means nurturing your mind, body, and soul and learning to manage disappointments, failures, and trauma.

The following are ways you can prevent or manage work burnout.

Go to the company first

Your first step to fighting work burnout is approaching your manager or immediate supervisor. Are you taking on too much work that should be split between two or three employees? Is there conflict in the workplace? Do you have an idea to make a process smoother? It may be that the company can use a simple solution to make things easier for everyone.

Some companies employ human resources and mental wellness departments as resources for employees. The companies realize that employees’ health is more than just a good checkup at the doctor’s office. The programs now also encompass mental and emotional aspects of health.

Ask your company what programs they offer for mental health and to prevent burnout.

Stop spinning your wheels

Is frustration behind your burnout? Does it seem like you spend all day spinning your wheels, but your productivity is lacking? This is a common scenario, especially in busy industries such as healthcare. You feel as if you could accomplish great things if you did not spend all your time on tedious, meaningless tasks.

Categorize each task when you view your daily task list, whether in print, digital, or in your head. Is it something you need to take care of right away? Is it a task you can delegate to someone else or delete entirely? Prioritizing your tasks will ensure that the important things are handled first and efficiently.

Do you have coworkers leaving work for you to do instead of them? Now is the time to set boundaries on what you will manage in your job description and what you will not. You may need an immediate supervisor to help you make this clear to others. Setting boundaries of non-negotiables at work and home can keep you from feeling undervalued.

Help other people

Job satisfaction can be found in more than one place and more than one way. You may serve a specific role in your position but can affect more people than you realize. The Bible teaches us that we should help and love others, but how often do we put that principle into practice in the workplace?

For example, if you are a school bus driver, your days may be spent on the road wrangling children, breaking up fights, and trying to get everyone to their destination safely. This can be a stressful situation day in and day out. However, perhaps it is less about you and more about them.

Now you see yourself as a role model for these children. Your work is meaningful. How you act, listen, and speak can significantly impact a child. You may be the first kind face they see every morning when they board your bus. Try to see the bigger picture and ask yourself if God placed you here for a reason.

Learn time management skills

Looming deadlines and procrastination do not mix well together. When you are overwhelmed with work, do you tend to procrastinate? Do you zone out frequently during the day, especially when faced with tasks you find tedious or too difficult?

Not completing tasks will lead to stress and problems with your coworkers, team, or boss. Time management skills are a must in any workplace. Do not worry. You can learn these skills quickly and implement them in any area of your life. A counselor can show you how.

A counselor can also work with you if you lack focus or cannot concentrate for long periods. Another idea to try is to focus on one task for twenty-five minutes, then take a five-minute break. This time management tip is known as the Pomodoro Technique. If you can concentrate on a project or task in 25-minute bursts with small breaks in between, you will accomplish more than you ever dreamed.

Exercise your body

Stress creates tension in the body. Chronic stress can lead to inflammation, the leading cause of many illnesses, and a weakened immune system. Exercise triggers a response in the body that eases muscle tension and lowers inflammation. The body’s response affects your brain as it is flooded with feel-good chemicals that lift your spirits for hours after the workout.

If possible, set your alarm for fifteen minutes earlier in the morning to work out a few days a week. As you progress, you can push the alarm back a little further until you have thirty to sixty minutes to exercise most days of the week. Working out first thing in the morning can boost your confidence all day.

If you are not a morning person, work out in the evenings if you need to, as the anti-inflammatory benefits are the same. Ensure you finish your workout session at least two hours before bed so the sudden burst of energy does not interfere with your sleep.

Rest your body, mind, and soul

God rested on the seventh day of creation as an example for us to follow. Yet, how many of us work nonstop, trying to make a living, juggle family responsibilities, work a second job, and manage the home? The body, mind, and soul were made for work but also for rest.

We need to learn to disconnect from work demands and focus on being in the present. Take time to sit quietly and breathe deeply a few times a day. Learn to quiet your mind. Set some moments aside to nourish your soul with Bible reading, devotionals, and praise music. Reserve the Sabbath as a day to honor God and spend meaningful time with your family.

To be a healthy person means to be healthy in all areas. Keep your mind open when it comes to your job to avoid work burnout. Remember that your health takes precedence. Without your health, you will not be able to provide for your family.

Getting Support

You may not always like your job, but you should feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as you make a living. Your job should give back as you continue to work with excellence and diligence. You should learn new skills and strengthen what comes naturally to you as you work.

If work burnout is a reality for you and you are unsure where to turn, contact our office today. A Christian counselor at Carlsbad Christian Counseling would love to speak with you about the signs of work burnout and how you can overcome physical and emotional exhaustion.