Effective Strategies for Fighting Career Burnout
Practical advice for regaining motivation after job burnout
Career burnout can affect anyone, regardless of age or field of work, but those who consistently have exhaustion for extended periods are especially vulnerable.
Ignoring early signs of job burnout can lead to more severe problems in the future, so it is important to address job burnout recovery early on.
General symptoms of career burnout
· Depression symptoms — sadness
· Mental, emotional fatigue — “bone tired” experience
· Over-reacting to little things
· Bad feelings, mindset, and attitude
· Lack of concern over job/career
· Annoyance and frustration quickly
· Angers easily
· Feelings of powerlessness and being out of control
· Sleep disruptions
· Weight loss or gain
· Unable to make judgments or to think clearly
While not an exhaustive list, it highlights common burnout symptoms. Taking action against the signs of burnout is critical before they become significant and create long-lasting damage to your life’s career ambitions and goals.
Strategies to offset work burnout
· Take some vacation time away if at all possible
· Reduce as much stress as possible
· Clear your schedule from everything that is not critical
· Get plenty of fresh air, some sunshine, and physical exercise
· Prioritize self-care by eating healthy, organic foods over junk food, limiting the intake of caffeine, alcohol, and other substances
· Good sleep habits are also important, try to get extra rest
· Do more fun activities that energize and recharge
· Do relaxation techniques, deep breathing, get a massage if you can
· Surround yourself with positive people
· Consulting a mental health professional for therapy or counseling can be beneficial
Emotional fatigue is often a symptom of burnout, and underlying issues might not be easily identified without professional help. Many times, we are just too close to the problems, and an outsider’s perspective can prove to be valuable.
Creating a more balanced work-life harmony
Evaluate your daily responsibilities, noticing which sap your emotional energy and which invigorate. Write them down on a list with two columns: energy zappers and energy refreshers.
Income the energizing refreshing areas of your life and delegate or reevaluate the necessity of the energy-zapping tasks.
Using and exploring different stress management techniques for a better work-life balance can significantly improve your quality of life.
Ignoring the signs of burnout at work is a mistake that can make the situation worse and delay recovery. Recognizing work burnout is a sign that your work-life balance is off-kilter, and it’s time to make necessary adjustments.
Some forms of career burnout are temporary and can be relieved with immediate self-care. Others can be more persistent, leading to extreme fatigue and potential health conditions.
When burnout becomes a significant concern, it becomes more critical to take action to safeguard one's mental health. This might include exploring a career change or taking an extended period to rest.
Many times, it is only when situations spiral out of control or the emotional toll becomes truly unbearable that we commit to the substantial changes that may be needed.
Embracing change is challenging, especially involving our work and income sources.
Yet, there are pivotal moments when the pain of staying in the same situation is worse than the fear of change.
Sometimes, deteriorating health tolls force hard decisions.
Occasionally, career burnout can unexpectedly serve as a gift, propelling us towards major lifestyle adjustments that foster positive relationships and personal and professional development.
I found that true when I encountered some serious levels of job burnout. In hindsight, it was a gift.
These are changes that, with the profound insights gained from burnout, might have been initiated.
Burnout can give us control over our lives, providing the motive for change in recovery strategies that can lead to lasting positive benefits.
Have any of you struggle with career burnout? What were your best tips for dealing with this?
If you have dealt with career burnout, what did you do in response? What was your experience?
Thanks for reading.
All rights reserved by Val Garner
Book Recommendation: Gathering My Thoughts Journal: 100 Guided Journal Questions — A journal with thought-provoking questions to help you discover your dreams, values, joys and areas that drain you. Helps you get in touch with the deeper levels of who you are.
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Yes, I’ve absolutely had job burnout. I made it three weeks into the school year last year and then I was out. I was burned out before the school year even started. Now I’m starting this new school year and determined to practice more of those positive things that you mentioned. Getting enough sleep, etc.