Feeling burnt out or depressed can often come from being overworked and lacking self-care. If you want to avoid burnout before it takes over your life, here are some tips to improve aspects of your life at both your workplace and outside of it. Burnout often happens when we feel that our job is the only area where we can thrive. Taking charge of your mental and emotional health will help you avoid severe burnout.
1- Watch For The Oncoming Signs
There are some signs that often accompany burnout. Some of these signs are irritability, not having the motivation for hobbies, or isolating yourself from friends and family. If you start to notice the signs of burnout, take some small steps to start improving your work-life balance. Leave work a few minutes early to spend some time doing a hobby or take time to cook dinner. Try working with a therapist to help you understand your feelings and how you can cope with your workload better.
2- Take The Vacation
While showing up to work is an admirable skill (especially if you want to get paid) taking your PTO and vacation days should be a priority. Many U.S. employees don’t use their PTO before the end of the year, even though it expires. Taking time off work to unwind and see new places is an easy way to avoid burnout. This can be a time for learning, a time for relaxing, or a time to catch up with family and friends.
3- Make A Consistent Self-Care Routine
Self-care can be done in many different ways and doesn’t just have to be skincare or baths. Self-care practices can be giving back to the community, watching your favorite show, exercising, meditating, or wearing your favorite outfit. Taking the extra time for self-care is important to boosting your serotonin and avoiding burnout.
Making a consistent self-care routine gives you something to look forward to each day after work or before work. Doing something that excites your mind or makes you feel good will do wonders for your physical and mental health.
4- Avoid Overachievement
Each member of a team wants to feel like they are contributing to the success of the company but going above and beyond and overachieving constantly can lead to burnout. If you are staying late at work and pushing yourself too hard may feel fulfilling for a while, but after months of overworking, you will start to feel burnt out.
5- Set Boundaries
Going along with overachieving, letting people at work take advantage of your time is a key element that leads to burnout. Setting boundaries in your working relationships is important for your mental health. Not working past your set working hours is a big boundary that gets crossed in corporate America. Setting boundaries about your time and abilities will save you from being overwhelmed.
6- Stay Grateful And Excited About Your Job
If you are working a job that you are passionate about, try to focus on the aspects that bring your joy more than the negatives. Learn to think positively about the aspects of the job and not settle on the cons or parts that put a strain on you. Being thankful for the security it provides, the people you work with, and the opportunities it is giving you will help you look at your work with fresh eyes.
7- Find Fulfilling Activities Outside Of Work
Stress can be limited by finding fun activities to do after your work day. Joining a workout group, or book club, or going out with friends will give you something to look forward to each day, and help you accomplish some goals that are not work-related.
Activities outside of work will help you see that there is more outside of the office. Using this time to give back or better yourself is a great way to improve your outlook on life. Becoming a more well-rounded individual can help you accomplish more in your job and improve productivity.
Burnout And Mental Health With Ogden Psychological Services
While there may be no specific treatment for burnout, seeking therapy can help improve multiple areas of your life. Keeping your mindset on the positive will help you accomplish more. Therapy with licensed therapists can be a useful tool for many life changes. Our team at Ogden Psychological Services works to help patients of all ages with mental and emotional health battles. Visit our office to learn more about how we operate and schedule an appointment.
