What Is Burnout And How Can I Get Better?
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Introduction
Burnout can be challenging. Anyone can experience it and it can affect you personally and professionally. Let’s look at some signs of burnout and ways to recover from it. |
Signs of Burnout
Some signs you may be experiencing burnout include difficulty sleeping, your mind racing with anxious thoughts, stomach pains, dreading going to work, easily becoming frustrated, not finding joy in hobbies, anger building up and possibly coming out in unhealthy ways, pain in your shoulders and neck, personal relationships are strained, using alcohol and/or drugs as an escape to numb emotional pain, and others.
Recovering from Burnout
In order to recover from burnout, it’s important to gain insight into what is causing it and utilize wellness to feel better. Determine the internal factors, such as negative self-talk and the pressure you’re putting on yourself to be perfect, and the external factors, such as long hours and unrealistic expectations.
Internal Factors
As far as helping with internal factors, think about things you currently do and have done in the past that benefit your mental health. Reading, exercise, listening to music, taking walks, positive self-talk, yoga, deep breathing, journaling, sitting near the water, creating art and many more. Try to not let things build up. Process negative emotions as they happen in healthy ways. Every little positive thing you do can make a difference.
Be sure to come up with a realistic and achievable plan. For example, if in the past exercise was helpful and you worked out an hour every day but haven’t in a couple of years, maybe start with 15 minutes a few days a week and build up from there. It’s more likely you’ll gain momentum and maintain progress if you start small, rather than being too ambitious.
In addition to your wellness activities, you can also seek professional help. Consider connecting with a therapist to have an objective expert to help you process your emotions and come up with a plan to improve. You could also speak with a psychiatrist if you’re open to learning more about medication that may help.
External Factors
Look to see if external factors could change to improve things for you. It is possible to set reasonable boundaries to take care of your mental health and physical health. Some things that could help include flexibility of work schedule, working remotely part or full-time and not having to commute as much, setting reasonable response time expectations for non-urgent matters, and more. Keep your supervisor in the loop on your work load and the hours you’re working. The quality and empathy of your supervision and senior management can make a difference in your experience. The goal of leaders should be to have healthy employees not just because it’s the right thing to do, but if employees are well, they’ll be more productive and achieve goals.
If a supervisor or coworker is concerned about possible burnout of a colleague, being proactive can make a huge difference. Rather than waiting until the situation becomes a crisis, supervisors could have periodic check ins to see how things are going with work matters, but also in general. They can ask about how is the workload, how do you like the type of work you’re doing, any challenges, any areas of improvement, what’s your long term goals, and more. If someone is having difficulty, they can be referred to the company wellness program, HR for possible EAP resources, and other outside resources. Think long term and big picture: You want your employees to feel valued, that you care and it’s important that they get better.
In Summary
It is possible to prevent burnout and heal from it if you’re already experiencing it. Prioritize wellness in your life every day, even when things are going well for you. Be proactive rather than reactive with caring for your mental health and physical health and find fulfillment in your career.
If you’re looking for therapy for burnout or other mental health concerns in Wilmington Delaware, West Chester Pennsylvania or by teletherapy anywhere in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York or Florida, please contact me today for a free consultation.
Take care and be well,
Rich Lombino, Esq., LCSW
Therapist & Lawyer
Some signs you may be experiencing burnout include difficulty sleeping, your mind racing with anxious thoughts, stomach pains, dreading going to work, easily becoming frustrated, not finding joy in hobbies, anger building up and possibly coming out in unhealthy ways, pain in your shoulders and neck, personal relationships are strained, using alcohol and/or drugs as an escape to numb emotional pain, and others.
Recovering from Burnout
In order to recover from burnout, it’s important to gain insight into what is causing it and utilize wellness to feel better. Determine the internal factors, such as negative self-talk and the pressure you’re putting on yourself to be perfect, and the external factors, such as long hours and unrealistic expectations.
Internal Factors
As far as helping with internal factors, think about things you currently do and have done in the past that benefit your mental health. Reading, exercise, listening to music, taking walks, positive self-talk, yoga, deep breathing, journaling, sitting near the water, creating art and many more. Try to not let things build up. Process negative emotions as they happen in healthy ways. Every little positive thing you do can make a difference.
Be sure to come up with a realistic and achievable plan. For example, if in the past exercise was helpful and you worked out an hour every day but haven’t in a couple of years, maybe start with 15 minutes a few days a week and build up from there. It’s more likely you’ll gain momentum and maintain progress if you start small, rather than being too ambitious.
In addition to your wellness activities, you can also seek professional help. Consider connecting with a therapist to have an objective expert to help you process your emotions and come up with a plan to improve. You could also speak with a psychiatrist if you’re open to learning more about medication that may help.
External Factors
Look to see if external factors could change to improve things for you. It is possible to set reasonable boundaries to take care of your mental health and physical health. Some things that could help include flexibility of work schedule, working remotely part or full-time and not having to commute as much, setting reasonable response time expectations for non-urgent matters, and more. Keep your supervisor in the loop on your work load and the hours you’re working. The quality and empathy of your supervision and senior management can make a difference in your experience. The goal of leaders should be to have healthy employees not just because it’s the right thing to do, but if employees are well, they’ll be more productive and achieve goals.
If a supervisor or coworker is concerned about possible burnout of a colleague, being proactive can make a huge difference. Rather than waiting until the situation becomes a crisis, supervisors could have periodic check ins to see how things are going with work matters, but also in general. They can ask about how is the workload, how do you like the type of work you’re doing, any challenges, any areas of improvement, what’s your long term goals, and more. If someone is having difficulty, they can be referred to the company wellness program, HR for possible EAP resources, and other outside resources. Think long term and big picture: You want your employees to feel valued, that you care and it’s important that they get better.
In Summary
It is possible to prevent burnout and heal from it if you’re already experiencing it. Prioritize wellness in your life every day, even when things are going well for you. Be proactive rather than reactive with caring for your mental health and physical health and find fulfillment in your career.
If you’re looking for therapy for burnout or other mental health concerns in Wilmington Delaware, West Chester Pennsylvania or by teletherapy anywhere in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York or Florida, please contact me today for a free consultation.
Take care and be well,
Rich Lombino, Esq., LCSW
Therapist & Lawyer
