Occupational Hazard?

 

How To Prevent and Cope With Workplace Burnout

 

Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed by your job duties? Maybe even been paralyzed by endless meetings, phone calls, and deadlines? If so, you know the struggle of workplace burnout and the toll it can take on you mentally and physically. Burnout often occurs when consistent high stress leaves you completely exhausted and unable to continue with your day-to-day tasks. If you have dealt with burnout you are not alone, and there are great effective strategies to help you cope with and prevent future workplace burnout. 

 

Why Does Workplace Burnout Happen?

 

Oftentimes, workplace burnout occurs from a combination of stressors and workplace circumstances. Some common stressors include an overwhelming workload, extreme understaffing, or even a poor work environment. Having little to no control over one’s schedule and assignments can also increase the likelihood of burnout. Furthermore, feeling disconnected from the beliefs, goals, or values of a person’s overall company or organization can be a contributing factor to burnout. 

 

The 5 Stages of Burnout

 

  1. The Honeymoon Phase: When beginning a job, people often have high energy and excitement about their work. This can lead to ignoring personal needs and self-care in pursuit of work opportunities. 
  2. Onset of Stress Phase: Stress starts to increase and energy begins to decrease. People may experience trouble sleeping, anxiety, irritability, or trouble focusing. 
  3. Chronic Stress Phase: Stress becomes persistent in a person’s daily life. People may face extreme exhaustion, anger, indifference, and overwhelm. 
  4. Burnout Phase: At this point, it becomes nearly impossible to function normally in your day-to-day life. Mental and physical symptoms become chronic and unavoidable. People may be completely pathetic and feel emotional emptiness. 
  5. Habitual Burnout Phase: A person’s entire life may become consumed by chronic physical and mental fatigue. Mental health challenges that require professional support like anxiety and depression may develop. 

 

Signs and Symptoms of Burnout

 

  1. Physical and mental exhaustion 
  2. Extreme irritability
  3. Increased anxiety
  4. Emotional detachment
  5. Poor task performance
  6. Difficulty focusing

 

Recovering from Burnout

 

If you are struggling with any of these symptoms, there are many strategies that you can employ to help you better cope with workplace stress and avoid burnout in the future. 

 

    1. Seek out support from family and friends. It is important to talk to people we trust when we are facing challenges in life. 
    2. Talk to your boss about your options. If your workplace is unaware of your struggles, they will be unable to help you. You may be able to work together to solve the present issues. If support is not provided, you may want to seek out a job that suits you more.
    3. Ensure you are practicing self-care. This includes getting daily movement, eating well, and sleeping at least 7 hours per night. You can also work on mindfulness throughout your workday.