How to Avoid Burnout and Refresh Your Career
How well are you balancing your career with your personal life? Do you know how to avoid burnout?
When you’re serious about succeeding at something, it’s easy to become so thoroughly absorbed that you start neglecting other aspects of your life.
Here’s how to ensure you keep your professional pursuits in check so you avoid burnout and see success in life as a whole.
Signs of Burnout
Burnout can seem to happen all at once, or it can come upon you gradually. Maybe you’re loving your job, saying “yes” to every project that comes along, and taking every overtime slot you can snag. Then one day you wake up just not wanting to do it anymore. Or maybe after decades of hard work, you just feel tired. It’s important to recognize burnout and quickly finding solutions to avoid burnout. Mayo Clinic explains you should be on guard for symptoms such as:
- Cynical or critical attitude
- Irritability with coworkers
- Trouble concentrating
- Lack of motivation
- Self-medicating
- Apathy relating to your own achievements
- Unexplained physical symptoms, such as digestive upset or headaches
Is It Time To Transition?
Sometimes, a fresh start can breathe new life into your career and attitude. For instance, people who love serving others often find social work fulfilling, and it’s a unique opportunity to assist individuals and families with improving their quality of life. There are Master’s programs which accept people with Bachelor’s degrees in other fields, so the transition can be a smooth and relatively simple one. There are ample accredited institutions with online programs, so you can keep working while you go to school. It’s an opportunity to find fulfillment and satisfaction, without sacrificing your financial security to get there.
Another idea is to investigate a side hustle. Perhaps you have a hobby you love or there is something you always wanted to try. Side hustles can bring fresh faces and ideas into your life, add income, and can even lead to full-time careers. It can be a chance to learn new skills while making money, so consider what you enjoy or could do in your spare time, and give it a test drive – you never know where it might lead.
Raise Self-Care and Reduce Stress
Sometimes, personal self-care and improved stress management can refresh your perspective. Consider keeping a stress diary to help identify when you’re feeling especially challenged. Keep notes about events and timing, how you responded, and what you thought and felt. Perhaps you need to work on boundaries and learn to say “no” more often, or learn some coping tools like deep breathing exercises or mindfulness techniques to help reduce your stress levels.
Exercise is another key stress-buster, and it adds other mental and physical health benefits as well. When you’re already busy and tired, the idea of adding a trip to the gym can make you roll your eyes, but as Forbes points out, some studies indicate just 10-minute sessions can have a meaningful impact on your well-being. Instead of going to the gym when you’re tight on time, find ways to make fitness ultra convenient. Keep a jump rope handy, put an exercise ball at your workstation, and set dumbbells next to the microwave. Simple, quick workouts can help you be healthier and happier.
Don’t overlook your sleep, either. Sufficient sleep allows your mind and body to recover from the day and prepare for the next. Some research indicates sleep can help you manage stress better and maintain better physical condition. If you work shifts, this can be particularly challenging, but it’s crucial to make sleep a priority. Evaluate what impairs your ability to sleep, such as daylight, meal choices, and so forth, and adjust as needed.
No matter how much you love what you do, everyone has a limit. Avoid burnout.
If you’re approaching burnout, take steps to feel better. You can enjoy both your personal and professional life more with some well-thought-out changes.
More about our guest contributor Julie Morris:
Julie Morris is a life and career coach. She thrives on helping others live their best lives. It’s easy for her to relate to clients who feel run over by life because she’s been there. After years in a successful (but unfulfilling) career in finance, Julie busted out of the corner office that had become her prison. Today, she is fulfilled by helping busy professionals like her past self-get the clarity they need in order to live inspired lives that fill more than just their bank accounts. When Julie isn’t working with clients, she enjoys writing and is currently working on her first book. She also loves spending time outdoors and getting lost in a good book.
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