How to Handle Burnout When It’s Happening (And How to Avoid It for the Future)

You know that feeling where you’re getting overwhelmed and maybe can’t think straight… and maybe get a little stressed or cranky – you’re probably experiencing a special type of work-related stress. Yes, I’m talking about burnout. 

Hitting the burnout phase in your job or life looks a little differently for everyone, but just to give you an idea, according to Psychology Today, burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. And guess what – it doesn’t have to be only related to your 9-5! While job burnout is often most commonly talked about, burnout can appear in many different areas of life like parenting, caretaking, or even in relationships. 

When you’re feeling burnt out, it often feels as if there is no end in sight – but I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are some tools that you can use to maybe alleviate some of that high stress and give you a better outlook:

1. Have a mindful meal! 

For those who aren’t familiar with term mindfulness, it is literally just the basic human ability to being fully present and aware. Allowing yourself to notice your stressors, but instead, dismissing them and not letting them effect your relaxing moment is a huge part of this self-care tool. Taking a few minutes to just sit with yourself and breathe is probably one the most natural de-stressors possible. Give yourself just 2-5 minutes at lunch before you start scrolling Instagram or sending that work email and practice it whenever you feel the stress creeping in. 

2. Remember your why’s 

Often, the feeling of being burnt out can make us question some of our choices – particularly in the workplace. It’s not uncommon to have moments of self-doubt about where you are or what you’re doing in your career. A good way to fight some of those thoughts is reminding yourself of your “why’s.” Your “why’s” are your reasons you got into this career field, or even in the company you’re working with. Remind yourself about what you’re doing well in, what you like about your field, and how your values come to play. 

3. Set your boundaries 

I know this one can be tough depending on the profession, but setting boundaries can help you not feel over worked and over stressed by out of the office tasks. If you’re not able to leave work at work, then try to be mindful about not letting it interrupt your “here and now.” If you get an email while eating dinner with family or friends, allow yourself to continue to enjoy that moment, while making a note to getting to that email afterwards.

4. Practice self-care 

Now I know you all have heard this term, but I’m here to tell you that not all self-care is a bubble bath and a glass of your favorite wine! Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes that is definitely the case for me, but self-care is literally the act of doing things that allow you to take care of yourself! Self-care can present itself in a number of ways – taking a walk, working on a hobby you love, marking things off your checklist, and sometimes it’s about getting to the basics of just taking a nice shower. When practicing self-care, it’s also important to practice grace. Don’t allow yourself to spend your “you time” worried about a meeting or what happened at work earlier; allow that time to be your time to recharge and reset. 

There are tons of ways to help fight the burnout, but these are just some of my favorites. For more ideas, check out this article from Psychology Today.

Burnout is something that a lot of people experience, but just remember to look out for the signs and implement any of these ideas to help keep it away!  

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