5 Tips To Overcome Burnout
Are you feeling burnt out? It may be time to rethink your workload. In the chaos of life, it’s easy to overlook your well-being. Burnout can significantly impact your mental wellness. At WMPS, we provide the resources and support so you can work towards a balanced lifestyle.
What Is Burnout?
Many people mistake burnout for exhaustion, but the reality of burnout is unique to each individual. It extends beyond exhaustion, often showing as feeling too worn out to work or unable to provide adequate work. It can significantly impact your mood and outlook on life.
Checklist
It is important to check in with ourselves routinely. When pulled in many directions, it’s easy to forget to prioritize your health and happiness. Take a moment and use these signs to evaluate whether you are burnt out.
- Constant, overwhelming feelings of physical and mental exhaustion
- A noticeable drop in work or academic performance
- Mood swings
- Withdrawal from friends and family
- A negative outlook on life
- Lack of enthusiasm and drive for work or other interests
- Constant worry and self-doubt about success
Identify The Cause
Identifying the root cause of your burnout is crucial for achieving a balanced lifestyle. Individuals can experience burnout due to workload, not feeling acknowledged for their hard work, a lack of personal support, life changes, perfectionism, and many other factors. Talking through your emotions and experiences with friends, family, or a therapist can help clarify the problem. Once you understand the source of exhaustion, you can take targeted steps to alleviate stress and cultivate healthier habits.
Prioritize Self-Care
Self-care is crucial for managing burnout because it restores physical energy, enhances emotional resilience, and promotes a balanced lifestyle. By prioritizing self-care activities such as exercise, mindfulness, and setting boundaries, individuals can overcome burnout and support their wellness. Prioritizing self-care relieves burnout symptoms and can help prevent them in the future. Give yourself a break, and do something that makes you happy and calm today!
Set Boundaries
Setting clear and strict boundaries restores balance. To overcome or prevent burnout, individuals should limit overcommitting to responsibilities and spreading themselves too thin physically and emotionally. This could mean talking to your boss about a better work-life balance or learning to say no. It’s hard to feel like you are letting someone down, but it’s okay to say no to going out with friends, working with your boss to find a balance, and not always being available for everyone. You must care for your wellness to be a good friend, coworker, and family member. Finding a balance between commitments and time to relax and recharge will help replenish your mental wellness.
Practice Mindfulness
Intentionally practicing mindfulness fosters a deeper awareness of your physical and mental state. By setting aside time to be present, eliminating distractions, focusing on breathing, and reflecting through activities like journaling or meditating, you can better understand your emotions and stressors. Approaching these practices with gratitude and intentionality will help you manage burnout, address stress, and foster healing and recharging. By truly listening to and caring for yourself, you can move towards a balanced lifestyle that supports mental wellness.
Here at West Michigan Psychological Services, we encourage our clientele to prioritize their mental health by finding ways to rest and reenergize to protect against burnout.
Seek Support
If you feel physically and mentally exhausted, it might be time to step back and ask for help. Support could mean having an open conversation with a loved one, sharing that you are struggling and need extra support, or beginning therapy. Finding support that can help you alleviate your burnout and prevent future stressors is an important step to a balanced life! At WMPS, we want to support you in your mental health journey. Connect with us today to find a therapist!
