Burning out puts you in a hole that is hard to climb out of. The best way to combat burnout is to avoid it in the first place. If you are in a high-stress environment, whether at work or in your personal life, here are some tips to help you avoid burnout.
Photo by ANTONI SHKRABA
Get Enough Sleep
Allow your body and mind to get enough rest every night. Sleep allows your body to heal and provides you with enough energy throughout the day to accomplish your goals, whether it’s finishing a report, exercising, or taking care of that one chore, you’ve been putting off.
If you struggle with finding proper rest, there are tricks to help encourage your body to sleep well. Creating a nighttime routine helps your mind prepare for sleep by associating certain activities with sleepiness. Start with spending less time awake in your bed. Laying awake may cause your brain to associate being in bed with staying awake rather than getting the sleep you need. If you cannot sleep after lying down, rather than scrolling through your phone, get up and move to a new spot until you feel ready to sleep.
If you are a reader, there are many excellent books on fixing your sleep. If you are completely unable to sleep, no matter what you try, it is time to consult a physician.
Take Care of Your Body
The better the vehicle is running, the better the journey will be. Exercise daily, drink enough water, make healthy eating choices, and put effort into your appearance and hygiene. These steps will help you feel good, increase your energy, keep you healthy, and boost your self-esteem, all having mental health benefits.
Find the self-care methods that work for your body. Is it face masks, skincare, and massage? Is it changing your hairstyle? How about a soothing bath, meditation, or twenty minutes in a sauna? Is it a hard run or a long bike ride? Whole, natural, nutrition-rich foods, instead of the fast food lunch?
Walking is the easiest way to care for your physical and mental health. Walk! Take a long nature walk. Walk to work and back. Walk to meet friends. This gets you the exercise you need, allows you to reconnect with nature, and slows things down. Walking has been proven to boost morale.
Divide and Conquer: Prioritize Your Tasks
To minimize stress, divide your tasks into individual activities and prioritize them based on what can be quickly accomplished, what will take the longest, which is most important, and which is due the soonest. Categorizing your tasks allows you to be more organized and productive when attempting to complete them all. Sometimes, all it takes to feel less stressed is to complete several quick and simple tasks to free up space on your ‘to-do’ list, while others may find completing a large task more stress relieving.
Know When to Ask For Help
There is no shame in needing help, whatever that may look like. If you cannot manage the stress placed on you by your work or home life, reach out to a friend, family member, or colleague and voice your needs.
If you are worried about burnout, there are ways that you can limit the likelihood of becoming consumed by stress. Care for yourself, talk to your support circle, reach out to mental health services, and keep yourself happy and healthy.