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Have you ever found yourself in a state of loss of interest at work, always feeling exhausted and unmotivated? Well, you could be suffering from burnout, which is caused by prolonged and unresolved episodes of stress. The environment that we live in is subjective and often exposes us to some extreme situations. As a result, we may feel overwhelmed, drained emotionally, and unable to live up to our expectations at work, home, or socially. The state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion is called burnout.
Most people downplay the effects of burnout on productivity and emotional health. As you become increasingly stressed, you tend to lose motivation and interest in initially exciting things. Burnout will significantly reduce your productivity and hamper you from undertaking essential tasks. If unchecked, the effects of burnout can spill over to the many aspects of your life, including social life, work-life, love life, and even impact on your parenting for those who have children.
Prolonged cases of burnout can cause one to be vulnerable to other conditions such as colds and flu. Burnout among children and youth automatically lowers their academic performance in school. The same applies to adults who are still studying.
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Signs and Symptoms of Burnout
Most of the time, individuals cannot detect that they have burnout even when they feel helpless and unmotivated. It is essential to continually be on the lookout for the feeling of exhaustion, if it happens frequently; it could be burnout.
It is worth noting that burnout develops gradually, and that is why it may creep up unnoticed. In the initial stages, the symptoms are subtle but they manifest more with time. For the same reason, the early symptoms should be addressed as early as possible to reduce stress and prevent major breakdowns. The signs and symptoms can occur in three categories.
1. Physical:
These signs and symptoms include muscle pain, frequent headaches, loss of appetite, insomnia, lowered immunity, feeling tired and drained.
2. Emotional:
Feeling unmotivated, self-doubt, helplessness, decreased satisfaction in one’s achievements, detachment, and sense of failure, among others.
3. Behavioral:
Withdrawal from social circles, neglecting own responsibilities, procrastination, self-isolating, taking frustration onto others, and increased indulgence in alcohol, drugs, and food.
Preventing Burnout
Regular exercising is one of the best ways to ensure that you do not experience burnout.
It is not only food for physical health but also emotional wellbeing. Experts from the Mayo Clinic say that people who visit the gym regularly or are consistent with physical activities are less likely to be overcomed by stress. When you feel overwhelmed, take that evening or morning off and go jogging or try out some at home HIIT exercises, and get the blood flow going.
Eating a healthy balanced diet minimizes one’s chances of falling prey to burnout. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are good for mood boosting and are considered natural antidepressants. Such foods include fish and flaxseed oil; walnuts may work well to promote your emotional health and prevent burnout. Water should form part of your diet to ensure proper digestion. Take a DYLN Bottle with alkaline water with you to help you stay hydrated at all times.
Another way of preventing burnout is through good sleeping habits. A good night’s sleep relaxes the mind, eases tension, and ensures that one has a complete rest. When you have enough rest, you wake up feeling energized and refreshed, ready to handle the daily grind. To ensure complete and enough rest, you should avoid taking coffee before bedtime and fend off bringing a smartphone to bed.
It is also vital that you seek help as soon as you feel stressed. Do not wait until the stress is prolonged. Reach out to your friends and relatives with any issues bothering you. That way, you get to share your troubles and source for help from them. Avoid holding things to yourself as that can potentially build up to burnout.
Repairing Burnout
In cases where burnout has set in, there are various ways to manage and address it. Repairing burnout involves an in-depth investigation of the underlying issues to set a stage for healing. It means sparing more time to practice things that bring about healing, such as Yoga and meditation.
For individuals with burnout, it is crucial to prioritize self-care to restore physical and emotional health. It is the first step to replenishing your ability to focus on the critical aspects of life. It makes sense to prioritize a healthy diet, exercise, good sleeping habits, social connection, and other practices that promote wellbeing. Things like meditating or nature escapades are beneficial in relieving stress and other negative emotions. If necessary, you may want to take some time off other engagements such as work to refresh and set the road's pace to recovery.
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If need be, create a schedule of activities and stick to it for consistency and a faster recovery process. It will help you focus on the things that uplift your mood and limit your exposure to things that spur bad emotions. Create time away from environments of pressure and invest in things/tasks that boost energy.
It is also essential to completely shift your perspective towards addressing the root causes of burnout. While you can practice some things to ease exhaustion and relax, it will do you no good if the root causes are not dealt with.
What if everything else remains the same, e.g., workload, unending conflicts, etc.? In that case, the only way forward would be to change your mindset and assumptions and see if there are adjustments you need to make from your end.
Such a change of attitude can work well to cushion you from the negative impact. For instance, if exhaustion and workload are your issues, why not decide to delegate some work so that you can have ample free time to relax. Is there a way you can redesign your job in a manner that gives you more control and makes you be able to engage in desired tasks that are rewarding?
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If you think you are surrounded by cynical people, why not concentrate and build on their strengths and avoid focusing on their negative attitudes. It may help counter negativity with some positive vibes and establish healthy and supportive relationships to replace those that are draining. You can find life coaches and mentors who will help bring out the best in you and help you identify and encourage positive relationships.
Given the effects of burnout, it should, by all means, be prevented rather than repaired. The fact that it grows gradually is more reason to address the symptoms as early as they appear. Prevention involves fewer costs compared to repairing. Also, you do not want to develop other conditions related to burnout, which would make it even harder to manage.. As it has been highlighted, exercise, good eating habits and good sleeping habits are crucial in ensuring that your emotional health is intact and unshaken. Nutrition and hydration are particularly critical to the healing process.
