The Work Burnout
We’re quite used to ‘grinning and bearing it’, because that’s how we’ve witnessed most people cope with the stressors of life. The idea of admitting that something isn’t right, and you need support, often feels like shining a hot lightbulb above your head.
Suddenly, you feel like you’re wearing your heart on your sleeve and that your problems will become a burden upon the person you’re confiding in.
Even though we know that’s largely not true, and most people are happy to listen to a person that needs help, it can still feel difficult to discuss how you’re feeling.
Work is especially stress inducing because it directly impacts our quality of life. This goes beyond how nice of a house we have, because it doesn’t matter how comfy your bed is if you’re spending the whole night tossing and turning because of a comment your boss had made, or a deadline you’re not sure your team is going to make.
You may think that we must be ‘out of the woods’ now, and work burn outs are avoidable, because we’re all working from home. It’s true that it’s easier to establish a better work-life-balance, with the commute cut short and more time spent with loved ones at home.
However, we are dealing with a lack of social interaction (especially if you live by yourself) and the added pressures due to the economic landscape.
We have in a way become our own boss – you set your schedule; you keep on track of your daily tasks & you decide when to clock off for the day. It sounds idyllic, but for someone who feels the brunt of responsibility bearing down on them, it can feel more like a burden.
So, how do we tackle that & strike the balance between discipling ourselves while ensuring that we aren’t the maker of our own burnout?
It begins with setting realistic expectations for yourselves. You’re not a miracle worker, you can’t defeat the economic struggle a pandemic has caused by being a marketing expert. If you understand what you should be working towards, then trust in yourself and your abilities.
If you do have any concerns about underperforming – then communicate this to your boss and ask if there’s anything you can do to improve. They will likely tell you that you’re performing excellently despite the circumstances, and this may help to alleviate any anxiety you have about your job.
A burnout can be powerful and affect your overall performance at work, you may begin to ask yourself “what’s the point?” or “how can I continue when I can’t focus?” – the best thing you can do at this time is give yourself a mental health break.
This could be something small like taking a 30-minute walk or rescheduling a meeting that you can’t mentally take on that day.
If you know that your stress cannot be resolved with a quick fix, then request some time away from work, because humans aren’t robots, and we require time off from our daily challenges to relax and reconnect with our personal life.
Once you return, you will hopefully feel like you can approach your work with a healthier and happier mind.
If you’re sitting down to get work done in the morning and you feel any sudden bouts of anxiety start to take hold, then taking a moment to complete some of these relaxation techniques may help to calm you down.
Here are some examples of what you could use:
-10-minute mediation for anxiety
Let us know if any of these techniques work for you, and we’ll be happy to share some more.
Finally, I think a great way to avoid or recover from a burnout is to ensure that you’re in a supportive working environment. Are you in a dark room with no access to daylight? Is your room so unorganised that you can’t even focus?
All these factors have an impact on how well you can complete you work. Therefore, at Moonalabs, our home working pods are fitted with a large window directly above your workspace, giving you access to natural light. You can choose to have a bookcase fitted into you pod, so you can organise it to your liking. The pods also simulate the experience of ‘going to work’, to avoid the merging of your home and work life.
Other ways to improve your working environment is to surround yourself with objects that inspire you, such as a plant or a photo of a loved one.
Ensure that you get some privacy, because feeling like you can’t focus can determine how confident you feel in your abilities.
Going through a burnout is not easy, and it can spill into parts of your life that aren’t even associated with work. Remember that your mental health is important and deserves to be put at a high priority.
When something doesn’t feel right, you need to attend to it and not allow yourself to become accustom to that feeling.
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