How To Prevent Job Burnout

Posted by Bojan Mijatovic on December 28th, 2017

It’s important to work hard at your day job, but you need to know when it is too much. Going overboard can be detrimental to your health and incur a feeling of general displeasure and anxiety.

Burnouts occur when you push yourself too far and lose all motivation to continue with the task you’ve been working so hard on. This article will cover some basic advice that might come in handy if you want to avoid burnouts in the future, or at least minimize their effect.

Coping with Stress

Stress management is a skill that is becoming more and more necessary in the modern business world. People are expected to work as hard as they can and still look like they aren’t under any pressure at all, and this can sometimes be too much.

Do some meditation in your free time. Sign up for a martial arts class. Anything that you can do to blow some steam off is desirable, and an investment in your health. Studies have shown that stress is the leading cause of several deadly diseases (heart disease and cancer, for example), so it’s essential that you learn how to handle it.

Exercise

Physical activity significantly increases the secretion of endorphins, and endorphins are basically our bodies’ natural anti-stress serum. Additionally, exercise improves blood flow to your extremities and your brain, leading to less fatigue and higher levels of energy throughout the day.

Working out is also a mentally occupying activity, so it’s hard to focus on work-based problems while you’re on the treadmill. This gives your mind some well-needed rest from whatever issue you might be obsessing about.

Time Management

If you’re constantly stressed and burning yourself out at work, you might need to manage your time better. A clear symptom of poor time management is that you’re spending a lot of time on social media websites or YouTube when you should be working.

When you do this, not only are you spending more time working on a task, but you’re also expending more energy. Make a plan of your daily activities and stick to it, and try to set deadlines for yourself. The better you organize your working hours, the more energy you’ll be able to conserve on a daily basis and the less likely you are to put yourself under unnecessary stress.

Take Real Breaks

Breaks are very important if you want to stay productive in a healthy manner. However, simply grabbing a sandwich and eating it at your desk while you look at work and think about work isn’t really a break. Get out of your working environment. Get some fresh air, stretch your legs and give your mind a chance to take a breather. You’ll find that this is a much better way to fight stress and get some of your energy back.

Divide the Workload

Sometimes your workload is simply too much, no matter how organized you are. Don’t be afraid of asking a co-worker or your supervisor for assistance in a situation like this. If you work eight hours a day and still have to stay overtime to finish your work, chances are that you have too much on your plate.

Conclusion

Stress is an ever-present factor in our lives, and managing it properly is something everyone has to learn how to do, eventually. Whether it’s more exercise, better time management or simply reducing your workload, you need to do it before you burn yourself out and potentially put your health at risk. Your job is important, but it is still just a job and shouldn’t take precedence over your well-being.