The 4-Step Anti-Burnout Program
Feeling burned out?
Shocking. I know. It's a rough world out there.
This is always my struggle whenever I have a hell lot of projects and maybe, maybe - it’s part of my life now as a freelancer and a start-up agency owner. But you know what, I realized that I have two choices: 1) Let it eat the shit out of me or 2) Deal with it.
I chose the latter.
Burnout is a serious problem for many people, and it can have major implications for your overall well-being. But I learned how to deal with being burned out, and I learned how to prevent it from happening. So as a treat, here are some quick tips you can, (or should I say “MUST”) use right now:
1) Make time for relaxation - This means you take time out of your day to just sit back and relax. Sure, it may seem like the world is spinning so fast that there's no time to stop, but it's important to take care of yourself. It doesn't have to be anything fancy either; even setting aside 15 minutes for a quick tea break will help alleviate some stress.
2) Integrate a healthy diet into your lifestyle - Eating well not only has positive health benefits, but can also help reduce stress and give your energy levels a boost. So try adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet—they may just be the secret sauce you need to power through another day!
3) Don't isolate yourself from others - It's easy to get in the habit of wanting to be alone when you've been working hard and your mind feels overburdened. But socializing with people who aren't involved in your job can boost your mood and remind you that there's life outside of work—which will help you remember what you're working so hard for! Social support is an important part of keeping your stress levels low. Studies have shown that feelings of loneliness have a strong correlation with higher levels of stress and other negative health outcomes.
4. Be kind to yourself - Make sure that you're taking care of yourself by getting plenty of rest, eating well, and exercising regularly. Taking time for self-care will help ensure that you're able to stay on top of your job and avoid being overwhelmed by it. Recognize when something is stressful, and take a moment to breathe and decide how you'd like to handle it before taking action. Put self-care practices like meditation and exercise on your calendar so that they have as much priority as any other meeting or appointment you have.
Burnout is preventable, but you need to be intentional about preventing it. The most effective way to accomplish this is to identify the signs of burnout—before it becomes bad enough that you have to leave your job. The four steps in this program will help you do that, and then take active steps towards resolving the issues after preventing them. Burnout doesn't have to be something that happens. It's not a slump. It's an epidemic of intentional choices.
