“The burn out phase was a nightmare which lasted for over a year. For many months, I could not handle sound, light or movement. I could not focus or handle information. I could not eat, sleep or cry. I was totally exhausted. making cereal felt like making a 5-course dinner. I was going to pick up my kids, but had to return without getting out of the car, because I could not move my legs. taking a shower was overwhelming. I could not make appointments, because I could not handle any kinds of expectations. at the lowest point, I was convinced that I would never work again.”
-Rising From The Ashes - A True Life Story By Wenche Fredriksen, Svp Head Of Diversity & Inclusion At Dnb | Keynote Speaker
At one point or the other, we have all experienced symptoms of burnout, however we may not have even noticed because of how slowly it creeps in and how it disguises itself, just like in the story intro.
The story above is of a woman whose life almost fell completely apart due to stress and burnout.
She thought she was working hard, she thought she was pushing for more out of life and chasing her goals optimally- but what she didn’t know was that her body and health were slowly deteriorating.
luckily, in the end, she was able to rebuild her life after taking a break for a full year. There are many stories of people who even lose their lives to burnout, these may be extreme scenarios but it all started from the tiny, little symptoms they felt and ignored.
The good news is, this doesn’t have to be your story, which is why we have written this blog post for you.
Some Key Signs That You Might Be Experiencing Burnout:
A Gloomy Outlook, Frequently Accompanied By The Conviction That Nothing Will End Well.
Inability To Focus/Concentrate.
Lack Of Interest In Social Activities.
Difficulty With Healthy Habits Like Exercise, Diet, And Regular Sleep.
Feeling Like You're Never Doing Enough.
Neglecting Your Own Needs.
Personal Principles And Beliefs Become Less Significant.
Getting Sick More Often.
Constant Fatigue.
Recurring Headaches Etc
The thing is- the signs are always there, you begin to feel different, sad and uninterested in life as opposed to how you used to feel before the burnout.
Another fact worth noting is that this feeling can linger for as long as it is ignored and worsens with time. it can end up affecting your job, relationships and even lead to depression.
Image Source: Verywellmind
As the popular saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Therefore it is wise to manage your stress in a way that it doesn’t lead to burn out.
Preventing Burnout:
The number one major cause of burnout is stress, overworking yourself. basically, accumulated stress that was left unattended to.
So, How Do You Manage Your Stress In A Way That Doesn't Lead To Burn Out?
Include Exercise Into Your Routine:
Exercise is beneficial for our mental well-being in addition to our physical health. It gives us an emotional boost and works well to relieve stress, leaving you feeling rejuvenated.
Maintain A Very Healthy Sleeping Pattern:
This is so important and honestly underrated. Sleep is the opportunity your brain has to relax from all the stress of working. Giving yourself adequate time to rest will improve your ability to function during the day and keep you alert and ready to take on your day effectively.
Consume A Healthy Diet:
As we work, our body burns energy and we get this energy from the food we eat. This is why it is important to eat well. skip the junk and take in a balanced diet, this will ensure your body has all it needs to keep you running throughout the day.
Here Are Ways To Deal With Burnout.
Recognize The Source Of The Burnout: Identify which adjustments are pertinent before you make any changes. that will largely depend on what caused your burnout. cut out whatever is at the source if you can. If your source of burnout is work-related, identify the issue and take every step possible to fix it. If you can't change at work, it might be time to resign.
Change Your Routine: Burnout shows that your current routine isn’t as effective anymore and needs some reviewing. A quick remedy would be to include fun, non-mentally tasking activities in your routine, just to give you the opportunity to unwind and get rid of stress build up.
Seek Therapy: Just like in the story we shared, cognitive therapy will help you change your perspectives and lower the expectations you have for yourself, which is causing you to burn out. This will help you understand how your mindset is not well paced to suit your current reality. When trying therapy, we will help you get out of the rut of burnout and prescribe practical steps that will prevent further occurrence. If you haven’t considered therapy, now is the time to do so. If you know someone who needs this, be kind enough to recommend it to them.
Be Patient With Yourself: Burnout may be reversed, but it takes time. Just like in the intro story we shared, it took her one full year to recover. Even if you feel better right away, recovering from your previous state of tiredness permanently, actually takes time, so don't count on being able to solve everything right away. Keep in mind that this is a beautiful process as you work your way back to feeling healthier, more energized, and in overall, happy with your job and personal life.
We will conclude by sharing this story we found on Quora, from which you can pick some lessons:
A good friend of mine is an investment banker at a bulge bracket firm. Investment banks are notorious for unearthly working hours and workloads.
Roughly one year into working, he had a massive physical breakdown due to which he had to take bed rest for quite some time. I was extremely worried for him, and suggested that he might need to change his job.
The event really shook him, and I think he thought very hard about his personal health. fast forward three months, and he was the healthiest i had ever seen him - despite still working at the investment bank.
I asked him “man, this is great - but what did you do?”
He grinned “I sleep on time, day in and day out”
I laughed “what, that’s it!”
He continued “sleeping on time, and for the right amount of time, is forcing me to waste less time during the day. I have never been more efficient with my time, to the point that I now have 30 minutes to work out in the office. We don’t realize it, but we’re sacrificing time to sleep by wasting time during the day”
“I’ve never felt so motivated, fit and mentally peaceful because of this discipline”
I began to follow it, to incredible results. in life, that is so incredibly complex, this is really a silver bullet that solves a lot of things.
Sleep appropriately everyday, you’ll never burn out.
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Love & Light!
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