What do you do if you notice signs of burnout in yourself or your colleagues?

3 signs you may be burning out: 1. Lack of motivation -Tasks you used to feel excited to do are no longer exciting. 2. Resentment/angst toward work and colleagues -If you're making snide comments, feeling blameful, or otherwise not contributing positive energy to your work environment, there's likely something going on beneath the surface. 3. A feeling of loneliness + overwhelm -It can feel like you're responsible for taking on the world, and you're expected to do it alone. If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, it's important that you clear your calendar and take some time to first recharge and second fix the root cause. Delegate and eliminate any tasks you're able to.

- Take a step back and evaluate the situation - Identify the cause of burnout - Talk to your colleagues about how they are feeling - Offer support and encouragement - Encourage self-care practices such as exercise and meditation - Promote work-life balance - Seek professional help if necessary - Consider counselling or therapy ~NK

Recognize burnout signs in yourself or a colleague? Don't wait! Here's how to help: Self-care: Prioritize sleep, healthy eating, and activities you enjoy. (For colleagues, express concern and offer support.) Open communication: Talk to a trusted friend/manager about your feelings. (For colleagues, encourage open communication and offer a listening ear.) Set boundaries: Learn to say "no" and delegate tasks. (For colleagues, respect boundaries and offer to lighten workloads.) Renew energy: Take a break, vacation, or mental health day. (For colleagues, encourage time off and offer flexible work arrangements.) Prioritize well-being, prevent burnout!

Recognising signs of burnout 1. Physical symptoms such as persistent fatigue, headaches or sleep patterns. 2. Emotional exhaustion, such as irritability, frustration, cynicism, and a sense of detachment from work or colleagues. 3. Reduced Performance/ motivation. Struggling to concentrate, make decisions, or meet deadlines. 4. Increased absenteeism. Excessive absenteeism could be a coping mechanism for dealing with burnout or a sign of burnout. 5. Social Withdrawal- withdrawal from social interactions, or work-related events. 6. Cynicism and Negative Outlook- Changes in attitude and outlook, such as increased pessimism. 7. Dissatisfaction or disillusionment with work. No longer finding joy or fulfillment in your roles.

Self-Care: Prioritize self-care by getting enough rest, eating well, and engaging in activities that recharge you. Set Boundaries: Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life to prevent burnout. Seek Support: Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or professional about your feelings. Consider Professional Help: If burnout persists, consider seeking therapy or counseling.

I agree that opening dialogue is if the first priority. Creating a safe space to share current state, observations with probing questions. From my experience individuals are unaware of burn out. Once aware most are willing to explore strategies to improve the current state. What I have experienced is that strategies are different for each individual.

Without a safe space, open dialogue won't happen. Ask genuine questions, and then intentionally listen. Follow-up their answers with empathy by saying: "What you are going through is hard." "I can understand why you're feeling this way." "How can I help you with this?" Trust is the foundation of effective communication.

Communication is key, but not always so easy. There seems to be a lot of stigma around burnout, so whether you notice the signs in yourself or a colleague, make sure to talk in a private space, a safe space and to open up without fear of judgement. Taking the first step to acknowledge the signs is a huge step!

Secrets and shame thrive in silence. Talking about issues cuts the feelings in half because they have been acknowledged. To help someone else? Emotional intelligent behaviors and conversations. - Validate - Criticism sandwich (positive, criticism, positive) - Empathy Connect first. Change happens second.

I have learned (from my own experience) that burnout is the sum of bad days when you DID NOT let out all that frustration inside you. If you have recognized a sign in yourself or others, start to slowly let out what's inside you, open up and share (but you must know who to do it with) since you're not looking for unnecessary judgments, you're looking for someone to help you clear up all the mess inside you.

Hot Take: Boundaries have NOTHING to do with other people. Boundaries are for you. They determine what you are willing and unwilling to tolerate. This decision (again for yourself) communicates to other people - creating clear expectations. Set realistic and fair boundaries, be disciplined in acting on them, and your life will change.

Boundaries are crucial. If you keep doing what you always did, you will have the same outcome you always had. Support yourself or your colleague in setting up these boundaries and maintaining them, aiming to find a good work-life balance and implementing self-care practices.

“Adequate rest” is very important; and if one is facing a burnout it cannot be overlooked. Burnout will not “disappear” by itself; if one tries to push through it can actually get worse and much worse and may require lengthy health leaves. Thus, one thing a manager and team can do as prevention is “normalizing” and even celebrating vacation time; ensuring there is a good vacation cover so a person can fully detach, not overwhelming each other with work related comms on weekends/ evenings.

I am convinced that setting boundaries helps to prevent, but they are not the first measure to treat it. The best way to prevent burnout from settling into your life is to know how to say no, to know not to feel bad for not finishing a task, to know how to set deadlines to avoid creating false expectations. For this, boundaries are effective and should be a priority when starting a new job.

I ask my co-workers to take the initiative to have an entertaining meeting outside the scope of work, for example: we have dinner or watch a movie at the cinema.

You don't deserve other people's help. Why would they help you if it's your responsibility? You're not worth the work. These are the lies you tell yourself. All of them are untrue. Your people won't know what you're going through unless you tell them. It takes great humility to ask for help. And it's the difference between those who are able to keep going and heal vs. those who become angry and burn out. "Asking for help is an expression of strength and wisdom, rather than weakness." ~ Shamillah Wilson

You don't have to do this alone! Support is crucial when recovering from a burnout. Family, friends, peers, colleagues or even support groups can make you feel less alone. Seeking help is a sign of strength, and it takes courage to do so!

Whether recovering from a burnout or not, in general, self-care is crucial. Find some time and space to recognize what energizes you and what takes your energy, and make the changes necessary to create long-term and lasting change. If someone around you has a burnout, you can help them identify their energy givers, and see what type of self-care works for them.

A great saying goes like this: You are not your job. It's important to understand a key concept: your job is a part of you, a means to achieve what you want—buy a house, travel, give your children a good education—it's a part of your world, not the whole thing. That's why within that whole, the most important part is yourself. As an important part of this equation, you should know how to take time to enjoy everything you are building and achieving. A private moment that reminds you that you work towards a goal, not for seeking approval.

A story on how not to do it: we once had a wellbeing initiative in our org called “one simple thing” - the idea was very good - each person comes up with one thing that can influence/ improve their wellbeing and where they may need a team or manager support, discusses it and if approved, implements it into their life. I checked in with my colleagues a few months later on how it was going and found out that their “simple things” actually added stress to them and finally most people dropped them. We analyzed it and saw that people in their zest for self-improvement and achievement selected things which made them busier; put more strain on their time and resources. So one needs a lot of self-awareness to design the right self-care routine.

I want to throw in here the recommendation of the book “Atomic Habits”. If one thinks of long term changes and a successful systemic implementation, it is a great approach to consider. “We are what we repeatedly do.”

An early indicator of chronic stress (and burnout) is problems with falling and staying asleep. Here are 3 science-backed and brutally-effective ways to activate your “parasympathetic nervous system” (aka calmness system) and fall (back) asleep – even after a stressful day: 1) Three-six breathing: Inhale through the nose for 3 secs. Exhale through the mouth for 6 secs. Repeat this 3 times (for 36 secs in total) 2) Physiological sigh: Inhale deeply through the nose for 2 secs. Add a second inhale through the nose on top of the first one for 1 sec. Exhale fully through the mouth for 6 secs 3) Cyclic sighing: perform physiological sighs – which take about 9 secs each – consecutively for 5 mins.