Here's how you can prevent burnout as a mobile communications professional through self-care.

If you are an overachiever, always going the extra mile to complete task, then you should take burnout and overthinking seriously. As you push to deliver your work in record time, you will notice certain symptoms like feeling tired and exhausted, no enthusiasm, sometimes feeling sad and lose interest in all activities, trouble sleeping and low energy levels. These are symptoms of BURNOUT and not stress. What to do; 1. Recognise that you are unduly stressed. 2. Prioritize self care. 3. Exercise the body and mind. 4. Regularly take breaks. 5. Set boundaries 6. Develop a work-life balance In addition, reading a book, listening to a podcast or music, and spending time with friends brings joy,stimulate the mind, and nurture the body.

Be sure to schedule time for yourself and adhere to it. Do this both during a work day by scheduling brief breaks as well as out of work time during evenings, weekends and vacations. Some of this time can be completely personal (family, hobbies, vacations, entertainment) to disconnect, but you can also block off some lower stress "professional me" time, such as by reading books/articles, taking development courses or volunteering.

Use recurring blockers in Outlook, not only to reserve time for silent work or yourself, but also to remind yourself regularly that you should reserve time for silent work or yourself.

Be sure to have an open dialogue with your regular health care provider, sharing with them your work situation and challenges you face, so that they can help you develop a plan that prioritizes your help. Such an approach needs to take into account both physical and mental health as part of your wellbeing.

Prioritizing health (and family) should be a no-brainer. Keep in mind: It is much easier to find a new job than to find a new body (or family) - unless you're a fan of the Ray Kurzweil's singularity or an artificial intelligent family.

This is key, but it is also essential to delegate appropriately to people who can be trusted to complete the work. Incorrect delegation to people who will not take on the project or problem appropriately can result in more stress that simply keeping the challenges on to yourself.

Mobile communications present an additional challenge in themselves, as the temptation is always there to check one's phone for the latest message or notification. Do not be afraid to fully shut off your phone or store it somewhere that is completely out of reach to avoid this temptation.

Meditate 30 minutes a day. If you don't have 30 minutes meditate an hour. If meditation is not your thing do something else. I find those activities most relaxing that no not offer any financial benefit (for me), like taking photos or gardening. I assume, everybody has to find what's theirs on their own. However, whatever you do, don't make it another source of potential new stress.

Technology and new forms of work, like esp. agile frameworks, are constantly increasing the compression of work. Tools like Copilot and other GPTs are making it easier to "safe time". // But ask yourself: What do you really win, when you safe time? For sure, efficiency and productivity. Noted. But does it improve you life? Make sure that you don't waste the time, you'll gain from technical progress on (just) writing more mails or attending more meetings. More isn't always better. Only better is better.