Burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by chronic stress at work. It can affect your performance, productivity, and well-being, as well as your motivation to pursue your career goals. If you are feeling burned out, you might wonder how to regain your enthusiasm and passion for your work. Here are some tips to help you maintain motivation when burned out.
The first step to deal with burnout is to acknowledge that you are experiencing it and identify the sources of your stress. Some common signs of burnout include feeling tired, irritable, cynical, detached, or ineffective at work, as well as having trouble concentrating, sleeping, or enjoying your hobbies. You might also notice changes in your physical health, such as headaches, muscle tension, or digestive problems. By recognizing the signs, you can take action to address them and prevent further damage.
Practice Self-Care: Focus on taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Get enough sleep, eat well, engage in regular exercise, and practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing or meditation. Reconnect with Purpose: Remind yourself why you started the tasks or projects in the first place. Reconnecting with your underlying goals and purpose can help reignite your passion and motivation. Change Your Environment: a change of scenery can provide a fresh perspective. If possible, work in a different location, rearrange your workspace, or go for a walk outside. Support:Talk to friends, family, or colleagues about how you're feeling. Sometimes discussing your burnout can provide emotional relief and fresh insights.
Today I sat in my garden and repotted three plants that I tend to indoors. Sitting there on the chair it started to rain. Not heavy just a gentle pitter patter. So I stayed. Stayed with the task at hand. Stayed with the moment. I could feel the endorphins increasing in this ordinary moment. This would be my medicine for burnout. What is one thing you can do right now that you can stay with. No distraction. Feet in the moment with this one thing. It doesn't matter what the thing is. It could be reading a book, going for a walk, sitting and taking a deep breath, colouring in, doesn't matter just stay with the one thing and I guarantee you will start to feel better. Try it.
Senior Manager @ HARTMANN | Digital Delivery | Project Manager | Product Owner | CSPO?
Burnout is inevitable, the older you get the easier it comes to you, You might be someone who used to work for 14-16 hours a day and felt proud that you outworked everyone else in your team and your determination and discipline outlasted everyone else and then one fine day you get your first acid reflux, heartburn, headache and you realize, now wait a minute I have done all-nighters so many times, this has never happened before, that's your body saying you are not young any more kid, and then slowly you learn, focussed 8 hours with sufficient breaks in between is actually more efficient. Your focus slowly moves from outperforming everybody else to being the best you can be. Be that, you'll be happy and that motivates you to avoid burnout.
Maintaining motivation when burned out can be challenging, but there are several strategies you can try to help rejuvenate your energy and drive. Here are some suggestions: Rest and Self-Care Set Small Goals Find Meaning Change Your Routine Practice Mindfulness Seek Support Prioritize Tasks Take Breaks Engage in Activities You Enjoy Practice Self-Compassion Set Boundaries Visualize Success Celebrate Achievements Learn and Adapt Overcoming burnout takes time and patience. It's important to be gentle with yourself and make self-care a priority. Experiment with different strategies to find what works best for you in maintaining motivation and preventing burnout.
The best way to extricate yourself from burnout and regain your motivation is to remind yourself of the time when you first started your job, business, or any activity where you are experiencing burnout. Asking for help is the last thing on our mind because we think our problem is unique to us and no one will be able to understand our predicament. Talking to someone will help in identifying the causes and symptoms possible remedies for getting back your motivation after burnout. Stepping back & resetting refreshed is a guaranteed way to drive productivity. A balanced life is where you have your day segmented into specific blocks of time. You should take into consideration not letting work and home life mix.
One of the causes of burnout is having too many demands and expectations at work, without enough resources, support, or autonomy. To cope with this, you need to set healthy boundaries and prioritize your tasks. Learn to say no to requests that are not essential or aligned with your goals, and delegate or outsource tasks that you can. Communicate clearly with your boss, colleagues, and clients about your availability, workload, and deadlines, and avoid checking emails or messages outside of your working hours. By setting healthy boundaries, you can reduce your stress and focus on what matters most.
Establish clear boundaries between work and personal time. Avoid overworking yourself, and give yourself permission to disconnect from work during your personal time. Delegate and Seek Help: Don't be afraid to delegate tasks or ask for assistance. Sharing the workload can reduce stress and prevent burnout. Explore New Approaches: If you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed, consider trying new approaches or strategies to tackle your tasks. Exploring different methods can spark renewed interest and creativity. Practice Mindfulness: Engage in mindfulness practices to stay present and focused. Mindfulness can help alleviate stress and increase your awareness of your thoughts and feelings.
Below are few things that I found helpful. I turn notifications off from all work platforms on weekends. I have now more time for me (self care, self growth) and I am more energetic during the working hours. I adopt the open calender policy instead of the open door policy. I share my calender with colleagues and they book appointments during our common free slots. This helped me to be more productive and decreased destraction. I set a learning goal and I involve in some online courses that boost my growth. I post some of my accomplishments in my office to remind myself that I achieved a lot and Tomorrow, I will be a better version of me. I keep a photo for my nieces and nephews in the office. Whenever I feel down, I look at it and smile.
Acknowledging burnout and taking breaks are crucial for managing and overcoming it. Recognizing and accepting burnout is vital to address the issue, preventing it from worsening. Short breaks (stretching, deep breathing, walking) help refocus and reduce stress during the workday. Longer breaks (vacations, days off) with disconnection from work, engaging in hobbies, and relaxation are essential for recovery. Mental well-being matters as much as physical health.
Not only with others but with yourself. People who tend to overwork and can't say "no" to their desire to satisfy certain standards in their heads tend to burnout quicker. Sometimes it's healing to just be lazy. It's important to understand that one doesn't have to be proactive and productive all the time to be valued.
I think WFH that may have trickled on from COVID continues to influence blurring if lines between working and being at home. While you might take some time during the day to do personal chores and opt to complete the days work late into this night, this has far reaching repercussions as you ultimately end up sacrificing more of your pre-COVID personal time than you think. WFH has it benefits but if not managed properly can lead to burnout.
Burnout can take a toll on your physical and mental health, so it is important to take care of yourself and practice self-compassion. Make sure you get enough sleep, eat well, exercise regularly, and stay hydrated. These habits can help you boost your energy, mood, and immunity, as well as prevent chronic diseases. You should also find ways to relax and recharge, such as meditating, reading, listening to music, or spending time with friends and family. By taking care of yourself, you can improve your resilience and well-being.
Set Small Goals: Break your tasks into smaller, manageable goals. Achieving these smaller goals can give you a sense of accomplishment and help you regain a feeling of control. Limit Perfectionism: Striving for perfection can contribute to burnout. Aim for excellence, but recognize that perfection is not always attainable or necessary. Seek Professional Help: If burnout is severely impacting your well-being, consider seeking support from a therapist or counselor who specializes in stress management and burnout.
It can be energizing to reconnect with your sense of control. Make a list of the things over which you have agency. No matter how small they seem. Things like listening to a podcast on your way to work or going for a walk during your lunch break.
Make exercise part of your daily life; go as far as to schedule it into your calendar. You have no idea how much a walk, gym, aerobics, yoga etc. can impact on your overall state of being.
Burnout is not something you can always pre-empt. However, maintaining motivation is important when workloads are killing us :) It happens to all of us ... I stay motivated by engaging in what is now called Self-care. I walk, wake up early in the morning and breathe in the freshest air and spend time with myself and my coffee. I would suggest in hindsight that I should speak to my Line Manager about it and find a mitigating strategy acceptable to both of us.
Sometimes you need to get out an get perspective. As a soul aligned coach, I call this taking a "soul break." A soul break can be a few hours, a few minutes or a few days, whatever you have. Make it a staycation or travel to your favorite place. The point is to get out of your regular routine and break your pattern and get quiet enough to listen to what your soul wants to do... and do it! Maybe your soul wants to take off your shoes and walk in the grass, maybe your soul wants to paint, maybe it wants to just spend a day doing nothing... just listening to the whispers of your soul and taking that inspired action can be so healing!
You don't have to deal with burnout alone. You can seek support from your network of people who care about you and understand your situation. You can talk to your boss, colleagues, mentors, or coaches about your challenges and ask for feedback, advice, or assistance. You can also reach out to your friends, family, or peers who can offer emotional support, encouragement, or empathy. You might also consider seeking professional help from a therapist, counselor, or coach who can help you cope with burnout and develop strategies to overcome it.
I have realised that it is very important to free your mind of any pressure from financial commitments so that you do not compromise with a "burnout" or the circumstances creating the burnout. This is easier said than done, but with a little bit of practice and preparedness in terms of building an "emergency" corpus, it is possible to break free of the situation and re-assess your options, and your way forward.
Many professionals often feel the need to “do-it-all” themselves to prove that they are capable. But that’s seriously the biggest mistake in my opinion. A job is a job and setting that boundary is the biggest first step. Next comes realising they we do not need to do it all. When situation comes when support is required, the wisest thing to do is to take it all that is available. Especially from friends and family members. This is most pertinent for young mothers who are also making their mark in the professional world!
I genuinely believe that the connections that we make really have quite the influence. The best example here that I can reference would be the Longest Study on Happiness conducted by Harvard - also a TED Talk! I recommend anyone reading this to check it out and apply its findings / lessons to your life. Having a close circle who keeps you motivated and reminds you of who you really are when you feel lost can be quite invaluable and an incredible asset. I’ve lately developed a more people-centric approach to life and it’s resulted in helping keep myself fresh for when I start hitting my burnout periods. It’s absolutely crucial and completely okay to seek out help when we need it, a simple how have you been can be quite the game-changer too!
Try to analyze the reasons of this burnout. If it is because of being unappreciated and undervalued at work, then consider changing your job. Remember that we can start at anytime and this time we are not starting from nothing; we are starting with a great experience.
Get a perspective of your life. get out of context. find a retreat where you are occupied with other things. from this perspective you can see what you have to change in your life to blossom again
Burnout can make you lose sight of why you do what you do and what value you bring to your work. To regain your motivation, you need to reconnect with your purpose and passion. You can do this by reminding yourself of your strengths, skills, and achievements, and how they contribute to your organization's mission and vision. You can also reflect on your values, interests, and goals, and how they align with your work. You can also seek opportunities to learn new things, take on new challenges, or explore new paths that can spark your curiosity and creativity.
It is essential to realise that life is finite and in fact, very short. Beyond the immediate short-term needs and priorities, there is a horizon which calls for your calling, the purpose for your existence. If you find yourself in a robotic state, repeating activities with no joy nor learning, you should press the refresh button.
Sometimes it helps to take a step back from your day to day or week by week focused activities to take stock of your work and life in the long term. Where are you headed as a professional or as an individual? Is your current work or life trajectory helping you achieve your goals and where you wish to be in the next decade? There maybe some passions or goals that would have been kept aside while grinding out the days in the office. It helps to remember them from time to time and realign if needed.
To try to combat burnout, start by reconnecting with your purpose and passion. Reflect on your strengths, skills, and achievements that contribute to your organization's mission. Align your values and goals with your work, and seek new challenges to reignite your curiosity and creativity.
For me, getting to the point of burnout includes what the person was previously doing to motivate themselves to work themselves to the point of exhaustion and burnout. We need to go beyond "regaining" and towards "redesigning" our motivation, understanding our current updated and reorganized values.
The tech space is a hotbed for burnout due to constant change and pressure. One way to combat this is by reconnecting with your 'why' - the reason you started in the first place. For our industry (the website monitoring realm), it might be the thrill of solving complex problems or the impact on online businesses. Create tangible, smaller goals that lead you back to that passion. Personalize your work environment with inspiring reminders. Sometimes, a brief chat with a team member about why you both love what you do can reignite that spark. The human connection often recharges motivation like nothing else.
Another way to maintain motivation when burned out is to celebrate your progress and reward yourself for your efforts. You can do this by setting small, realistic, and measurable goals and tracking your achievements. You can also acknowledge your challenges and how you overcame them, and learn from your mistakes and feedback. You can also express gratitude for the opportunities, resources, and people that helped you along the way. By celebrating your progress, you can boost your confidence, satisfaction, and happiness.
It is important to journal your goals and the activities planned to meet those goals. A simple to-do list goes a long way in creating a sense of fulfilment. Strike off that item from the to-do list as soon as it is done - it gives you a sense of satisfaction and the reassurance that you are one step nearer to your next destination.
Small joys in life helps you to come reinvigorated. Set smaller goals to achieve the big mark. Such joys help you to attain confidence in your abilities.
One simple way to celebrate your progress is to treat yourself to something you enjoy, like a favorite meal at your favorite restaurant, a relaxing day at the spa, or a movie night with friends. This concrete action can provide a tangible reward for your efforts and help you recharge.
Know your capacity and learn to say no if you reach that capacity. You don't have to do everything. Prioritize,focus and keep your calm. Seek help if you need it and take time out by looking after yourself.
People often try to do everything by themselves, they should not hesitate to delegate tasks to others when possible. Sharing the workload can prevent overwhelming stress.
Any burnout is due to over reactive or adrenaline rush..can be a period of 6 months to 5 years at a stretch... Relax understand where you stand ,what's happening around you, your customers are around you - not just work but your family friends are also your customers . Spend time to get to know your work customers and personal customers, breath, invest in self ROTI - RETURN OF TIME INVESTED on yourself. Plan your rotie well
It's just necessary to go on sometimes to get the stuff done. In such cases, I set time in my calendar to work on certain tasks and perceive them as routines until they are completed. Same approach is with personal time when there's at least 1 hour of some kind of exercise and 1 hour of not doing work or chores. It's easier to go through these times when you have an agenda and some control over it. Also, good sleep and some kind of a nice reward in the end.
Consider incorporating mindfulness meditation into your daily routine as a way to manage stress and boost your motivation. Spend 10-15 minutes each day in quiet reflection, focusing on your breath and being present in the moment. This practice can help you stay grounded, reduce burnout, and maintain a positive outlook on your work and life.