98% of Gen Z workers are dealing with burnout symptoms. Here's the cause and the cure

Welcome to Keeping the Balance, a newsletter for Gen Z. Subscribe to receive upcoming editions. This week, I spoke to workplace wellness expert Edward J. Beltran about how to prevent and treat burnout early in your career. Keep reading for his top tips.

Nearly all Gen Z workers (98%) are battling burnout symptoms, with 23% saying that they experience "unmanageable stress" and 48% reporting that they feel drained. These stats come from a Cigna survey, which revealed that Gen Z is the most stressed out generation.

This isn't entirely surprising, unfortunately. Our generation is up against a unique set of challenges — a consequence to the time we entered the working world. We're grappling with heightened loneliness, student loan debt, high living expenses, ongoing layoffs, a hyper-competitive job market and more. Most Gen Zers are juggling more than one job, while others have had little choice but to pursue the difficult path of entrepreneurship.

Despite these challenges, no one should feel that their stress is unmanageable. Edward J. Beltran , a workplace wellness expert, says some Gen Z workers may hold this belief because "we have learned to accept that we live stressful lives." And, common suggestions on relieving stress often don't "get down to the root cause." That's why Beltran says identifying our daily stressors requires practicing self-awareness.

"It's understanding that, 'Every time I deal with this co-worker, I'm getting stressed out. Why? They're making off comments,'" he shares as an example. "You could not say anything, but you're harboring these feelings and they're not going away."

Figuring out what's causing our stress is one thing. Asking for help is another. So, I spoke to Beltran about developing self-awareness, establishing open communication with a manager, protecting boundaries and more. Below are excerpts from our conversation (some quotes were lightly edited for length and clarity):?

What are your tips on practicing self-awareness at work??

It's being able to monitor what's happening. What I mean by that is, if you clearly see that every time you're interacting with a co-worker and your stress levels are spiking or you have a physical reaction, you know something's happening. Engage in it. Get curious.

How should workers address their stressors, especially when it's a co-worker??

For example, if someone makes a snide comment to you or they seem dismissive in the office, focus on observable behaviors. My reality might not be your reality. Instead of me just assuming, 'You don't like me. You don't support me.' It's observable behaviors like, 'I noticed this, can we talk about it?' Assume good intent.?

What's your advice on setting boundaries around your workload?

This is a very tricky situation because you want to be a team player. You don't want to come off as being dismissive around work requests. But, you have to think about yourself and living a balanced life. Be clear about your availability. You don't want to set the wrong expectations.

How should you loop in your manager or supervisor when dealing with burnout?

Employees assume that their managers have a clear line of sight into their workload. The reality is, they don't, nor is the scope clear on either side. The employee [should] be able to talk about scope, priorities and deadlines, and drive regular check-ins at least every week. A lot of times, young employees wait for their manager to drive that type of action

What can workers do to help prevent burnout??

Self-care is very important across the board. But there's one very specific action that we find has an outsize impact on the individual: mindfulness. What I mean by that is, you could physically be somewhere and mentally you're still connected somewhere else and you're not allowing yourself to truly recharge. Mindfulness helps you be more in the moment.

For more insight on establishing and enforcing boundaries at work, check out the video below where my LinkedIn News colleague Leah Smart and I share tips. You can also watch by clicking here.

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