Don't let stress get the best of you...
Debbie Greenwood
People, Culture & Change Expert - Collaborating with organisations, leaders and their teams to make workplaces amazing places to be
“You can do anything, not everything.”
This saying sums “stress” up for me. It’s a lesson that took me years to learn.
Now, I’m the first person to encourage anyone to reach for their dreams, to tell them (and believe), that anyone can achieve what they set their mind to. However, when we put pressure on ourselves by expecting to do that without support, assistance or help when it makes sense, that's not OK. That, is a direct route to overwhelm and burnout.
Let's talk about stress...
Don’t get me wrong, a certain amount of stress can be good, it can motivate and inspire, but too much stress will eventually lead to burnout. I know from personal experience. It isn’t nice and takes a lot to recover from. And while you’re in recovery mode, it’s highly likely you may struggle to function – even those of us who think we are invincible!
My biggest issue – even now, is saying NO. And I know I’m not alone, many of the people I coach often have the same problem. ?Whilst it can make you feel good to have helped somebody else and probably relieved their stress, this can sometimes be to the detriment of your own.
There is often a lot of pressure at work for individuals to take on more and more. Organisations of all sizes often keep their people collateral as tight as possible, however currently, as recruiting and retention is becoming more challenging and there’s a clear lack of people to fill roles, this is becoming magnified. Consequently, the remaining employees are having to work harder to keep the wheels on the bus.
Personally, it wasn’t only work that caused my burnout, it was my very busy life, trying to be all things to all people, mother, daughter, friend, in addition to employee. I know that nobody expected me to do this, but I put that pressure on myself! Most of us can keep going for a while but not constantly on a long term basis.
One day my boss asked me to do something that would normally be easy, that would come naturally - I’d done it for years, but on this particular day, I simply couldn’t do it. I burst into uncontrollable tears.
Keep your eyes open for signs of stress
As I said before, and as I’m sure you’ll have noticed, stress and burnout are all too common, they’re also nothing to be ashamed of. My advice – be aware of the warning signs, watch out for them and identify your support network.
These are some of the Mental Health UK listed signs of burnout:
Prevention is better than cure…
So in addition to watching out for the warning signs, here are four additional tips on how you may be able to ease things either for yourself or your colleagues and friends BEFORE burnout happens…
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This may seem impossible but make it possible, do something that relaxes you every day.
2.????Work together.
Be realistic about what can be achieved, some things may not be achievable in the ideal time scale. Talk with your colleagues, teams and managers and keep communication lines open.
3.????Strategise.
If you’re a manager or leader, think creatively, look at processes, procedures and systems together with your teams to ensure efficiency and realistic expectations and goals.
Top tip - Get people from other areas of the business to help, they may well be able to see things that could be done differently and safe time, energy and stress.
4.????Keep your eyes open.
Look after your teammates, friends and family, and if they’re showing signs of stress and overwhelm or worse still burnout, talk to them!
Something to think about...
Hopefully you work in a supportive organisation, where you can be honest with each other (and yourself). It’s tough for most people to admit that they are struggling, so give them time to open up, be prepared to listen and point them in the direction of somebody who can help if you feel you can’t support them enough.
Less can be achieved when anyone is stressed and overwhelmed, particularly if somebody has to take time off to recover.
Above all be kind to others and yourself and remember…
“You can do anything, not everything.”