How Do You Avoid Burnout

You know we are always being asked to do more, work much longer, and at the end of the day blur the boundaries of work and life, especially during this period whereby many work from home.

It is no wonder that work-related stress has become one of the leading causes of why employees have frequent absent. If you cant' avoid stress, at least you need to know how to mitigate it. How you can prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed by work and avoid burnout as much as possible?

Burnout - What Is It & What Are The Symptoms?

Simply put, burnout is when people reached the end of their personal reserves. Your tank is empty and you are extremely exhausted. If you're not sleeping, drinking more, easily agitated for no reason, and losing interest in things that normally excites you, then you on your path to burnout.

Or in my own personal experience, it is when suddenly I had vertigo (It's not U2 song by the way). I found myself in the tired but auto-pilot mode where I can't simply rest - mentally, emotionally, and physically.

So What Are The Main Causes?

The biggest issue will be the workload and long hours of culture. Here is the thing I learn; people can manage a huge workload if their private life is going well, but when that starts going in the wrong direction, everything else follows.

Another few factors could be reporting to multiple or toxic bosses, lack of empowerment, inability to delegate tasks, and your own underlying physical and mental health.

How To Prevent Burnout?

Take control of your workload. Ask what you can delegate and talk through workload issues with your boss with confidence to prioritize. Do not take on more than you can cope with, take breaks in between, exercise, and recognize that when it comes to hours worked, less can be more.

One can also develop skills like being calm under pressure. You can also have the mindset to detach difficult decisions and recognize it that they are business choices that you're making. Having great relationships with your colleagues can also reduce nuisance or aggravation and you can learn from people who can cope well with stress as well.

What Should You Do If It All Gets Too Much?

Accept and acknowledge that you should not go on like this. Of course, this is easier said than done. Ideally, speak to someone that is not involved, like a mentor or coach. You need to be with people to draw on as your own sources might be depleted

Should you decided to take time off, you must ensure that your employer finds someone to pick up where you left off, so you don't come back to the same problem

How To Prevent Burnout In Those I Manage?

Don't work on weekends & only do so if you really need to and have some urgent projects. Don't send emails at the wee hours. Encourage a culture where people can actually talk about their problems and have the support they need. For everyone's sake including yours, please have realistic expectations, and sometimes we just need to have the empathy to work with them and even ourselves. All the best!

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Hey, thanks for reading this post up to this sentence. Now, I know you're probably wondering, "Why do you post this article?" 

Well, I first started my career journey as a headhunter and the reason why I jumped into recruitment is that I didn't know what I want back then. I thought the best thing to do is to interview thousands of people, understanding their roles and industries. With this exposure, I was able to understand the mind of the recruiters, hiring managers, and years later had the privilege to be in various roles with top global companies.

I am forever grateful to all the people that came into my life and showed me that I have what it takes to pursue my goals. Today, I am on a mission to help driven & ambitious people to get in front of global leaders & world-changing companies.

If you think you have benefited from this sharing, I hope you can pay it forward by sharing this article and connect with me to always inspire each other. Stay tuned for more brewing on #rioslab. God bless!