Realistic ways to manage burnout...

Realistic ways to manage burnout...

Let’s be honest, layoffs and hiring freezes are not uncommon in today’s market. With the market turning, employers are forcing people back to the office and taking advantage of lean and overworked teams as much as possible. 

Profits over people will cost leaders in the long run but that’s another conversation for another day.

Today, I want to focus on you as an individual and discuss realistic ways to manage burnout. Whether you are burnt out from looking for roles that seem to have 1,000+ applicants and continue to disappear, currently overworked on an understaffed team, or just flat-out burned out, here are my top three tips to manage burnout:

1. Turn off your phone notifications past your set working hours. 

I won’t say to turn off your notifications outside of 9am-5 pm because that may not be possible with understaffed teams. However, set your working hours and turn off notifications for your work apps (email, teams, slack, etc.) in your settings. Your working hours could mean working a 9am-5pm, taking an earlier Wednesday but working longer on other days, or cutting everything off at 8pm; whatever those hours are, be strict and stick to them.

2. Meet new people through an online or in-person networking event.

There are many local and regional organizations that host virtual or in-person networking events you can find through Eventbrite or right on LinkedIn. Be open to meeting new people (yes, introverts this includes you), and gaining resources to navigate your career and build your network. When you are limited on time, adding another event or Zoom meeting may not be high on the to-do list but keep an open mind and see how networking can re-fill your cup.

3. Practice healthy decompressing actions to relieve stress.

There are many healthy decompressing actions you can build into your schedule to break up your routines. I have included additional resources on decompressing stress below but these actions could be scheduled and regular stretching, meditation, reading, outdoor walks (weather permitting), journaling, and more. I personally start my day with intentional breathing and being mindful through my Headspace app.

Additional Resources:

9 Ways to Decompress Stress: https://www.mhpcolorado.org/9-ways-to-decompress-from-stress/

Stress Management and Well-being: https://www.mindtools.com/cz7uxb1/stress-management-well-being

Mental Health America 2023 Toolkit: https://www.mhanational.org/mental-health-month

Tips to Tame Stress: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relievers/art-20047257

[A must-read]: Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work: Here’s Why… and How to Do it Really Well by Melissa Doman, M.A.: https://www.amazon.com/Talk-About-Mental-Health-Work/dp/1789563038/ref=asc_df_1789563038/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=508977995883&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4054121557460618033&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029983&hvtargid=pla-1226520608097&psc=1

What actions do you take to manage burnout? Join the conversation and share in the comments.

Laurie Battaglia and the team at Aligned at Work ? work with leaders to create workplaces of the future. They bring great leadership together with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and meet rapidly changing needs to today’s and tomorrow’s workforce. Aligned at Work ? specializes in Diversity/Equity/Inclusion/Belonging Consulting and Training, Aligning Leadership Teams, Strategy Retreats, Aligned Leader? Training, Executive Coaching, Team Coaching, and Career Coaching.

 If you enjoyed reading this article and want to receive all future issues, click on the subscribe button in the upper right corner. 

Then, hit the ?? in the top right corner of my profile, Laurie Battaglia, to get notified whenever I post.