When it comes to being successful in a leadership role, we
have to remember that before we can successfully manage others, we must first
learn to manage ourselves. We spend a
great portion of life at work! SO, don’t
you agree that we ought to be sure that work adds value to our life in ways
other than just getting a paycheck. Make
sure your work is rewarding and that your role is a good fit for you. Furthermore, make sure that your work does
not carry more of a toll on your life than what it is worth.
Let’s focus on work-life balance. Ever feel like you are giving the least to
those who matter most? Are your family
or loved ones paying the price for your over-commitment at work? Do you feel like you have no energy at the
end of the day and get home with just enough energy to crash in your comfy
recliner? Be in tune with the common
symptoms of work-related stress and burnout.
Let’s do a quick inventory on your life and see how you rate. Answer the following questions:
1.
Have you found yourself to be increasingly
critical or negative about your job?
2.
Do you have feelings of dread about going to
work?
3.
Do you find it difficult to stay productive and
focus on your job?
4.
Do you find your personal or family relationships
suffering?
5.
Do you find yourself impatient and snapping at
others?
6.
Do you feel that you're under an unhealthy
amount of pressure?
7.
Do the requirements of your job seem confusing
or overwhelming?
8.
Are you using food, alcohol, or drugs to cope
with the stress from your job?
9.
Has your appetite or sleep schedule dramatically
changed?
10.
Are you often experiencing negative physical
symptoms like headaches, back aches, or digestion issues?
If you find yourself answering yes to many of these
questions, there is a chance you are approaching or experiencing job
burnout. Ask yourself: Who is in
control? Are you in control of your
life? Or is your employer dominating
your life?
When workplace stress turns into chronic stress, it affects
much more than your career success.
Chronic stress creates health problems such as hypertension, heart
disease, obesity, chronic pain, and an increase of cholesterol.
Take a moment and consider how you can use this simple
acronym to control your work-related stress: ACE! It includes being AWARE of your stress
triggers, CHOOSING one at a time to alleviate, and EXPERIENCING self-care.
It's important that you don't suffer alone. Talking to your supervisor can help. Let’s manage this together. Finding someone at work that you can
unconditionally rely upon can be a great source of strength for you as well.
Further, taking a vacation can provide benefits like
improved mental health and a lower risk of burnout. And if your symptoms are chronic or severe,
consider speaking with a health professional.
Another thought on controlling stress and burnout is to get
enough SLEEP! Research suggests that
having fewer than six hours of sleep per night is a major risk factor for
burnout, not least because poor sleep can have negative effects on your job
performance and productivity. It can
lead to fatigue, decrease your motivation, make you more sensitive to stressful
events, impair your mental function, leave you more susceptible to errors and make
it harder to juggle competing demands.
The reverse is true, too: We've seen that sleep can actually improve
your memory.
Recovering from chronic stress and burnout requires removing
or reducing the demands on you and replenishing your resources. Sleep is one
strategy for replenishing those resources.
How organized are you at work? Often, when people are burnt out, they spend
a lot of time worrying that they’ll forget to do something or that something
important is going to slip through the cracks.
Get organized! clear your head! put together a to-do list (or an
electronic task list) then prioritize.
That way, you don’t have to keep thinking about those things because
you’ll have systems in place to remind you.
So, what can you do about all of this? Here are 8 Steps to help you Avoid Burnout
While you may have several barriers or obstacles to overcome
in making a transition to a more balanced life, the following will help you
under any circumstance.
Here’s how:
1. Readjust Your Own
Expectations.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and that somewhere is
generally at the bottom of the pack.
Keep your head held high, and know that proving your
competency at even the most menial tasks while maintaining a positive and
professional attitude will help keep your career moving in the direction you
want.
2. Learn How to
‘Manage Up’
A dysfunctional office dynamic is one of the leading causes
of burnout, and issues with a superior are the most stressful. Learning how to “manage up” will help you deal
with a boss who is mean, hypercritical or insecure as well as help you figure
out the most effective way to reach her expectations. Be very clear with your
boss about your daily routine and your contributions to the department success
and project outcomes.
3. Realize It’s Okay
to Say No
Employees who try to be everything to everyone and who are
always working to their most-efficient max are extremely at-risk for
burnout. Stay away from trying to be the
solve-everything, do-everything kind of employee. Additionally, the worst thing you can do for
your career is to overpromise and then under-deliver. However, there’s a right and a wrong way to
say no. Learn the difference, and when to draw the line. Try saying something like, “As much as I
would like to do that, right now my plate is full and I wouldn’t be able to do
that task justice.”
4. Quit Comparing
Yourself
We all have that one Facebook friend who seems to have three
months of vacation time, the money to spend those months traipsing across
Europe and the Abercrombie-model fiancé she’s traipsing with. Forget her. While healthy comparisons can help you determine
exactly what your goals are, “comparisonitis” will ruin your finances and your
happiness as you endlessly try to keep up with or one-up your friends or family
members. Think you’re suffering from
comparisonitis? Just remember, your biggest competition is yourself!
5. Make Sure You Take
Your Vacation Days
Americans will give up roughly 226 million vacation days this year. This is crazy!
Don’t be one of them. One report
found that 48% of workers felt happier and more positive about their workplaces
after taking a vacation. Since feeling
cynical about your office is one of the key causes of burnout, taking a
vacation is an easy (and fun) way to keep yourself going.
6. Develop Your
Interests and Hobbies Outside of the Office
Is your self-worth and identity solely based on your work? If so, you’re highly at-risk for burnout. Devoting time to your interests and hobbies
outside of the office will make you a happier and more well-rounded individual.
If you can’t remember the last time you
indulged in a hobby, think back to what you enjoyed as a child or teen. Consider joining a sports team, picking up a
foreign language or volunteering.
7. Take Breaks
Take the time to recharge during the day. Pause your work to help you maintain good
eyesight, or take a walk to help you stay in shape, even when you don’t have
time to hit the gym. Alternatively, ask
a co-worker out to coffee. Establishing
positive relationships at the office will make you happier and help you live
longer. (Seriously … science says so.)
8. Take Time to
Evaluate Your Career Path
If you’ve been chugging along on the same path for a long
time and are feeling signs of burnout, take the time to consider your career. Have your values changed since you first
started in your profession? Or is it
that the values of your particular company or employer have changed? Are you not being sufficiently challenged—or
are you overburdened?
Get back in control! You call the shots! Be sure to give your best to those who matter
most! Find the way to succeed at work
and at home! Your life will thank you!!!
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