Hey, you! Your phone doesn’t hold the ticket to relaxation. It may feel like an escape, but too much time connected to social media or technology will actually increase your job burnout. So, what is it and how are you going to deal with it head-on?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Job burnout is a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.” Although not considered a medical condition, workplace burnout influences not just how you feel mentally, but how you feel physically. There are also varying opinions as to the causes, but some consensus is as follows:
Unclear job expectations
Drama or stressful office politics
Work-life imbalance
Low office morale and social support
Troubled interpersonal dynamics between you and your team — especially superior
Ugh. Not a fun list to write, to read, or to experience — for that matter. So, as with all things in life, let’s try and take control of it. Here is a list of symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, followed by a list of ways to manage.
Symptoms
Excessive stress
Fatigue
Insomnia
Sadness, anger or irritability
Alcohol or substance misuse
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes
Vulnerability to illnesses
Methods of Management
Create an open dialogue with your supervisor
Exercise (if time allows). Try yoga, meditation, running….group sports.
Try to get some sleep
Reach out to your community and seek support
Eat regularly and drink lots of water
Take computer breaks, get up, walk around your office for even just 1 minute. Take your brain away from the work, in little spurts, so that you can ‘reset’ your mind.
If you’re trying to be everything for everyone, and are pulled in so many different directions that you feel like you’re not breathing the way you once did, it’s time to take a step back. Job burnout is an all-encompassing mind/body affliction and it requires your full attention.
If the root of it is that you feel your employers deserve your best work, or you want to excel at your role and climb the corporate ladder, then you owe a break to yourself even more. Whether that’s a lunchtime yoga class, a conversation with your superior about expectations, or a new approach to how you manage your time.
Good employers foster positive workplace cultures where mental and physical well-being are in synergy with their core values. If your employers aren’t receptive to your workplace burnout then it might time to reassess working there.
You deserve to feel good…and your work doesn’t need to suffer either. You got this!