Burnout is a word we keep using all the time, but we really don’t know what it is. Most of us ignore signs of burnout in ourselves and when we see it in others. The word burnout simply means being in a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion due to prolonged exposure to stress. This shows up in performance both physically and mentally.
This happens because we keep ignoring the stress that we go through during our everyday life. We also keep failing to acknowledge our emotions and channel them. The more we don’t acknowledge and let ourselves feel it and channel it, the more we accumulate it in our system and get burnt out.
Signs that you are burnt out
- Feeling like you don’t have enough time to do things that are essential
- No interest in putting in the effort in sports or work (or any other aspect relevant)
- Constantly procrastinating things that need to be done
- Engaging in activities that numb your emotions, (doing things without control) – for example, constantly scrolling through social media without control, or binge eating, etc
- Physical fatigue
- Feeling drained
- Motivation becomes very low
- Feeling more hopeless than determined
Of Course there could be more. But a mental burnout also shows up physically. You tend to notice the physical symptoms sooner, but we tend to negate and ignore stress and burnout as an important cause.
Here are some of the things you need to keep in mind if you are feeling burnt out
- It’s okay to be burnt out: Remember that it’s okay to feel burnt out and it’s a phase that you can come out of, if you do work on it. This acceptance is very important. Most people who are burnt out and self-critical seem to be trapped in a never-ending loop. Acceptance will certainly help you to look for help.
- Set your priorities; Setting priorities help you understand what to say yes to and what not to. Your priorities may keep changing every week. So it is essential to keep realigning.
- Say a strict NO: Saying no and drawing boundaries have always been considered rude. But it’s really important to know when to say a yes and when not to. This will certainly help in cutting down excessive amounts of stress and delegating things that can be delegated.
- Schedule breaks: Breaks are so important. The hustle culture has glamorized over-working and overtraining when taking breaks are such an important part of the process. There’s nothing wrong in scheduling breaks so that you don’t miss out on the same.
- Set time-limits on tasks: It’s important to set time limits on the tasks that you are doing. Time limits help you realign and review your feelings and stress levels. Setting time-limits can help reduce over-working and certainly increase productivity.
Managing your time effectively will certainly enable you to manage your stress and burnout effectively. So keep a tab on the amount of time spent and that will certainly prevent you and get you out of a burn out. Here is a method used to get your time managed effectively. https://www.keerthanaswaminathan.com/product/time-blocking-planner/