Burnout at work is real and might be more common than you think. Gallup Workplace survey found that among 7,500 full-time employees, nearly one-fourth (23 percent) reported feeling burnout at work very often or always. Another 44 percent reported feeling burnout sometimes. Respondents stated that reasons for having this frequent burnout include workload pressures, tight deadlines, too much responsibility, and a lack of managerial support.
Do you experience frequent burnout? If yes, be rest assured because experts have said that burnout is treatable. You can still play your A-game by understanding the cause of the burnout and address them.
See also: Workplace Burnout: 3 Tell-tale Signs Your Job is Killing You
We need to be emotionally prepared when working on tasks or projects to achieve expected results. Poor physical health can affect how we do things but poor emotional health could be detrimental to physical health as well. That being said, it is our emotional wellbeing that determines the outcomes of our life. Emotionally ill or tired could easily lead to burnout and fatigue.
APA research showed that being emotionally healthy leads to success in work and life because when we have a good state of emotional wellbeing, we tend to be happier which could lead us to work better towards our goals. The studies also found that individuals who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Consequently, it helps cope with problems in perspective and bounce back from setbacks faster.
In short, when you feel burnout, ask yourself: Am I emotionally prepared for the next challenges? If you feel a sudden outburst of low motivation, that means you are emotionally tired. Thus, make sure to take a moment and have control of your emotion by doing meditation, find resilience or purpose, or take care of your physical health.
When you constantly feel overwhelmed with work and it affects your behaviour, that’s when you are in a state of burnout. The sign of behavioural changes can include poor sleep, loss of appetite, sickness, constantly feeling disturbed by small things, unable to switch off, persistent lateness, or disengagement.
If this happens, the best way to address this is to make use of your annual leave. Switch off your work mode and find other activities such as fishing, walking in nature, or doing therapy.
Burnout could not take away itself if you continue working while feeling overwhelmed. Thus, be wise enough to separate yourself from work and manage your own wellbeing.
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