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Did you know the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime. Whether or not you work a typical 9-5, the hours add up. It’s crucial for your overall well-being to achieve work-life balance and minimize your risk of burnout.
Burnout happens when we feel overwhelmed and stressed over a prolonged period of time. This can often be connected to your career but can also happen due to other demanding areas of life.
Life can be overwhelming at times. We have numerous daily responsibilities – work, taking care of family, managing a household, raising children – and sometimes, we get too busy to take a step back and attain balance. That’s when burnout creeps in.
The emotions that come with burnout often leave you feeling hopeless, unmotivated and overall unhappy. This can ultimately hurt your work productivity and connections, your familial relationships and your social life. Burnout can also cause physical implications too, such as chronic fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, digestive issues and a weakened immune system.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a crucial time to spotlight the importance of mental well-being and breaking the stigma around mental health. This month serves as a reminder to prioritize self-care and promote healthy coping mechanisms, including establishing a work-life balance and setting boundaries.
A healthy work-life balance can help you feel motivated at work, reduce stress, improve your mental and physical health and enhance your overall well-being. This is imperative to minimizing burnout.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Everyone has different personal and professional goals. It’s important to find an effective way to manage the demands of work and personal life while feeling fulfilled in both areas. This includes balancing work obligations, family commitments, personal interests, self-care and other areas of importance. It’s not about strictly splitting your time evenly but rather finding a harmony that works for you and your priorities.
Burnout tends to happen over time so there are ways to get ahead of it. Symptoms may be subtle at first, but the longer they go unaddressed, the worse they can become.
According to the National Institutes of Health, signs of burnout can include:
• Exhaustion: You may feel drained, emotionally exhausted and unable to properly deal with the problems around you, both personally and professionally. These symptoms can present as physical pain or even stomach or bowel problems.
• Isolation: People who are experiencing burnout find their jobs increasingly stressful and can target frustration toward work or colleagues. You may find yourself distancing and feeling disinterested in your work and environment or avoiding social activities.
• Reduced performance: This can occur in your personal or professional areas because you have little or no energy left for everyday tasks. Burnout can make it hard to concentrate or handle your responsibilities and not feel negative toward them.
• Feeling down: You may feel self-doubt, helplessness, defeat and failure. This can result in feeling alone and isolated, losing your sense of purpose and feeling increasingly dissatisfied or incapable.
• Physical fatigue: You may feel greatly fatigued and without energy. Burnout can lead to getting sick often, suffering from colds, having body aches and recurring headaches, losing your appetite or experiencing insomnia.
If you find yourself experiencing these symptoms, it’s important to recognize your feelings and work toward finding solutions that work for you. If you’re comfortable doing so, talk to your employer about how you’re feeling. Communication is essential, and they may be able to help you with your time management, delegating, setting boundaries and other skills. This also applies at home. When feeling burnout, communication with your significant other, family members, roommates or friends is key, as they may be able to help lighten your burden during especially stressful times.
Prioritizing your health and well-being are key to preventing or treating burnout. After all, you cannot effectively help others if you can’t help yourself. Make sure you’re getting enough quality sleep at night, practice mindfulness and set aside personal time for things that help you relax or bring you joy, like reading, spending time with loved ones or other hobbies. Talking to a therapist to share your feelings and learn new coping skills can help. In some cases, psychiatric care or medication may be beneficial in reducing symptoms of burnout.
Remember, life can get busy and it’s easy to get caught up in the chaos. Slow down, take a step back and reflect on what’s most important to you, discover your definition of work-life balance and keep both your body and mind healthy. Addressing the issue in the beginning is key to avoiding more serious implications down the road. We all want to live fulfilling, healthy lives, but achieving that often requires intentional effort. Dedicate the time to prioritizing your well-being and take the necessary steps to create the life you deserve.
About the Author
Misty Brueckner is a licensed clinical social worker for Elite DNA Behavioral Health’s Fort Myers office. Elite DNA seeks to provide accessible, affordable mental health care to everyone and has become one of the largest mental health providers in the state, providing in-person and virtual behavioral health services to children, adolescents and adults at more than 30 locations across Florida. For more information, visit EliteDNASEFL.com.
Elite DNA Behavior Health
EliteDNASEFL.com
561-576-7536
