How To Cope With Burnout
Burnout:
You are knackered, your motivation at an all time low, you have no energy to do anything. You just want to sleep, sit and do nothing, relax and watch your favourite TV show. Burnout is a common problem that we all face. In school, at work, at social gatherings, when you are running on near empty it is very hard to keep going. I am no expert in burnout, no psychologist that can tell you magical ways to prevent having 0 energy. All I can offer you is my insight and my past experiences. So, without further adieu, let’s get in to some ways we can mitigate the effects of burnout.
Take A Break:
The most obvious out of all the methods of mitigating burnout is to take a break! A holiday, a weekend at home doing nothing, throwing yourself into your favourite hobby. Whatever it is that you get your energy from, do that! Having time to yourself to recharge is vital if you want to continue whatever it is that you are pursuing. Say you became burnt out after trying to get around a problem, sometimes all you need is to take a break, step back and approach it from a different angle. This may be all you need to break through whatever it is that was holding you back.
Follow Passions:
We all love our passions; whatever your obsession is, I think we can all agree that we feel great when we get to go after them. Yes we might feel burnt out from time to time but we always come back to them because it is what we love to do! So, to avoid the majority of burnout, follow your passions!
If you love something, you are way less likely to get burnt out from doing it because you get so much enjoyment and satisfaction from completing it. I have tried multiple times to get a side business going. Mainly on social media, creating accounts that post nature, games, quotes etc. From making videos as a kid to post on YouTube to trying to sell different items online. I have struggled to keep any of them going. The energy fizzles out, I burn out. What I have identified is that as much as I liked posting nature or trying to make money, I wasn’t passionate enough about it.
This blog seems to be much different for me. Having invested money, a lot of time and effort into it, I genuinely feel much more connected to this project than the rest. I love sharing my ideas, my thoughts, and points of view because I mainly do it to help me understand my own self and listen to my own advice. I could still burn out, but I believe that this is a project that I would come back to after a break if I did lose energy. The bit I struggle with is social media, it is the only way at the moment that people will see my content, so I have to force myself to get the energy to post and be active so that this project does well.
I’ll be honest, I have 1 view max on a couple of these blogs as we speak. I earn no money, get no views and therefore no motivation from people reading my work or this website becoming a success because at the moment, there is none. I rely off the fact that I enjoy writing blogs and sharing my ideas, even if that means I’m sharing it to an audience filled with no people.
Balance must be found between business profitability/success & ethical values and as such must be thought of carefully & considerably. By ensuring ethical standards are met, businesses like Rolls-Royce can ensure they minimise negative effects from certain decisions (Paine, 2002).
For a new manager joining the business, they should have a stern and sound focus of what values are expected of them and confirm these ethics with their colleagues to ensure clear vision of what the company aims to achieve.
Set Boundaries:
The most important method I use to ensure I try not to burn out is by setting boundaries. By this I mean time limits, when in the day you will work, how much money you are willing to give for a given passion, project, investment etc. Setting boundaries will set a clear and concise road map that will allow you to know you still have time for yourself.
For me, depending on the day I will set a time limit after work on how long I will spend on business. I set a time for me where I can play on my Xbox, watch Netflix or see my mates. It is so important to leave time for yourself and so by setting boundaries, you are guaranteeing that you will leave time for yourself. If you are struggling with time, then wake up earlier or go to sleep later, have a quicker shower or dinner.
Reducing the minutes in other areas of life can really help you to feel like you have more freedom In the rest of your day. For me, I do some of these blog write ups in my lunch break at work. This means that when I get home all I must do is format it, publish it and be active on social media. Save time to give yourself time for the things that matter more.
Change:
If you have tried all this and you still feel burnt out then maybe it’s time to change. Maybe the project, the job, the social setting just isn’t right for you anymore. Don’t fear change, it’s better to go into the unknown than dwelling in a situation that sucks all the energy from you. Give yourself a chance, make that choice and change. This isn’t you admitting defeat, you aren’t giving up, you aren’t unable to do it. It’s just you admitting that maybe the project isn’t right for you anymore and that level of self-awareness and accountability is something you should be extremely proud of.
So many people are unable to admit when they don’t know what they are doing, when they aren’t right for the role anymore or when they just don’t think they can complete something. It is OK to admit this, there is nothing wrong with it. I admitted to myself that YouTube and just posting on a social media account wasn’t enough for me to stay driven. So, I found another way that would give me the motivation I required. Closing down a project is shutting a door, but that doesn’t mean other doors aren’t opening for you!
Challenge:
My challenge for you is the next time you feel burnt out, try one of the above. Try it for a week at least.
If it works then that's brilliant, if not then that's ok, just try something else!
Let me know how you get on!
SunTide