3 ways to make sure you aren't burning yourself out whilst hybrid working
What is burnout a brief history
Burnout has been around for a long time it in fact an American psychologist called Herbert Freudenberg wrote a whole book about it called “Burn-out: The High Cost of High Achievement”. This book was written in 1980 and he wrote it after researching chronic fatigue and seeing how patterns of work had changed in the workforce. People in the 70s and 80s were working longer hours especially in sectors like finance and advertising. Think of the TV series Mad Men which showed how work changed for both men and women from the 60s to the 70s .
I wanted speak about burnout because it’s a reoccurring theme that comes up with clients and the women who listen to my podcast. I spoke about some ways of dealing with it in season 1 episode 13 see link here
This blog post is about how you can manage burnout. Especially since working from home or in a hybrid way as this has become normalised for many of us after the pandemic in 2020. This may be leading to some of you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted especially if you are single parent or don’t have much support. One of the common reasons why a few of you could also be burnt out is perhaps due to risk of redundancy or being told your organisation will be restructured and you are feeling the pressure to perform so you can keep your current role. You may even be feeling this way because you are doing a role that is actually a three person job and as one person you are overloaded with a never ending list of things to do.
In Japan there is a term called death by karoshi which was shown in the movie and documentary Happy. This means when someone works so much they work themselves to death see article here for further information around this https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-karoshi-japanese-word-for-death-by-overwork-2017-10?r=US&IR=T
In the working world burnout affects our emotional and mental wellbeing and can also be linked to stress if the burnout is not dealt with.
Burnout and the after effects of the pandemic
Many of us are feeling burnout due to your work and because it may be normalised in your organisation to work in fast paced way you may not even realise you are going through burnout.
Some of you reading this may be feeling burnout because you are uncertain about your career and future prospects. You may be overworking and your working hours may lead into evenings and weekends due to a lack of separation, between work and life boundaries.
You may not be having a proper lunch or dinner breaks eating at your desk or even not eating properly at all. You could also not be sleeping enough due to working on or computer or looking at devices before you go to bed. See article from Harvard university about how the blue light from screens affects you https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side.
Tips on how to manage the burnout
1. Taking time out – Having proper breaks and not to working on weekends where possible so you can catch up. Communicate with your managers especially if you aren’t paid for overtime. Plan fun activities with your family or friends. Create time in your day and weekends to do things you enjoy like watching a movie etc this will relax you.
2. Health first – Sleep is really important if you feel that your are experiencing burnout. Prioritize your health and talk to your manger about work commitments and expectations so if you really struggling and need support outside from a doctor or therapist they are aware of this.
3. What is causing the burnout – There could be a specific trigger or something that’s causing you to feel stressed and burnout it’s important to understand this. Stress is linked with burnout and I recommend if you can reading “The stress solution” by Dr Chatterjee to understand more about stress. Stress and burnout combined together are like a toxic marriage and can overwhelm you. If you are you trying to do much like people pleasing at work and worrying about when kids will go back to school. So take some time to think about what’s causing the burnout. For example even working at the weekends and evenings when you shouldn’t be.
4. Information overload - Stop reading, doing and engaging too much with the news especially linked to current affairs that are negative. You may be burnout out because you are consuming too much information and not retaining it. Not saying you shouldn’t worry but don’t consume too much especially on social media limit your time when you are not working. Delete a news app and delete any apps that make you feel overwhelmed and exhausted. Make sure you are mindful of what you are taking in. If it makes you feel more anxious don’t watch or read etc.
Additional information to support you
1. Talk to a counsellor to get mental health support – visit the counselling directory here if you want to look into this
2. If you live on your own reach out to people book dates with friends/ family so you don’t feel so isolated and aren’t focusing on your work all the time.
3. Podcast episodes – I have done a few podcast episodes about burnout including the one already mentioned in this blog. I also spoke about this with two guests Elaine Batho and Kath Curry please see link to podcast here to look at episodes you feel would support you right now here
Lastly if you have read this post and think you need my support why not get in touch with me at soma@thecareerhappinesssmentor.com or share this post and comment below