5 To Thrive Tips To Prevent Burnout
- Disconnect – Staying connected to all the devices (smartphones, iPads, iWatches, etc) is the biggest reason burnout is on the rise. The devices that hold our lives together are the same devices that could be tearing our lives apart. They grab our attention and make everything feel urgent. Before the smartphone leaving work at work was the default. Today our office is in our pockets, in our homes, and on vacation. Disconnect and leave your smartphones on silent, leave in another room or turn off. Start by turning it on silent or turning off for a few hours a day to see how it affects you. And please, don’t bring it with you to the beach or pool during your holiday vacation. Spend the time with your loved ones or with yourself.
- Don’t Identify With Your Job – If you derive all our satisfaction and self-worth from your job you are more likely to burn out when things go wrong or bad at the workplace. You have to find ways to detach from yourself from work. You need other things in your life to build your identity around. Don’t let work become your life. The next time someone asks you what you do for a living, avoid the obvious and give an answer like this, “I’m in the business of living my life to the fullest.” See how that makes them respond. I’m certain you’ll have interesting conversations from there.
- Say NO! – What? I can’t say NO! Yeah, yeah…that’s what I thought too. You can and you should. Say NO to projects, clients, reports, trips, hang time with friends and so on. Often we overextend ourselves maxing our schedules and putting us into overdrive to meet all the demands we chose to do. So next time someone asks you to have dinner or your boss says there’s a new project they want you on, just say NO!, but with good reason. You don’t want to burn out.
- Take On New Challenges – Boredom or unsatisfactory work erodes your self-worth. Nobody likes to throw away a day doing something their not interested in or that doesn’t challenge their intelligence. Finding ways to challenge yourself without stressing yourself is a tricky balance, but it’s possible. Write down 3-5 ways you could challenge yourself with new creative projects at work, with family, around the house, in the garden or on a lifelong dream you’ve had, but haven’t done yet. The new challenges will fuse your life with more passion and focus.
- Exercise or Meditate – You didn’t think I would not throw this into the mix of tactics to avoid burnout. I am not biased, but exercise and meditation have been clinically proven to avoid burnout, reduce stress, improve mood, energy, purpose, and focus. Go for an afternoon walk during lunch or after work before you get home. Meditate before, during or after work to create more mindfulness to recognize when you’re imbalanced or on the verge of a burnout. The benefits are endless. It doesn’t matter what you do, you just have to do it consistently to reap the benefits.
Burnout is real and it creeps up on you before you know it hit you. So please my friend, don’t overlook the signs or symptoms. The steps above are simple and practical for anyone.
Live your life with passion and balance!
Your health and fitness coach,
Steve Jordan
If you missed it Wednesday, please check out my latest podcast I AM Healthy & Fit HERE
