In a time where chasing the next greatest trend, fad, influencer or improve thyself technique is the thing to do, people are fiercely striving for perfection in their professional and personal lives. This non-stop sprint for greatness has left a majority of folks stressed out, tired and overwhelmed. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared "Burnout" as a diagnosable condition. Their definition of burnout focuses solely on the professional perspective but I believe if we fail to equally consider personal burnout in the definition, we are only examining half of the issue.
My personal definition of burnout is: having feelings of exhaustion and extreme tiredness with increased mental isolation from one's personal and professional responsibilities which result in reduced productivity.
Many people experience burnout in their personal and professional lives without realizing it. There's the pressure to attain a certain lifestyle or to achieve a certain social status, but there's also the pressure to be the one who people can depend on and the one who has it all together.
In the workplace, employees are working longer hours, performing jobs they despise and working through their lunch break to chase the so-called American Dream. Those actions contribute to exhaustion and regret.
If you think you may be suffering from Professional burnout, try incorporating the following actions and seek professional help if necessary.
Establish healthy connections/relationships at work
Unplug during your lunch break; no phone, no meetings, just eat
Schedule quarterly vacation days throughout the year to do something meaningless and fun. Don't wait until Summer or Christmas break to take time off
Personal burnout can be a little more difficult to recognize, mainly because no one wants to freely admit when your own life becomes too much to handle. To give you a better understanding of personal burnout, I'm going to extend to you a looking glass into my life. In 2015, I went through divorce, cancer and job loss all within a 6 month period. I was exhausted, my self-esteem was low, my concentration was non-existent and I was persistently overwhelmed. I did not have a steady income again until November 2016. I was on the verge of losing my home and my sanity. While dealing with all these things, I was raising a teenager, being a supportive daughter, sister, auntie and friend while being completely depleted inside. Personal burnout. Personal burnout comes from continuously mismanaging your life by neglecting your personal needs and putting the needs of others before your own, neglecting opportunities for self-care and personal well-being and failing to see the beauty in the present moment. The greatest gift that I've learned on my road to self restoration is: I AM MY PRIORITY. I'm giving you a few of my top reminders to help you focus on self-care, self-restoration and self-preservation.
Schedule self-care appointments frequently
Unplug from social media often
Use the letters N.O. freely
Don't lose yourself, trying to save someone else
Live and let live
Always remember: "We each have a life to live and personal burdens to bear. You are here as a support, not a savior." For more tips on managing burnout and protecting your peace, subscribe to my blog and newsletter by visiting www.designedbymelissarivers.com. Peace.
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