4 Steps To Take When You Are Feeling Burned Out
So- you’re noticing that you have hit a point of burnout in the workplace and are wondering what to do next. First of all, if you haven’t already, go back and read my blog posts I have already posted on Burnout (Burnout Part 1) (Burnout Part 2) so that you have a framework of what burnout really is and what it can look like, then come back here!
Here are 4 steps that you might want to take, depending on what your situation is, if you are finding yourself in a place of feeling burned out in life or at work:
Reach out to a counselor: We are not meant to do life alone, and dealing with compassion fatigue and burnout are no different. You do not need to navigate feelings of burnout by yourself, and there is no shame in reaching a point of burnout. Working with a counselor can help you sort through the variety of workplace issues that
contributed to burnout, and they can begin to help you figure out what changes might be helpful. A counselor can help you figure out what boundaries might be helpful to put into place, and can be a support to you if there have been traumatic situations that you have endured within the workplace. A therapist will not tell you what to do, however… that’s not their job!
2. Create lists for workplace demands and workplace resources: I talked quite a bit about this in my last blog post, so you can go back to read more about these lists and how to utilize them within a process of understanding burnout in the workplace. Once you have these lists, this can help inform you of how you might want to proceed in creating changes for yourself to increase your health and decrease burnout.
3. Talk to other people! Burnout (or experiencing harassment and discrimination in the workplace) can lead to a sense of shame or a feeling like we need to stay silent. It’s important that we engage with a community of (emotionally healthy) people in our lives for support, as well as to have a balance in our lives. Engagement with social supports is one of the protective barriers for our mental health, and as we walk through difficult situations within the workplace, we need the support of others in our life. We cannot walk this journey on our own.
4. Ask yourself “What is mine to do?”: This question can clarify what is within our area of ownership and responsibility. We are ultimately responsible for our thoughts, feelings/emotions, actions/reactions, and the responsibilities that we have chosen to take on in our life. When we are walking through workplace issues, especially when we have very little control of what is happening, it is important to continually bring ourselves back to the healthy control and responsibility that we do have (again, working with a counselor can help to clarify this). Working on your own self-care (though I want to mention that we cannot simply “self care” our way out of burnout!), such as healthy sleep rhythms, continuing to move your body, getting outside into nature, working on healthy thought patterns, and setting good boundaries, can also be helpful and add to our set of “resources”.
Again, these are not the only things we can do when we start to notice that we are moving towards burnout in our life, but these are four concrete and practical steps that can make a big difference at the very start. These are just general ideas, as everyone’s individual and workplace conditions and needs are different.
If you are noticing symptoms of burnout in the workplace, you don’t need to suffer in silence or “just deal with it”. Reach out to a professional who can help you navigate through the workplace issues you are experiencing.
To learn more about Burnout in the Workplace, head over to my YouTube Channel.
This blog post provides general information and is not meant to be specific advice to any individual situation. This should not be taken as specific medical, psychological, or mental health advice, nor should this be construed as the initiation of a therapeutic client relationship. This blog post is not a substitute for mental health counseling. Please talk to your doctor before beginning any new exercise or movement-based routines and talk to your counselor regarding best treatments and techniques for your particular situation.