Managers, entrepreneurs and all of you who have to carry a huge responsibility for your work performance on your shoulders are exposed to enormous stress every day. An excessive mental and emotional exertion often causes burnout, which significantly suppresses your further work efforts. A healthy diet, adequate exercise and sleep are undoubtedly good advice. What else may prevent you from a total exhaustion? The Open Forum website answers this question with ten tips.
1. Reveal the causes of burnout
High ambitions are forcing some people to excessively overload their body in order to prove their indispensability to themselves and others. Knowing the factors causing the so-called "burnout syndrome" will help you to prevent it in the future.
2. Try meditation
Meditation is a source of regained power. Push your prejudices aside and reserve some time to relax regularly which will enhance your ability to keep calm even when you are under pressure. Try a relaxation program.
3. Realize your priorities
Be aware that excessive work effort may harm also other parts of your life. Are you sure you want to build a career at the expense of your own health or family? Would not it be better if the great work results were just a reflection of the quality of your life?
4. Self-reflection is important
Some causes of burnout are associated with a subconscious need to feel important. Unfortunately, success is usually associated with a high work effort due to which you have a hectic life. Learn the self-control and get to know when it is time to relax.
5. Do not ignore the things that make you happier
Stress triggers vary from person to person. It can be also caused by a lack of activities that are important to our work performance. Are you missing more creativity or just a solitary moment to think? Change it!
6. Improve your manner
Are you absent-minded, noisy or acting rashly? Such a non-productive work behavior is one of the burnout triggers. Is not it better to list a few brief points before you call or think your further steps out better?
7. Know your anger triggers
Do you bring great results, but still feel a tension or anger? Maybe you do not have time for housekeeping, to meet your children or friends due to your job. Be aware of your resentment causes and correct them.
8. Start your morning with a right step
Morning shower, newspaper reading during the breakfast or purposeless browsing on the Internet. Create your daily ritual which will tune you up for a day.
9. Be mindful
Mindfulness is a way to escape from the destructive sacrificing for your work. Be sensitive to yourself, other people and the surroundings of where you work. How do you want to maintain your life balance if you miss a reflection of the surrounding environment?
10. Test yourself
Find out the probability for you to experience the burnout syndrome. You can use e.g. the MBI (Maslach Burnout Inventory) test. Thanks to the results you can take an action before the burnout triggers will ever appear.
Are you experiencing any signs of an excessive stress? Have you started solving them?
-bn-