Burnout Blues and How to Beat Them

While more and more people continue to return to work, the way we go about our lives and the typical workday is far from what it was just over a year ago. This shift has caused workers to feel stressed and struggle with burnout. A recent poll from employment website Indeed found that 52% of workers reported experiencing burnout, a jump of 9% since the pandemic began. Two-thirds of respondents said their burnout has gotten worse during the pandemic. Feeling burnt out can increase the likelihood of wanting to leave a job. In turn, thoughts of changing careers can take its own toll on your mental health. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by Healthline, 49% of those surveyed showed some sign of depression compared to a typical average of 37%, up from about a third of respondents to half. As we continue to adjust to our new ways of living and working, it’s important to think about ways to keep tabs on both your physical and mental wellbeing. Trying to get a read on your mental health can be challenging, even in the best of times. When we’re feeling mentally drained, those symptoms can show up in ways that seem unremarkable. Are you constantly tired at work? Has your appetite changed? Are you finding yourself easily irritated? It might be worth taking some time to reflect on how you’re feeling. An important step in any mental wellness journey is identifying what is causing you to feel exhausted and unwell then developing a method to control it. Here are a few areas of focus to help find your way out of your burnout funk:

Prioritizing Self-Care

Incorporate joy When it comes to maintaining your mental health, it’s important to seek out activities that bring you joy and help you destress. Focusing on hobbies and tasks that reduce stress and make you feel happy will help you achieve a better state of well-being, which can help you be more productive in the long run at work or home. If you’ve discovered a new hobby that brought you joy during pandemic, try to continue incorporating it into your workday. Hobbies can be as simple as meditating in the mornings, listening to podcasts in your car, taking a walk during your lunch break, or even doing aromatherapy in the evenings before bedtime. Any activity that relaxes your state of mind should be squeezed into your busy day. Planning out your day to manage your free time will help implement your hobbies as part of a daily routine. Remember, prioritizing self-care is just as important as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. The Harvard Business Review recommends journaling daily to record what you’re doing, whom you’re with, and how you feel. This can be done on paper, through an app, or even on a spreadsheet. Journaling increases your mood, boosts your energy, and decreases your stress.