If you're one of them, it's totally normal. You just need to recharge your batteries, and you'll be fresh as a daisy again. What you can do now is read our tips on how to avoid burnout. If it’s not enough, check out our summaries: Burnout and The 4-Hour Workweek.
Perceive mistakes as part of the learning process to reduce stress
Sometimes, burnout doesn't happen because life is too complicated. It only happens because we make it complicated ourselves. We often want to do everything perfectly, following the little cranky, childish perfectionist inside of us. However, most often, this leads us not to the perfect completion of a task but to frustration, accompanied by burnout and an unwillingness to continue.
If you've decided to learn to crochet, be prepared that your first pieces won't be perfect. Perhaps they will even be terrible. But with time, you will make progress sooner or later. Consequently, you need to learn to accept your mistakes. You also need to remember that any process of working or learning is always at risk of errors. Develop your stress tolerance by giving up the fear of failure.
Shut up your inner critic
So, what do you do if your inner cranky child is stronger than you? Not only can this naughty kiddo be a perfectionist who won't let you make mistakes, but he can also be a cruel critic who scolds you even for things that aren't mistakes. Well, you'll have to use your imagination to deal with them. Imagine them as a separate person. You can give them a name, think of what they will look like, and so on. Now, tell them, "I'm quite competent/talented, and you, Johnny, are just a little imaginary crybaby." Start believing in yourself more than you believe in the critic inside you. This may not be easy, especially if, for someone, constant self-criticism is a consequence of trauma. But you have to keep fighting, and no burnout will ever scare you!
Find your great purpose and go for it
Many time management coaches and other work-related courses will tell you that motivation and meaning will save you from burnout. And while there are many other factors that we'll also consider, being filled with meaning is of sacred importance. We've all enjoyed movies and books about idealists who suffer a lot just to get revenge on their father's killer or become a samurai. Your motivation can be much easier. If you're working for career advancement, you should often visualize your future in your boss's shoes. If you're working to support your children, think of them when it seems like everything is lost. Treat all the negative things around you as small obstacles to developing your superhero story arc.
However, if you can't find an answer to why you're doing all this, then perhaps you should reconsider your life choices.
Try to avoid unhealthy social relations to reduce anxiety
Your relationships with people can also influence your burnout at work. Some studies have shown that workers with peaceful and understanding families are much less likely to burn out than those in stable relationships. No wonder! Burnout is directly related to our mental health. Even if a person is a motivated worker who turns in all projects on time, loves their work, and has the respect of their colleagues, they are unlikely to achieve anything if they are faced with a terrible family atmosphere after work. Well, if you want to avoid burnout, maybe you should leave your abusive partner or finally move away from your mom, who thinks that your work is not serious, and "Why are you not like aunt Nina's son?"
Manage your time so that you can stay productive but still get enough rest
You may now be reading the most obvious thing in the world, however, in order to avoid burnout, you must not overwork yourself. Many companies are obsessed with the productivity of their employees, while employees work ten-hour days without rest. This is not the way to do it. You must rest like any living being. It is up to you to test the limits of your own abilities, especially if you work freelance and can regulate your workflow. Experiment with different workloads and choose the best option for you. If you're not freelancing, you can simply discuss your burnout with your boss and ask for an assistant. Be sure: every good employer will be happy to help you if they see signs of burnout at work.
Don't forget about sleep and nutrition as well. We get tired faster when we don't eat well and get enough sleep. Work that was easy for us now requires effort because our bodies are stressed. As a result, at this rate, you will meet burnout much faster. So, if you're faced with the choice of sitting on a project all night and finishing it on time, you may want to ask for a deadline extension after all.
Just live your life
Also, don't forget to live an interesting life. You have to remember how good it is to just live. If you feel the slightest signs of burnout and a desire to stop, then stop it. Give yourself a break. Chances are, after a good rest, you will be able to get back on track and continue your righteous endeavors. Instead of dreaming all year about those exact two weeks of vacation, try to go on vacation right now. Make it a two-day weekend trip to the mountains. Maybe you should do something completely different and just quit your job if it's no longer enjoyable. Try traveling to another country for a couple of months while working part-time in a cafe and thinking about your life. Try different hobbies, different part-time jobs, meet people, and live in the moment. Don't let burnout at work become your routine, turning you into a perpetually apathetic corporate slave.
Burnout is a substantial vice for today's society, which is obsessed with material goods and productivity. However, to avoid becoming a walking dead man who has lost all his desires and ambitions, just heed a couple of tips. First, turn off your inner critic with perfectionist syndrome. Don't let them take power over you and plunge you into an abyss of despair and self-defeat. Instead, focus on what really matters — your own development and your family. Though it may seem unimportant at first, at the end of the day, it will help you to maintain your work-life balance. Allow yourself to rest and just live!
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