WELLNESS AUTHOR
John Howard & Julie Falchuk
TOP TEN WAYS TO REDUCE BURNOUT n How to identify burnout and how to
alleviate the symptoms and get back to feeling ready to take on your days.
B
urnout levels have been high for many lately. During the pandemic, work has been part of this cause, whether it’s the monotony of working from home, a lack of in-person social engagement with team members, working long hours via Zoom or the stress of managing pandemic factors. While burnout is often associated with work, it can result from feeling stagnant in your personal life as well. The pandemic has made some aspects of personal life more challenging as well, such as travel, seeing friends, eating out, attending events and visiting with family. Burnout is defined as emotional, mental or physical exhaustion and overwhelm, usually as a product of sustained stress. While it is most commonly associated with doing a hard job for a long time, it can also result from too much “sameness” in your routine, a lack of social engagement, emotional stress, difficult relationships or losing touch with what brings you joy in life. Burnout is a common feeling many can relate to. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and a normal sign of
NOVEMBER 2021
needing a change of pace or some relief in your current situation. If you’re feeling burned out, you might need to make changes to your work schedule, your personal life or the balance of the two. Or you may need to process your feelings and connect more with others.
Here are 10 effective ways of alleviating burnout:
1
Share. Burnout can get worse with isolation.
Talking to people you know such as friends, family members or a therapist, can help unburden you of pent-up feelings and allow you to explore your inner experience. Getting clear on how you’re feeling and what you need to be different is an important first step.
2
Take some time off. Break up your routine.
Consider a vacation, but if traveling or taking much time off is a challenge, you might still be able to set aside two to three days to do something different like taking walks in the park, seeing friends or re-engaging with hobbies. If you can get away, you
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