LIVE WELL
Beat the Heat: Combating Burnout is only a “temporary fix”. Consider how you may tackle burnout in three steps:
3. Passion projects or novelty – Work is work, but doing something we are passionate about allows our brains to • First, identify the reconnect with positive underlying cause(s) of emotions including joy your exhaustion. For Summer has officialand hope. Rebooting 1. Daily refueling – most people, there is ly arrived in Florida, Identify what helps you can happen by simply not a single cause but which means it’s heatshaking things up. New recharge or refuel and rather a long list of ing up outside. Please incorporate it into your activities have been things contributing to make certain that you daily routine. Self-care shown to boost our exhaustion. Actively are staying hydrated is a critical component. dopaminergic activity naming and acknowlbut also make certain in the brain which is edging the cause is you are monitoring associated with motiva2. Weekly pauses – your internal tempera- important if you want tion and rewards. It can Marking the end of a to put an end to the ture. week to literally exhale provide a temporary “burn” it creates. reset. all that happens can With kids home from allow oneself to not • Second, identify school, work obligaMake sure this summer only breathe and be tions, and the economy what is controllable present but to live fully. you are checking the and what is not. If it making it challenging Breaking life into small external temperature is out of your control, to go on a much-needand your internal one. chunks is part of makyou will need to sured summer vacation, Beat the heat and preing it all less scary or render it, move on, or it isn’t just sunburn vent burnout! learn to live in a health- overwhelming as you and dehydration we ier way with the issue. tackle it. need to worry about The truth is that there but life BURNOUT, is more that we are in too. According to the American Psychological control of than we often Association Dictionary want to admit. Taking of Psychology, burnout control sounds good is defined as “physical, and easy, but if it were easy we wouldn’t be emotional, or mental where we are so we exhaustion accompanied by decreased mo- need to remember to be gentle with ourselves. tivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes towards one- • And finally, make choices and make self and others.” changes - lasting changes. As I said, some While burnout may things are not “fixnot be a true “medable”, so tough choices ical” condition, it is will need to be made very real. According - but that is where real to psychologist Adam Borland, PsyD, “We’re change begins. Help yourself to make choicliving in an incredibly stressful time and burn- es and give yourself out is incredibly preva- permission to be and lent.” And though you breathe. It’s okay to not may think a three-week take care of everyone or everything else so you vacation on the beach to decompress will fix it can focus on YOU beall, he cautions that that cause you matter. Here are three things to consider to help you turn down the heat as you walk through the steps to combat burnout:
