Tips for Managing the Feelings of Burnout

Feeling the Burn?

Tips for Managing the Feelings of BURNOUT

By Courtney Carroll, Parks and Recreation Director, Town of LaGrange

The alarm goes off, she opened her eyes and immediately felt a pain in her gut and her mind started to spin. The crucial conversations to have, the meetings to attend, the programs to run, the situations to handle, the paperwork to complete, the update of COVID requirements, and the highstress workplace flooded her thoughts all at once. She felt worried, exhausted, angry, and fearful. Does she even have time to do all of it in one day, she questioned. And she hadn’t even had her coffee yet. Complete disclosure, this woman has been me recently. And I’m sure many of you have experienced these same feelings of burnout, sometimes without even knowing it. Currently, we are living in a world where burnout is at an alltime high. If dragging ourselves out of bed in the morning requires all the energy we can muster, you could be burnt. (I don’t know if burnt is a thing, but I’m going to make it happen, ok Gretchen?!) Burnout is the condition of someone who has become very physically and emotionally tired after doing a difficult job for a long time or exhaustion of physical strength, emotional strength, or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. The World Health Organization has characterized three different dimensions of burnout: feeling of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, or feeling of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job. Some reasons for burnout might include unmanageable workloads, unfair treatment at work, confusing work responsibilities, lack of communication or support from managers, or work life imbalance. If you can relate to any part of this article, make sure to check out some small changes the Town of Lagrange Recreation department has implemented this year to help us recover from the feeling of being “burnt”.

1. Turn off the screens at night.

I have been told I am a “doomscroller” which is defined as excessive amount of mindless scrolling or surfing through negative news on your phone or screen. Have you ever landed on a story and have no idea how you got there? Lost hours (and I mean 2+) watching videos on TikTok or Facebook? That’s doomscrolling. My suggestion is to do something before bed that doesn’t involve a screen. For example, writing, reading, or recently I have learned how to knit. I have found it easier for me to fall asleep and I am able to wake up feeling more refreshed. Also helpful tip, Apple iPhones have a sleep setting on them that has been helpful for me to use.

2. Make appointments with yourself.

“Dinner with me, I can’t cancel that again!” – The Grinch. One of my goals this upcoming year is to schedule my lunch time for actually eating lunch. Usually you will find me shoving a sandwich in my mouth while finishing up an e-mail on my phone walking down the hall to a meeting that is about to start. On Fridays in our office we make it a point to order food together, sit around a table, and talk about anything. Topics that are completely off-limits are work and COVID. It is a truly refreshing feeling to not only have those conversations with your coworkers but it is a special treat to order out. It is something we look forward to every Friday after a long week. And don’t worry, the work will still be there when you get back. #treatyoself

3. Exercise.

I highly recommend this. There are so many benefits to moving your body for 30 minutes a day, and bonus points if it is outside in nature. Yoga, Walking, Running. I have come to realize that I hold a lot of emotional stress in my body and at times I can actually feel the weight of the world on my shoulders and it can be heavy. The ability to come back to a balanced state of being after getting my blood pumping has been important for me mentally, physically, and emotionally. I have more energy, I am more productive at work, and I am happier. Thank you, endorphins!

4. Find your word.

At the beginning of the year I picked a word to always come back to when I am feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or need to refocus. That word for me is, FOCUS. Focus on myself and what I need, focus on what you can change, focus on what is right in front of you and be present, or take time to focus on nothing for a minute or two. Pick a word that will help you, come back to you and commit to it. Some other words that I looked to use were: Thrive, Strength, Believe, Grateful, Conquer. The words we use matter.

Give yourself grace, do the hard work on yourself and for yourself, and be present in moments that matter to you. Rest assured I am not a mental health professional but I know what has worked for me and the small manageable changes I have been able to implement in my life. I find that putting myself first and my work life balance can sometimes get lost in our profession as parks and recreation professionals, but our department has focused on supporting each other as the world moves forward from COVID. I’m letting go of the things that don’t make me feel good, and focusing on what makes me happy in hopes of making room for all that is needed in my life. I hope you do too. Burnt Toast, Courtney Carroll, Director, Town of Lagrange Parks and Recreation

Give yourself grace, do the hard work on yourself and for yourself, and be present in moments that matter to you.