Combating burnout A little guide to help you bounce back and shine
@aframosa
Hi there, Are you feeling like you are doing too much but it’s still not enough? Afraid that if you stop for one second, others will surpass you in life? There is too much work to do, too many things to worry about and now you have zero motivation to lift a finger?
If you wake up today with a heavy head, feeling uninspired and tired when the day has not even started yet, maybe you are experiencing burnouts.
What is burnout? Burnout
is
a
state
of
emotional,
physical,
and
mental
exhaustion, usually caused by excessive and prolonged stress. When
you
are
overwhelmed,
emotionally
drained,
and
unable
to meet constant demands, that is burnouts.
Burnout‌ Reduces productivity. A cause of many other mental issues like depression and anxiety. Will weaken your immune system. You will catch a cold or flu more easily. Leaves you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful.
@aframosa
Signs of burnout: Every day is a bad day Frequent headaches or muscle pain Change in appetite or sleep habits Lose interest and motivation to do things you used to love Sense of failure and self-doubt Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated Detachment, feeling alone in the world Sense of failure and self-doubt Hard to concentrate Lack of creativity
How many boxes did you check?
Stress VS. Burnout You can see burnout as the next stage of stress. However,
the
biggest
thing
that
differentiates
Stress
and
Burnout is your view about the situation. If you have too many things to do and you can’t do it all – you will feel stressed out If
you
feel
empty,
mentally
exhausted
and
you
have
energy to do anything – that’s burnout Burnout happens quieter than stress, therefore it is harder to realize it.
@aframosa
no
What can you do to combat burnout? Follow this small guide to balance out.
1. Take care of yourself physically - A healthy diet - Care for your sleep - Bring back the energy with workouts - The power of short breaks
2. Ease your mind -Â Just give yourself a break - Gratitude: The 10 good things list - The art of prioritizing - How about boundaries?
3. The people around you - Reach out - Socializing remedy - Stay away from emotional draining souls
@aframosa
Take care of yourself physically Back to the basic: eat, sleep, exercising, and drink water.
@aframosa
A healthy diet Minimize sugar and refined carbs. Reduce intake of caffeine, trans fats and foods with chemical preservatives. Eat more Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in fatty fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies,
sardines),
seaweed,
flaxseed,
and
walnuts, to boost your mood. Avoid smoking. Nicotine is a powerful stimulant, leading to higher levels of anxiety. Moderate your alcohol intake.
Care for your sleep Notice your sleep cycle.
During the weekend,
don't set alarm and go to bed early the night before to wake up naturally the next morning. This will help you sync with your biological clock. Eventually, you will know the perfect time to go to bed and have a suitable sleep schedule. Take a daily break from technology before bed. It
is
within
recommended 1-2
completely
hours
of
to
avoid
your
bright
bedtime.
screens So,
go
disconnect before bedtime.
Put
away your laptop, turn off your phone, and get back to yourself.
@aframosa
Bring back the energy with workouts Shift the focus from your thoughts to your body and how it feels as you move.
Yes, this doesn’t sound like something you want to do when you feel like doing nothing. Still, exercise is a powerful antidote to stress and burnout. It is something you can do immediately to feel better.
Aim to exercise for 30 minutes or more per day or break that up into short, 10-minute bursts of activity. A 10-minute walk can improve your mood for two hours!
The power of short breaks When it is difficult to focus, you will find yourself dragging through the day. This results in the guilt of unproductivity and makes an endless circle.
So try to use short breaks between your work.
Try the Pomodoro method or the 3-item to-do list to balance out work and rest.
@aframosa
Ease your mind
Return to yourself. Let’s cure this inside out. Breath.
@aframosa
Give yourself a break If possible, give yourself permission to get away from the stressful situation for a while. Go on vacation or just simply take a day off. When taking a break, try to do something you want to do, not what you have to do. Temporarily forget about the responsibilities for a day, or even just a while, can help you recharge.
If you feel uneasy and your mind still wanders around your unfinished tasks – note them down. Seeing the task written down will assure your brain that you will take care of those, just not at that specific moment when you deserve a break.
Gratitude: The 10 good things list If
you
are
so
uninspired,
your
motivation
and
joy
are
nowhere to be found, start this little exercise: keep a journal and list out
10 good things that happened
every
day before going to bed. Take time to reflect, think back real hard, and spot the lights in your gloomy day.
Note down things as tiny as a nice cup of coffee you had at work, that the metro was not too crowded, that you almost missed the bus but you made it, and many more. Be
creative
and
try
looking
details in your daily life.
@aframosa
at
different
aspects
and
The art of prioritizing If
you
are
having
too
much
on
your
plate
but
motivation to do none of them, it is a clear sign that you should work on your priorities. You can do this while
taking
a
break.
Have
some
time
to
sit
with
yourself, get comfortable to reflect, and think about your values, your goals, hopes, and dreams. It is important to check back with yourself, especially when you are unhappy about life. Are you neglecting something important to you? There must be something you can do to improve the situation.
Fun fact: at first, "priority" is an uncountable word. So you see how crazy the world is when now everyone has a long list of priorities.
How about boundaries? Directly related to prioritizing, setting personal boundaries is the next step you need to take to protect your energy. Saying no is difficult. We hate upsetting people. We also want to test our limits. It’s totally fine to try, but don’t overextend yourself. If you find yourself responding to requests “yes” but in the back of your mind there is a quiet mumble “actually no”, reconsider.
Spending your time on things that mean little or even nothing to you is a waste of time. @aframosa
The people around you
Social contact is nature’s antidote to stress.
@aframosa
Reach out First
thing
first,
to
all
the
anxious
people
out
there:
Opening up won’t make you a burden to others. If you feel like talking to someone about your situation, reach out to your friends and family.  Most friends and loved ones will be flattered that you trust them enough to open up.
Being honest about your emotion and lean on
each other will strengthen your relationship with them.
You don't even have to talk about the thing that is burning you out if you don't want to. Sometimes we have good reasons to not share everything about ourselves. In those cases, just simply spend some time with loved ones and enjoy the moment. Even if you don't talk about it, being with people who love you will pamper your soul.
Socializing remedy Besides
spending
time
with
close
friends
and
family members, socializing in general also helps. Socialization
increases
a
hormone
that
decreases anxiety levels and makes us feel more confident in coping with stress.
Go to a social event, meet new people, listen to the stories of others, these activities will help you shift your attention from your dragging mood. If you are an extrovert, socializing is a great way to recharge and get inspired.
@aframosa
Stay away from emotional draining souls This last tip is quite straight forward but difficult to follow and requires practice. Our
emotions
and
general
mood
are
easily
affected
by
others.
Therefore,
spending time with negative people will eventually drag us down.
The thing is we are usually trying to be nice and empathize with the moody people, which at a certain level is a very good thing.
However, if you have to spend a lot of time around the pessimistic people, stay alert
and
separate
their
emotions
from
yours.
Your
important, don't sacrifice it just to be a "nice person".
@aframosa
emotional
health
is
Thank you for reading this. I hope that this little guidebook helped you a bit. Everything takes time, so give yourself time to deal with burnout and stress I believe that you can do it!
Linh
@aframosa