(PowerInEmail.com) – If dread is the first feeling that comes to mind when thinking about work, we are likely experiencing burnout. Of course, simply dreading the workday isn’t the only sign. Feeling unappreciated, having negative attitudes about the work and our colleagues, experiencing low energy and being quickly irritated can all be symptoms.
While the ultimate temptation may be to leave the job and its worries behind, there are ways to stop workplace burnout and get rid of that awful feeling of dread. Here’s how.
Begin With a Morning Routine
It may seem overly simple, but finding an intentional way to start the day can contribute to a healthier mindset. Dreading work can have us hitting the snooze button and having to rush to make it on time (either to our workplace or to our home offices). Setting an intentional, soothing morning routine can start the day off better.
Ideas for a morning routine could include a gratitude practice, stretching, an early-morning workout, positive affirmations or just taking the time to sit down with a cup of coffee or tea to eat a healthy breakfast.
Consider Our Impact
Figuring out what purpose our jobs serve in the world can help us find perspective. No matter what we do for a living, we are likely contributing to our local economy and providing a service for people in our community.
Considering our impact goes deeper. Determining what we contribute can also mean evaluating how we can add value to our roles. We create the meaning, and if our jobs just don’t feel meaningful to us, it may be time to decide if we need to make changes on our career path so that our work has higher value than just a paycheck.
Set Healthy Boundaries
Understanding what falls under our job descriptions and what doesn’t is an important part of avoiding workplace burnout. We may be doing our jobs — and others’ too. Setting healthy boundaries may mean not helping out with someone else’s workload if we can’t even manage our own.
Beyond that, healthy boundaries at work can look like assessing how much we have to do and determining what can be delegated, what can be worked on as a team and which tasks may not be a priority. If we’re simply overwhelmed with work, asking for help may be the next step to making our workloads more manageable.
Consider the Fit
Are we tired of our jobs, or are we just tired of our roles with the company? It could be that we’ve outgrown the positions we’ve been working in and are ready for bigger challenges. We can consider if the roles we’re in are good fits or if it’s time to explore other opportunities.
Be a Motivator
While it’s important that we have healthy boundaries, it’s equally important that we be a help to others in the workplace. Being a good team player is more than just doing the work that falls under our job description. It also looks like helping others out who may be struggling by offering expert advice or useful suggestions, motivating others to do their best and cheering their achievements.
Showing kindness and treating colleagues like teammates rather than competitors can go a long way to feeling better about the workplace. Plus, a little empathy doesn’t hurt. The colleague we complain about who never seems to pull their weight may be under personal stressors we can’t even imagine. Showing kindness could actually help us feel better about our work.
Find Balance
Work is work, not our whole lives. To avoid workplace burnout, it’s important to have a work-life balance. Having outside interests and relationships can help avoid burnout when we prioritize our lives and leave our work back in the office. By practicing self-care and focusing more on our lives outside the workplace, we might not feel as burned out as if we let our work — and complaints about it — consume every waking hour of our days.
Make Healthy Choices
When we experience the low energy and loss of interest that comes with burnout, it may be time to empower ourselves to make healthy choices. Comfort foods may be tempting, but eating healthier will help us feel better.
Other healthy choices include getting enough sleep, exercising daily, spending time in nature, going in for a health check and even seeing a therapist to talk out our stressors. Taking better care of ourselves can help with burnout.
Before we hand in our notices, we may want to consider if a few life changes could have us feeling better about our jobs. If we take these steps and it still doesn’t help, it may be time to consider the next step toward changing workplaces or careers.
~Here’s to Your Success!
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