Burnout Hurts
When you burnout at work, you start to feel diminished. Like a part of yourself has gone into hiding and it doesn’t want to come out. Challenges that were manageable and small, start to feel like large nightmares from hell. It’s the opposite end of the spectrum from engagement. The engaged person is energized, involved, and high-performing; the burned-out person is exhausted, cynical, and overwhelmed.
It’s this third dimension of burnout — reduced personal accomplishment — that traps many people at work in situations where they suffer. When you’re burned out, your capacity to perform at work is compromised, and so is your belief in yourself. It’s one of the reasons why during my work week, I take five minutes before work and five minutes during my break to do some mindful meditation. This has helped me clear my mind and just help me overall prepare for the job ahead.
You can also set some boundaries in the workplace so you don’t get up to that burnout stage. Setting boundaries isn’t just about saying no; it’s also about saying yes. When your brain is on fire after a long day of work, remember to say yes to the activities that contribute to your overall well-being. You can write or draw if that makes you feel good, or even eating that nice ice cream cake that you like. Burnouts are never a good thing, this is why it’s very important to keep yourself healthy physically and mentally.
