• Business Planning
  • August 15, 2022

How to Avoid Burnout

As per the WHO, long work hours are causing early death. This is the ultimate result of stress, one of the extreme stages of which is called burnout. Again, WHO claims that 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression, whereas in the UAE, it amounts to 20% of the total population. (Priorigroup.ae, n.d.) Apparently, the UAE also ranks the highest in the region for depression. Looking at this in a positive light, here is a country that is making an effort to raise awareness about the oft-disregarded issue of stress.

 

Burnout is a condition of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused due to a prolonged state of mental stress. Some of the signs of burnout are:

  • Physical fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Negative feelings like anger and irritability
  • Diminishing self-confidence
  • Lack of focus
  • Loneliness

 

Employee burnout has increased multifold since the pandemic started. While work-from-home might have its benefits, it does take a toll on the mental health of employees. The feeling of being tied to work all the time and the unwritten demand to be on-call and available past the work hours eventually leads to employees feeling stressed out and saturated.

 

Up to a considerable extent, Zoom fatigue (Zoom Fatigue is Real, 2021), the exhaustion that follows a video call, also adds up to overall burnout. While we are inclined to think that Zoom meetings save our energy because there is no requirement to commute, the reality is quite the opposite. New studies show that Zoom meetings require the brain to work harder than face-to-face meetings because it is difficult to read facial expressions and decode tones over a screen.

 

 

Moreover, the feeling of missing out on the yearly holiday, where employees, especially expatriates, travel back home or to exotic locations to relax and unwind, adds up to the saturation. Excessive bouts of stress and saturation may lead to burnout.

Let us look at a few ways to avoid workplace burnout.

 

  1. Protect your mind & body: The effect working out – be it jogging, sport, yoga, meditation, or a swim has on mental health is vital. Even though burnout-induced fatigue might pull you down, it is crucial to get up and burn calories to get the endorphins (or happy hormones) working in your favour. Make fitness part of your lifestyle and you will see rapid changes in your energy levels, sleep better, focus, and destress.
     
  2. Take short breaks: Taking frequent breaks allows your mind to relax and switch off and this can help reduce stress considerably. The gap can be used to go out for a breath of fresh air, a brisk walk, playing soothing music, or anything that relaxes your mind following an active work session. Zoom fatigue is real. It is okay to miss out on a few meetings if it is affecting your mental health. This could be managed by prioritizing the ones where your presence is mandatory over the ones that can be given a miss.
     
  3. Maintain relationships: Being in touch with close friends or family goes a long way in keeping burnout at bay. Communicating helps you and might help the person at the other end going through a similar situation. Since the pandemic has robbed us of physical meetups largely, virtual communication can be resorted to. The key is to stay connected.

 

  1. Find time for ‘me-time’:  Working from home entails simultaneous caring for the family. Therefore, it is vital to keep time aside for yourself when you can be free of all your duties and engage in hobbies that you love or self-care, grooming, gardening – whatever fancies you. This refreshes your mind and body. Do not feel guilty for enjoying it – you deserve it. Even your family would prefer a relaxed parent than an over-stressed, irritated person.

 

  1. Get professional help. If you feel you cannot cope, reach out and get help. Talking to a therapist, life coach, psychiatrist or counsellor be it physical or virtual, is a proven way to de-stress and overcome burnout. Owing to the stigma attached to seeing a "shrink," most shy away, thereby sinking deeper into depression.

 

Thankfully, the current awareness that mental health garners is slowly defeating the stigma, with more people reaching out than before.

 

Employee burnout is real, escalated to alarming heights by COVID. Be aware of it to make changes in your life to overcome it. Employers need to realize the importance of preserving their employees' mental health and taking steps that alleviate the issue.


Prioritizing employee happiness ensures improved productivity.

 


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