Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged work stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.
In our last edition of The Huddle, we kicked off our burnout double header with a Burnout Checklist to help you answer the question, “Are you burned out?” This month, we’re back with some tips to help you cool down and keep burnout at bay.
Regardless of the time of day or night, pick an end to your work day, and stick to it.
Before we successfully power down our laptops and devices, they execute a shutdown routine to successfully close operations. We should implement a similar practice at the close of our work days (e.g. check your calendar, triage emails, make a to-do list for the next day).
Whether you work from home or you’ve returned to the office, create a ritual that psychologically and physically separates you from your work. Consider storing your laptop and other work items in a separate room away from your main living spaces.
If you use the same computer or devices for work and personal use, switch out of your work accounts and only use personal accounts and apps for leisure. You can’t disconnect from work if you’re still checking emails and notifications after hours.
As an accountability measure, try scheduling a personal “appointment” at the end of your work day to ensure that you end at a certain time. Your planned appointment could be as formal as a workout class or a therapy appointment, or you could plan to cook dinner with your sweetheart, pick up the kids, or schedule a standing check-in personal call with a friend or family member.
Whatever strategies you decide to use, exercising healthy boundaries by consistently cooling down and logging off after work can significantly decrease the impact of burnout.