Burnout is a common theme found in every industry. If you haven’t been affected by burnout yet, the chances are that you may very likely experience this at some point down the road. The best-case scenario is to catch burnout before it even happens so that you can implement a few practices to either avoid it altogether or minimize its effects.
How to Avoid Burnout
Some people treat avoiding burnout as trying to solve a complex puzzle. But the pieces are instead rather simple. In fact, avoiding burnout is best achieved by focusing on basic health principles. The first of these means ensuring that you are getting enough sleep. As you get wrapped up in work tasks and trying to maintain your social life, sleep is often the first avenue that is sacrificed. However, this cannot become a daily habit, or else you will quickly drive yourself into burnout.
Sleep deprivation is a key aspect of what drives individuals into an unhealthy state. If you’re tempted to stay up longer, try setting the alarm on your phone approximately 30 minutes before your desired bedtime. When this alarm goes off, put your electronics away and get yourself ready for sleep.
Avoiding burnout also means that you should make time for activities that you enjoy. As you become busier with work, you can tend to sacrifice the hobbies that refresh you. You know what restores you better than anyone else. You should make it a priority to leave work at work and to refresh yourself through these activities throughout the week. This will look different for every individual depending on their personality and personal interests. Whatever it is that will refresh you, make sure you are not neglecting it.
Changing your mindset is also a huge part of avoiding burnout. Oftentimes, professionals will seek satisfaction in their careers. As individuals grow more experienced in their careers, they may come to realize that their career shouldn’t always be the source of their satisfaction and joy. But this can be hard to navigate, especially since the world has taught young professionals about the importance of their careers. But there are areas outside of work in which you can gain satisfaction as well.
Those who seek this satisfaction solely in their work will be more likely to experience burnout since all their time and energy will be poured into that one avenue. When they experience setbacks or failures, it can be very devastating for them because of where they put their priorities. By making this mind shift, you’ll allow yourself to avoid burnout and pick yourself back up after failures.