When you have many projects to complete and limited energy, this can increase your risk of burnout. Whether you have commitments or are trying to muster up enough power to achieve everything you’ve scheduled, it can be hard to focus, increasing the chances of burnout. As high achievers, we take pride in our accomplishments, and our dedication and drive can be risk factors for burnout.
Overcoming Burnout
Burnout robs the planet of its best and brightest minds by feeding on people’s strength, excitement, and zeal, turning them into fatigue, anger, and disillusionment. The good news is that burnout does not have to end for you. It requires a shift of attitude but may become a productive influence in your life – once burnout is recognized and the underlying contributing factors determined.
If you’ve been a victim of burnout, here are a few suggestions to help you reignite your inner flame and shine again.
Take inventory
Create a list of all the circumstances which make you feel depressed, nervous, worried, irritated, and powerless. Don’t try to rush through this; it’s not a race; it’s a marathon. Remember, you are a work in progress.
Create a new strategy
Work towards removing tension, and start incorporating it into your routine. Don’t get upset if you don’t see immediate progress. Burnout doesn’t happen overnight, and it will take some time to make new patterns and different life choices to see positive changes in your journey towards eradicating the state of burnout. The only way to progress is by applying meaningful improvements in the routine.
Simply say no.
When “recovering,” stop taking on any additional obligations or commitments. I realize you live in the modern world, and there are certain things you can’t get out of doing. While ultra-high achievers should say “no,” they tend to have a terrible habit of always saying “yes.” So, it’s imperative to fight that impulse – retrain yourself.
Delegate as many items as you can, even though the person you delegate to cannot perform them as quickly or as well as you probably could – get comfortable knowing that that’s ok!
Take breaks in big ventures.
Burnout is undermining your mind and body, so stop moving from one exhausting, time-consuming task to the next and allow your mind and body a chance to rest – and heal.
Break from tech.
Gadgets like phones, laptops, and smartphones will take your resources and time. Take a break from them as often as possible.
Socialize with people outside of your circle.
This will give you fresh insights, inspire creative thoughts, and enable you to explore previously undiscovered opportunities.
Cease the need to do it all.
Yes, I know you’ve got a job, but sometimes we need to slow down and allow others to do some of the work on our plate when possible. So if you’re like other high-achieving people, you find fulfillment in being a hero, running about, and demonstrating how easily you can cross the finish line course.
Not everyone who steps up to bat will be the best player or hit home runs. Sometimes it is ok to allow others to participate in your projects – it takes some of the load off of you, helps others learn skills, and grow as people, and teamwork is invaluable on many levels. You have to accept that some projects might not be executed as perfectly as they would have been had you done them solo, but the other benefits of giving some responsibility to others are far greater!
Find a community to help.
Find a community group to help you navigate this challenging process toward eradicating stress and burnout from your life. A community group could be a specialist offering assistance or mentoring or a community of informal friends meeting to exchange ideas. A community network has two functions:
An avenue to help you express your emotions and decrease your discomfort, and
being together with other people helps combat feelings of loneliness, which is a very negative result of burnout.
The best thing you can do for yourself is to learn how to calm down, slow down, get grounded, be present in each moment, and live that moment. The universe has your back, so please relax and make the most of every moment – be here now.