How to avoid burnout
Clients come to me when they ‘crash’.
When the exhaustion brought on from their lives is just too much, and they burn out. They want to know how to avoid this experience , and if you’re reading this, I suspect you may be in a similar position.
Below are some tips I teach my clients on how to avoid burnout!
Know what triggers you!
How can you prevent anything, if you don’t know what happened in the first place? Ask yourself, what has led to this particular burnout, or past burnouts? Was it a manager or boss having high expectations? Was it you saying ‘yes’ to everything?
An example from one of my clients, let’s call her Sandra. Sandra worked for a small start up. She was working 14-hour days, saying that it was ok because they were hiring and ‘it would get better’. Then, one of the recruits didn’t work out and Sandra was left still working 14 hours a day. This eventually became an expectation from both herself and her colleagues. Consequently, she reached total burnout.
In this story the triggers would be: knowing it is perhaps too busy and making excuses that it would get better. Additionally for Sandra, she was recovering in her own time, having plenty of ‘much needed down-time’ at the weekend. Which really is a sign that you are too busy at work when this becomes regular.
For me, my triggers are that I like helping people and I love my job. So I say YES to everything and severely underestimate how long certain tasks take. This leads to feeling stressed and working too hard to complete everything.
Build solid boundaries in & map them out
Put boundaries in to avoid burnout, at work and if needed, at home. For example, just because you don’t have plans at 5pm it does not mean you should be staying at work. People may not like this - especially if they are the beneficiary of your efforts = but having solid boundaries is important.
If you should start at 9. You do not log on at 8.
If you need to fill the time with something else try this coaching exercise below, Doing this can help you stick to leaving and creating this new habit.
Fill the time with meditation, working out, going for a walk, reading a book, cooking a nice breakfast. Read up on a topic you find interesting (I am currently reading plenty on the woman's hormonal cycle!) Do the thing you always say you’re too busy for!
Top Tip: Book to do something with another person for accountability. I especially love booking a gym class at 5.30 so I have to leave my desk and go elsewhere. Physically leaving, even for a 15-minute walk, works well for a lot of my clients, especially when we work-from-home. A change in location can help you re-set and let go of the day.
What to do to recover from burnout, prevent it, and generally be happier!
Fill your time with things that make you feel good!
What to fill your time with? That is the question. I have included some examples above, but you may have different likes and dislikes. So here is a practical coaching exercise on how to make this fit your life in an authentic way.
Think about what feels good to you? How does that feel in your body?
Write down how it feels, and actually feel it. That real joyous feeling.
Now write a list of all the things that you are doing when you have this feeling, for example.
Meditation
Yoga
Reading
Taking ‘me time’
Walking
Cooking nutritious food
Calling true friends for catch ups
Indulging in Netflix
Then, you could map out when you can incorporate these. If you think that having it locked in the diary (so you don’t have to make the decision to do it) will help you personally then do that.. For example, I map my workouts at the start of the week and book a few classes. I personally find it helpful to not have to think.
However, us humans are all very different - so another approach could be to have a ‘menu’ of options. That way when you close your laptop at 5pm, you can look at your menu and pick what you fancy at the time.
Prioritise SLEEP
When thinking about how to avoid burnout, you may not go straight to considering sleep, but sleep is one of the key things that will help you prevent it!
Sleep keeps you focused and at your sharpest. It enhances your immune system and makes you less susceptible to stress. If you ever need a reason to get your 8 hours, read Mathew Walker, Why we Sleep. For some practical ways to improve your sleep, watch this video
To conclude, there are lots of things that you can do to prevent becoming burnt out. However, implementing the tips mentioned in this blog won’t just help you prevent burnout, it will also help you feel happier, more intune with yourself, and grant you more energy in general.
Work with me:
If you have any questions or would like any support in overcoming burnout, jump on your FREE clarity call and select ’intensives’ to discuss how this works. This is the quickest solution to fixing burnout. Fees are shared before you book your call.
Sarah is a Career Change Coach. She helps women breakthrough and pivot in their career. Whether you're not networking, developing your own work or side hustle! Stop feeling like you don’t know where to start and reach out!
Sarah has a Masters in Psychology and is both accredited by and a member of the British Psychological Society. She has experience working with the military and corporate sector in recovery, transition, leadership, and mentoring.
