What does it mean to be burned out? Based on the medical definition by Merriam-Webster, it essentially means exhaustion of physical or emotional strength usually because of prolonged stress or frustration. However, it is imperative to know that stress and burnout are not the same thing.
What Causes Burnout?
While it is a known fact that stress can lead to burnout, stress is however, not entirely linked to burnout. In a recent study Leading Through Burnout, 35 chief medical officers (CMOs) were assessing for their level of stress and what they did to cope with the burnout.
Although 69% of the CMOs indicated that their stress level was severe and above, majority of them did not feel burned out. Researchers discovered that the common link which kept them under stress is essentially, emotional intelligence (EI). Further research has also shown that EI is vital in supporting people’s coping abilities to deal with chronic stress and burnout.
However, it is part and parcel to feel burned out at certain points in life. However, once it starts having a detrimental effect on the state of mind and health, that is a warning sign to seek for help.
Ways To Prevent Burnout
1. Putting yourself first
Take time to replenish your health and emotional energy. To counter burnout, you need to ensure that you have the physical and mental capacity to do so. Make it a point to get sufficient sleep, eat proper and nutritional meals, exercise, spending quality time with your family and friends or anything that makes you feel calm and improve your sense of well-being.
2. Adopting a different viewpoint
Although getting the required quiet time and rest can alleviate the feeling of being burned out, they might not fully address the root cause of burnout. Perhaps, shifting your mindset could help negate the negative aspects of your environment. Identify which factors are beyond your control and which you can change? If feeling exhausted all the time is the main problem, what tasks are causing it? Or if you are feeling unrecognized at work, is there some way for you to engage in personal branding to boost your morale?
3. Building meaningful relationships and connections
Finally, seeking out personal relationships and building good connections is a great way to reduce feeling burnout. It helps you identify opportunities to grow and improve your sense of well-being as well as receive positive influence from people who inspire you.
Burnout can be an overwhelming feeling. However, this is simply an indication to make certain changes in your lifestyle. Understanding which aspects require more attention and practicing these steps to help deal with burnout. Rather than treating this as a setback, consider it as a turning point to shape your life into one that is positive and happier in the future.
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