Do you feel that your strength is waning and you have decided not to fall into burnout? While professional support can be a good idea, here are some tips to fortify yourself before burning out.
According to research conducted by the Amarok Observatory, the closure and health measures imposed on companies have caused professional burnout among managers. While before the health crisis 17.5% of them admitted to being afraid of this exhaustion, this figure reached 34.65% in 2020 and then 36.77% in 2021. Even more worrying is the percentage of business leaders who described their mental health as “pre-burnout” it was 1.75% in 2019 and was 10.41% in March 2021.
However, since 2021, the numbers have continued to rise due to the economic, health, climate and political context (war or wars) and adverse news (earthquakes, floods).
1/ Take care of yourself first
The first thing that can lead you directly to burnout is low self-esteem and your needs. So you have to start by taking care of yourself. Think about what you are neglecting and what is good for your morale.
Ask yourself clearly what makes you happy or would make you happy and write it down. You need to identify your needs, not just what you need to do. By forgetting yourself and focusing on your work, you will end up suffering. Feeling good starts with listening to your desires. Before the rope snaps, allow yourself some time to recover. Taking care of the interior, looking good, playing sports and even relaxing are not a waste of time, on the contrary. You have to last over time, so include in your schedule moments of pleasure or just for you.
2/ Forget your past
You haven’t done anything for a long time and you blame yourself? It was before! There is no point in thinking about the past and telling yourself that you didn’t achieve what you wanted. This is a new starting point and you have started a new phase.
You probably want to go back to who you were, but in reality you will be building a better version of yourself. You have brought yourself to moral exhaustion, so stop feeling guilty. It will take as long as it takes so don’t put pressure on yourself!
You’re having trouble finding the energy to recover, don’t panic! It is completely normal to feel tired. Start with small things and write them down on a list. Once you’ve done that, you can add new tasks that will naturally lead you to optimal performance. You were crossing the border.
3/ Change your daily life
If you’re heading for burnout, there’s something wrong with what you’re doing. Analyze your work and see what you deeply dislike about it. This is often a detail that you can delegate or outsource. Explore how you can get rid of this burden with automation.
If you do have to tackle this task, try to do it or look at it differently. If necessary, you can hire someone for this position. Also review your habits: if you are used to going to work every day, for example, allow yourself days of remote work.
4/ Consider that you are a human being
It always pays to work harder, always more. You have certainly developed outstanding production skills. You challenge yourself like an athlete who always wants to raise the bar. Yes, but you have to consider that you are a human being, not a machine. Therefore, you must give yourself time to rest and define your workload according to what is humanly possible.
You couldn’t do your accounting because you spent hours on the file. It’s not serious! From now on you will integrate time slots for rest and you decide when you will approach your limit.
5/ Stop thinking about others
One of the mistakes most people make when they burn out is forgetting themselves. You tend to think that you have to do everything for the happiness of others. You take into account what the other person had to do. Know that you have the right to say no and that it is up to the person to take responsibility. If you decide to take the case, do it for yourself. Stop thinking in your head that it’s up to the other person to do it and move on.
If you don’t have time for that, put off a less urgent task and change your schedule. This must remain feasible taking into account contingencies and rest periods. Find out how to delegate or how to make your schedule easier and stop taking everything on yourself!
6/ Structure all your tasks into subtasks
It often happens that we give ourselves big tasks that we need to do in the same day. To avoid feeling like you’re not moving forward, you can very well divide your tasks into smaller ones. If, for example, you have to write a report, you can divide each part for processing. You’ll be proud of yourself at every step you make and it will keep you from thinking about the end goal, which in this case is to have a report. You can tell yourself like this: “I already finished part 1 and 2”.
Nothing prevents you from postponing the other parts to the next day. It’s important how you progressed, not what you didn’t do. Every step forward contributes to the achievement of your final goal!
7/ Start with the hardest thing to do
Once you regain your strength, you can start your days with the most difficult tasks. If you are at the very beginning of your new life, start with simple things. It’s about getting satisfaction out of every completed action. If you have already taken this first step, remember to alternate what is difficult for you with what is pleasant. After a difficult task is done, you will feel satisfaction and be able to end the day on what is pleasant. It’s not about bad days and good days. The worst part is doing the emotional yoyo every other day.
8/ See your progress
It is usual to always look ahead, but not to progress. Make a list of everything you’ve accomplished and take the time to see how far you’ve come. You might be surprised how much you accomplish in one day or how much has changed since you started again.