⚡️Recognising Burnout⚡️
I love what I do; I am a Product Designer during the day (UX/UI) and a creator in the evenings, building brands. My ability to juggle has been remarkable to date, but Burnout is starting to hit, and as I feel the signs, I'm taking action with haste.
What is Burnout?
Let's start with a little description. Burnout is a form of exhaustion, the feeling of constantly feeling swamped.
It results from excessive and prolonged emotional, physical and mental stress. Generally, Burnout is related to one's job and/or workload.
Burnout can come in many forms;
Overload, when you work harder & harder, becoming frantic in your pursuit of success
Under-challenge happens when you feel under-appreciated & bored in your work
Neglect is when you doubt your skills & feel unable to keep up with your tasks
How can you get burnt out?
Burnout doesn't happen immediately; it's generally a slow burn that occurs over time & can grow by adding unreasonable time pressure to ourselves with unmanageable workloads. In my case, my to-do list is ever-growing, and I can get swept away.
What to look out for:
Feeling disengaged or disconnected
Feeling anxious about your workload
Headaches
Muscle tension
Feeling exhausted and drained. Lacking energy even to perform basic tasks
Insomnia or disrupted sleep
Dealing with Burnout
When tackling Burnout, the first step is recognising the signs and taking a beat to reflect. From there, it's a balance of being honest, seeking support and learning to manage stress levels. And, in turn, building resilience by taking care of mental and physical health ongoing.
Be transparent
Reach out to people closest to you and open the conversation; there is a good chance that they will relate and be able to support you through the process. There is nothing worse than feeling alone in these moments.
Professional help is also a great option ❤️
Schedule time to rest
Take moments off; if you feel Burnout coming, try to take some time off or lessen your load. Use this time to take a breath, reflect and recharge your batteries as you pursue recovery methods.
Plus, a rested mind equals a more creative mind, accessing stronger output.
Your time is precious
Set boundaries, and work on not over-extending yourself. Your time is precious, and there is no harm in a polite "no" to requests on your time.
Once you get good at saying "no", you'll enable more time to say "yes" to commitments you want to make.
Your time is yours ❤️
Step away from your screens
Take breaks from technology, and set moments in the day to disconnect. Put away your devices, stop checking notifications and allow yourself to just be.
Taking time with nature, family or yourself can help active play mode and allow your creative juices to flow.
Don’t underestimate the power of play
Nurture your creative side; opening creative moments can be a powerful antidote to Burnout. Activate play mode and start a new project or hobby for fun, for the joy of creating. In this mode, think less about creativity for sale and more about creativity for yourself.
Pay attention to your breathing
Set time for relaxation, meditation, deep breathing and sleep. Feeling tired can exacerbate Burnout; relaxation opens space to keep your cool, think clearly and find ways to work smarter, not harder.
De-cluttering the mind enables higher levels of focus.
To conclude, these have been a few tips that I am starting to implement to manage my stress & anxiety.
If you need further assistance, seek professional support, I have in the past, and it was a game changer.
If this resonates, please RT my tweet to spread the reach❤️
