Exhausted, burned out, lifeless… all words that say more of the same and all relate to the well-known phenomenon… burn out. Some call it a hype, others think people with burnout are wimps. However, whatever you think about it, a burn out can be intense and without proper guidance you will not always get out of it well. Prevention is better, but that is not easy in a hectic society.
Listen to your body
We don’t listen to our own body enough and that has been the case for a very long time. The fact that this entails a hectic society, a society where we have to do everything, especially from ourselves, makes the chance that we will encounter ourselves at some point quite high. To prevent you from getting as far as burnout, it is good to start by listening to the body. The body that demands too much of itself will definitely send out signals at some point. We are just no longer used to listening to the body, because just pop in a pill and we’re off again.
Make a start
If this is and remains your attitude, then reading this article is completely useless. Assuming this isn’t the case, start by accepting your body as it is and looking at it honestly. This makes you aware that your body can send signals. In fact, it is no different than the body that needs new raw materials to continue functioning. You get hungry and you have to eat.
To recover
If you are in a mode where you are in balance, you become physically and/or mentally tired due to your activities and for a moment you lay down your body. You go to sleep and your body recovers. The next day your body has recovered and you can move forward again. It is that simple and it should be that way (taking into account that every person is different and the turnaround time can be slightly different). If this is not the case, it is a signal, which does not necessarily have to be a bad thing.
If you have had to work hard for a week and you take a nice rest during the weekend, an otherwise vital body can recover well. The mind must also go along with this recovery process. It must restore one on one. But that’s where things can sometimes go wrong. Lying comfortably in an easy chair, but having to think about what piles of work are still waiting for you and worrying about it, is not part of it. But how do you catch a downward process?
How to prevent?
If you know that you are very busy and there is a chance that something will go wrong, there are a number of things you can do. It goes without saying that it only works if you take it seriously.
What is it about?
If you know that things can go wrong, you must also be able to identify where the bottleneck is that could cause things to go wrong. Are you disorganized and your head is a mess, do you have to perform for your manager to be seen (misunderstood talent?), do you have too much on your plate and do you not dare to say no (at work and/or privately). You have to identify the problem in order to solve it.
Discuss it
The next step is to discuss your possible bottleneck. And this can certainly have consequences, but not discussing it may lead to a burn out. If you discuss something in a realistic manner, and certainly do not make any accusations (not even to yourself), you normally create an opening for a conversation. If you cannot do it alone or you are looking for a third party, because you can use that independent view, indicate this and communicate clearly why you want it. Be open to the other party, but also stick to what feels good for yourself (so listen to your body!).
Make and evaluate agreements
Discussing is one thing, but making clear agreements is an important next step. Who does what when? Maybe you have seen things wrong and that already takes some pressure off your shoulders or the other person is easy to pass on if you don’t say no, but he/she is not aware of it, etc.
In line with making agreements, it is also important to evaluating agreements. Is it running better, does something need to be adjusted, other help needs to be called in, etc.
An important aspect in the whole is that you should be as busy as possible with the things that make you happy, where your talent lies. Besides the fact that you will be better off, it will be closer to your nature and will give you more energy. If you keep doing things, just a little more organized, which is not really your thing, then you are wasting at least some of your energy and that is a shame. It goes without saying that every job involves something you would rather not do, but the balance should not tip towards this. Always include this in the overall picture.
Don’t sink
Depending on the moment you take action, you can already be heading for the hole and then ducking on the couch is the easiest and for some the only way out. But that is actually ostrich politics. Encouraging yourself (with or without help) to do something that makes you happy gives you energy. Avoid sinking into that couch. Even if you are still busy with your search for your real passion and you are busy reflecting, possibly with some professional help you will definitely make progress.