Are You Feeling Burnt Out?

After the year most people have had, burn out is very common, particularly amongst office workers. Even though working from home may sound easy, 12 months of confinement along with home schooling young children can leave you at your wits end.

Burnout can be defined as a level of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that a nice cup of tea and a hot bath just won’t cure. It’s a feeling of not being able to cope anymore and is something the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently classified as a medical condition.

In this article we’re going to identify the sure signs of burn out and what you can do about it.

According to a new book by Selina Barker, who is a Life Design and Career Change Coach who has been featured in the Evening Standard and the Huffington Post, the signs of burn out include tiredness, trouble sleeping, procrastination, excessive emotions and feelings of being unable to cope.

Signs of burnout can vary from person to person but the one symptom they all have in common is exhaustion and this can be very destructive to your health. Whether you’re too exhausted to get out of bed or you are so wired that you can’t get to sleep the indications are that you’re system is overloaded and you’ll need to do something about it.

While professional help may be necessary for some, most people can improve their symptoms with some simple lifestyle changes. This is a time you to need to be kind to yourself both physically and mentally. Try and sleep more, rest up if you need to. Be open to support from others and look for activities that will help you recover such as a massage or some meditation.

For office workers specifically, Barker suggests the following tips to help recover from burnout. Firstly, create a light structure to your day which allows flexibility but can be scaled back if you feel overwhelmed. She also recommends switching off totally from work at the end of the day. No chatting with work colleagues, no e-mails or notifications. Try to completely disconnect.

Plenty of sleep and a good diet are also key to recovering from burn out. Try to get 8 hours of deep restorative sleep every night, longer if necessary. Eat wholesome fresh foods that supply you with energy and also help your body heal. Speak to a nutritionist if necessary about a personalised supplement plan as this can help build up nutrients you may be lacking.

Many are hopeful that the pandemic will end this year and a return to some sort of normality will follow. However, with the current levels of burnout among the working population we have a different kind of pandemic to manage over the next few years. Try not to be one of the statistics by being proactive and recognising the early signs of burnout and applying some of the easy tips we’ve discussed here in order to help you recover faster and more effectively.