Many factors can contribute to feeling burnt-out at work including having a high workload, not feeling supported or listened to, lack of work-life balance, feeling stressed and pressured, and even being bullied or harassed.
Factors in your personal life can also contribute to feeling burnt-out such as the cost-of-living crisis, relationship problems, and health issues. Feeling burnt-out at work can have a serious effect on your mental and physical health and ultimately cause you to have to take time off work.
Experts at the all-in-one mental health solution Meditopia have outlined wellness tips to help deal with these pressures and reduce the risk of experiencing burnout.
Burnout can be a variety of feelings and symptoms. These can include: Feeling exhausted or drained of energy, Lack of motivation, anxiety, stress, trouble sleeping as well as headaches or stomach aches.
According to Mental Health UK Mental Health UK around 20% of workers have taken time off work due to poor mental health caused by stress.
If on the brink of burnout, the advice is to reach out for support – this will help alleviate some of the pressure and stress. It’s important to take time to outline what you perceive to be good mental wellbeing and what needs to be done to achieve a good sense of mental well-being.
Other steps to protect your mental health include;
Set boundaries: This will ensure a better work-life balance.
Define the hours you want to work: Do not work beyond these hours.
Make sure to switch off when you finish working: Go for a walk, read a book, or watch TV.
Switch off during the weekends and annual leave: This is your own time and you are not obligated to think about work. If your workload has increased due to more employers being on annual leave, be honest with your manager and ask for flexibility regarding deadlines.
Get Sleep: Adults need around seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Lack of sleep can affect mood and further increase feelings of anxiety and irritability.
Avoid screens: The blue light can disrupt sleep and try not to drink any caffeinated drinks in the afternoon. Spend time in the evening doing something that relaxes you, read a book, or do some yoga and meditate.
Make the most of the annual leave: Continuing to work when you are feeling burnt out and exhausted is going to negatively impact your mental and physical health, causing you to have to take time off to recover.
Fatih Mustafa Çelebi, Co-founder and CEO of Meditopia, said:“ Feeling burnt-out at work affects your mental and physical well-being and can cause you to feel unmotivated towards the work you do. According to Mental Health UK 35% of working adults admit they do not feel comfortable letting their line managers know they are experiencing stress and anxiety at work. Therefore, it is even more important to encourage employees and employers to have open and honest conversations around burnout and how to manage feelings of stress and pressure in the workplace.”
