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How can I Prevent Burn out at Work?

By Katharine Swan
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 17,681
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Getting burned out at work or school is a phenomenon most people are intimately familiar with. Burn out often comes on the heels of a particularly stressful time, such as after final exams in school or a series of important deadlines at work. Getting burned out can be damaging to your performance at school or work, particularly if it comes at a time when you are unable to handle its symptoms: being unmotivated to work and unable to concentrate, getting easily frustrated or upset, and feeling constantly tired. Because burn out can be so detrimental to your grades and your career path, it is important to take steps to prevent burn out - before it gets to this point.

Because burn out is often caused by too much stress over too long a period of time, it makes sense to attempt to manage your stress in order to prevent burn out. Although this may seem a difficult – if not impossible – task, you can maintain control over your stress by introducing a few simple habits into your life. Although these habits take little effort to establish, they will go a long way in helping you prevent burn out.

The first and most important habit that you must practice in order to prevent burning out is to prevent overworking yourself. Although this may seem to be common sense, many people find themselves pressured into working long days, taking work home with them, and otherwise allowing work to rule their lives. Trying to avoid accepting more work than you can handle is a major factor in your ability in preventing burn out at work.

Another way to prevent burning out at work is to take your breaks. Employment law guarantees you protection from being forced to work long hours with no breaks; take advantage of your rights! Taking the occasional break, if only to go to the bathroom, get a cup of coffee, or take a walk around the office, prevents the buildup of stress, helping in turn to prevent feelings of burn out.

Taking vacations and personal time can also help you prevent burn out at work. A vacation does not have to be a trip to an exotic island every time – just a few days away, to give yourself a chance to blow off a steam. “Playing hooky” from time to time and taking a personal day away from work can also help prevent burn out, by allowing you an unexpected opportunity to relax.

Of course, enjoying your job will also go a long way towards preventing burn out at work. After all, any dislike you feel for your job will greatly amplify your stress when you have to perform the work every single day. Entering a career you are happy with should be more than just a dream; it should be a step that you take to avoid getting burnt out at work – and in life. Society is constantly becoming more aware of the huge impact that stress has on the human body. Therefore, it is vital to prevent burn out at work – not just for your overall happiness, but also for your physical and mental health.

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Discussion Comments
By anon324787 — On Mar 12, 2013

I have suffered from bur out twice. Even though I heard myself saying, "I need a break," I didn't listen. My body finally made me take notice. I didn't even learn from my first experience! During my research on the internet, I came across online coaching where I received great assistance through at any time.

In my opinion, talking to experts about how to handle stressful situations and map out a plan to achieve your goals has a great impact on your conflict resolution skills. Through their assistance, I have changed certain behaviors. I finally learned my lesson after my second burnout. In this case, an ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure. It can take quite a long time to get back on your feet.

By suntan12 — On Nov 17, 2010

Cafe41-Sometimes signing up for a cooking class or something that you’ve always wanted to try can give you something to look forward to and it will help relieve burn out.

Developing other aspects of your life is important so that when you feel stress or burn out at work it is not catastrophic because you have other areas of your life that are fulfilling.

If you don’t manage the burn out or stress properly this might lead to feelings of helplessness and depression. It is always a good idea to talk to a friend or family member so that you can realize they are probably experiencing similar things too.

By cafe41 — On Nov 17, 2010

Moldova-I think that if you try to plan to start your work as early as possible and not put off work then you will be less likely to be under pressure.

If this work was suddenly given to you then you just have to do your best and remember that this is a temporary situation.

If you have the chance to do some volunteer work it would really help you take your mind off your work and it will also help you put things in perspective which also relieves some of the stress.

If you don’t have pressing deadlines but just a stressful job, you might want to change your routine a bit and take a day off in the middle of the week if possible.

By Moldova — On Nov 17, 2010

Crispety- I think that when our minds are cluttered with stressful thoughts we are unable to think properly and this really detracts from your productivity.

I know that working out does help and you will also sleep better. This will help you make a decision if this line of work is worth the stress.

You can then look for other work on your time off. Also, having a hobby that will help you take your mind off work can help.

For example, if you engaging in painting it really requires a lot of focus and concentration so it forces you to think about something else. Having this type of break from work will actually make you more productive when you do return to work.

By Crispety — On Nov 17, 2010

Stress burn out does occur when you have difficulty with the timeframe allotted for all the work you have to do.

When we feel that there is not enough time to accomplish the work that we need to do we tend to go into a stress burn out mode.

The best thing to do if you are starting to experience this is develop a high intensity workout routine. It could be running, kickboxing, or brisk walking.

When you engage in exercise that is intense enough for you to break a sweat after just a few minutes, you will experience runner’s high.

This is a feeling that you can only experience when the exercise level is elevated. If you do a workout like this daily, it will automatically relax you because after your exercise routine you would have released a number of endorphins that will make you feel better and allow you to have a clear mind.

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