5 Easy Ways To Avoid Burnout

What if exhaustion were preventable in the throes of grind culture?

The 2021 Hartford Future of Benefits Pulse Survey reported 61% of U.S. workers are experiencing burnout at work, numbers that were even higher among women(66%) and workers in the age group 18–34 yrs(71%).

Burnout is a familiar friend to most of us, whether we work from home or have gone back to the office, are full time parents or scrape by writing articles for Medium, among other side gigs.

As a student that was on the medical track for five years gone rogue, I’m no stranger to burnout myself, as well as finding healthy ways to cope with it.

I personally believe that burnout will always be a problem as long as the drive to work, reach new heights, and get a promotion that is way out of reach is the dominant pressure in the money driven society we live in.

We may not be able to undo capitalist America’s obsession with valuing us by how much we do overnight, but we can certainly mitigate and prevent the negative effects it has on our health.

What Is Burnout?

First defined and used by Herbert Freudenburger in the 1970s, burnout was used to define the state of people in helping professions who often sacrificed their own well-being for the well-being of others and eventually reached a breaking point.

Today, the term is more widely used, and it’s more common than not to put your own well-being secondary to another part of your life, whether it be a partner, children, your job, or another extraneous force.

Signs and symptoms:

People that are experiencing burnout are described as exhibiting 3 main symptoms:

• Lack of ability to perform at what is usually their primary focus
• Exhaustion
• Isolation from anything related to the stressor(if taking care of your family is causing exhaustion, you may become irritable around them, for example)

Let’s explore 5 easy ways to get back on track when you’re feeling burnt out.

Just Breathe

We breathe every day(about 22,000 times a day) without thinking about it. Bringing conscious awareness to your breath allows you to connect with your body and forces you to be present in the moment.

You can use apps like Calm, Balance or just google “breathing meditations” or breathing exercises” on YouTube. One of my favorite breathing exercises is box breathing.

Box Breathing: Breath in for 4 breaths, hold at the top for 4 breaths, exhale for 4 breaths and hold at the bottom for 4 breaths before beginning again. Imagine you are drawing a box with your breath as you count to 4. You have nothing to achieve here; no one is judging you. If you stop counting, just start over again.

Read more about the benefits of mindful breathing and about different breathing techniques here.

Connect With A Friend

Grab a coffee or take a walk with a friend or family member. Sustaining human connections is important for human happiness and time spent with loved ones will take your mind off of the responsibilities that seemed so pressing when you were throwing yourself into them.

It never hurts to be reminded that you have a support system to fall back on, and stepping away from what is exhausting you may be exactly what you need to remedy feelings of stress and apathy.

Read more about the positive effects of human connection here.

Take A Walk, Get Some Fresh Air

If you can’t remember the last time you smelled air that wasn’t the stale air lingering in your apartment, take a short 20-minute walk.

This is a perfect activity for anyone that feels guilty about taking time off from work or school or time away from the kids. A walk can be as long or short as you want it to be, but it’s 20 minutes you are taking for yourself.

Additionally, recent studies on the practice of grounding, or earthing, done by making direct contact with the Earth in some way has a variety of health benefits, including feelings of increased well-being and a stronger immune system.

Next time you’re feeling stressed, tap into your inner child and get barefoot in some grass or pick some flowers. Read more about the health benefits of grounding here.

Become The Next Picasso

Set some time aside to tap into your inner artist. I always thought I wasn’t an artist until I was encouraged to paint as an emotional release. No one has to see your art, I was told. It’s for you.

I’ve since painted with acrylics, oils and watercolors and I sketch from time to time when I’m journaling.

It turns out painting random shapes helps me release a lot of emotion and be present in the moment, allowing me to leave thoughts of my other stressors behind, if just for a little bit.

The average human has around 60,000 thoughts a day, and giving all of that mental energy somewhere to go can provide some relief, especially considering we can’t always put into words our lived experiences.

Getting creative has been shown to increase happiness, increase mental health and boost immunity.

Read more about the benefits of creativity here.

Don’t Do Anything; Just Be

Burnout is caused by not putting ourselves first. It’s not bad to prioritize our careers, families and other pursuits that are important to us, but if we don’t put ourselves first every now and then, we can’t sustain care for the other parts of our lives that are important to us.

It may feel unnatural, but don’t do anything.

You are enough as you are; you are worthy of love and abundance by existing.

Take the day off. Watch Netflix. Take a nap. Read a book. Simply lay in bed. Give yourself permission to rest; avoid anything that feels like it might overwhelm you. Put yourself first.

Here are some people I recommend for further reading, if you wish, on rest and truths that contradict the narrative woven by society:

• The Nap Ministry: Instagram @thenapministry
• Vent Diagrams: Instagram:@vent_diagrams
• Positively Present: Instagram: @positivelypresent

Key Takeaways

We’re all likely to experience burnout at some point, a state of exhaustion brought on by prioritizing something that is important to us above our own well-being.

Here are 5 ways to help prevent or mitigate burnout:

• Mindful breathing
• Time with friends and family
• Take a walk
• Get creative
• Do nothing

Did I miss any techniques for dealing with burnout that have helped you?

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