Overcome Burnout and Feel Energized With These 6 Tips

You work hard to be the best at what you do. You love the feeling of accomplishment when you check another tough project off your list. Your ambition’s a gift. It motivates you to grow personally and professionally. 

But sometimes it all feels like too much. You start feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. The job you were once excited about has become a source of irritation or even dread. 

You can no longer focus. You’re not as productive as you’d like to be. As much as you don’t want to, you put your health and personal life on the backburner.

If that sounds like you, you may be facing burnout. The good news is, there are simple ways to overcome this so you can feel energized while crushing your next goal!

How to know when burnout’s impacting your performance

The World Health Organization recognizes burnout as a phenomenon resulting from unmanaged stress. So how can you tell if you’re burned out? You may be experiencing these three symptoms:

• Feelings of exhaustion or low energy.

• Feelings of cynicism related to your job.

• Reduced productivity and efficiency.

• Illness, aches, pains or disease.

Does it feel like you’re spending way too many hours with your laptop and not enough with your loved ones? Checking your emails after work hours? Finding it impossible to fit your workouts or meditations into your day? Any of these are signs that you could be experiencing burnout.

When overworking becomes a norm, your body often alerts you that there’s a problem. You feel random aches and pains. Your brain becomes foggy. You can’t focus clearly. Your relationships suffer as you can’t be fully present. 

The sooner you recognize the signs of burnout, the sooner you can address it. Otherwise, you’ll keep spinning in the same cycle, wondering if it’ll ever end. If you’ve been trying to figure out ways to find relief from this cycle, here are some tips to help:

1) Recognize the impact you’re having

Fulfillment is a key motivator for work. Whatever your career is, there’s a reason you chose it. More than likely, this had to do with your passion for the field or your desire to help people. After years in the same job, it may feel as if you’re not having the impact you initially wanted to have.

Here’s the thing: you’re touching more lives each day than you probably realize. 

If you allow yourself to slow down, you’ll see this. You’ve mastered a skill that feels natural to you—whether that’s accounting, playing music, or healing ailments. And while providing your service might not feel like a big deal to you, it is to those you help. 

When you interact with colleagues or clients, allow yourself to soak in the quality of this human interaction. Celebrate yourself for the great work you’re doing! You’ll find that while you’re doing something that feels natural to you, others appreciate it—even if they don’t always say so. 

2) Get work done faster by blocking distractions

Ever feel like you can’t get anything done because someone’s always vying for your attention? Getting the big stuff done is tough when random tasks come from all directions. 

Distractions make it hard to complete your to-do list on time. This intensifies the feeling of burnout. Overcoming distractions starts with setting clear intentions first thing in the morning.

Before you start working, make a list of the top three things you need to accomplish that day. Visualize what accomplishing these will allow you to do with the rest of your time. Block out time on your schedule to do these and you’ll instantly feel more proactive instead of reactive.

Use apps or extensions that block distractions. (You can find a list of a few of these here.) Put your phone on airplane mode. If you’re working from home, let your family members know that you need this time to focus. 

3) Give your brain a break with deep breathing

When you’re constantly on the go, your brain’s always in action. But just like your muscles, it gets tired when you’re using it a lot. That’s why you feel brain fog or have a hard time focusing after a long work session. 

Replenish your brain fuel by taking a break to do some mindful breathing. 

Take a few deep breaths and focus on the sensation of the air entering your nostrils. Imagine breathing out any stress that’s built up. Be grateful for the fresh oxygen that restores balance in your cells.

Breathe out for a longer count than breathing in. (Breathe in for 3 seconds and out for 5 seconds, for example.) This activates the parasympathetic nervous system associated with relaxation. Follow this guided Awareness of Breath Mindfulness Meditation to improve your practice.

Follow this up with a quick stretch or mindful exercise. Your body and mind will instantly feel more at ease so you’ll have the energy to continue without overwhelm.

4) Refuel joy by uncovering your initial why

Burnout happens when we’re constantly going and going. But here’s the question we rarely ask ourselves in the midst of all this action: what exactly are we chasing after? What’s the feeling we’re reaching for that we don’t feel like we can create in this moment?

You probably want to feel fulfilled and financially independent. Of course—we all need money to pay our bills and support our families. But that shouldn’t mean trading one for the other.  

If career “success” fills your bank account but leaves your heart empty, it may be time to re-evaluate. 

Revisit the big picture. What was the initial why that put you into this career or job in the first place? Is the line of work you’re doing still allowing you to grow and to feel this initial excitement? 

If you love the career you’re in but still feel burned out, see if you can shift your perspective. Recognize how even the” mundane” tasks help you fulfill this initial “mission” you set out on.

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5) Enjoy personal time by setting a clear end to your workday

The lines between work and personal life are extra blurry these days—especially if you’re working from home. Being able to reach for your laptop anytime can wreak havoc on family and leisure time.

To address this, be sure to set a clear end to your workday. Designate a time you want to stop working and stick to it. This may sound easier said than done, so use this trick to help you: schedule something enjoyable to look forward to after work—even if it’s just reading at home or going for a walk. 

Once you’re “off the clock,” resist the urge to check work emails. Unplug from work-related devices if you can. If you can’t remove work email from your phone completely, at least turn off notifications.

6) Create and stick to daily self-care routines

To make the most of every moment, you need to feel energized. This helps you be more productive and feel more fulfilled. That’s why taking care of your own mental and physical health is so important. 

Self-care can be hard when that voice in your head says there are more “productive” things to do. The best way to overcome this and stop overworking? Enforce daily self-care routines. 

Allow yourself time to just be. Time to relax, exercise, prepare healthy meals, or practice mindfulness so you can feel more peaceful and communicate needs and boundaries with ease.

If you’re not used to carving out time for yourself, this can seem challenging. 

A Stress Management Mentor will show you exactly how to build positive routines that make you feel great! Sign up today for a free consultation to learn more practical ways to stop burnout and bring relief to even the toughest work days.