I survived my workplace burnout

Do you struggle to start working every morning? Even working from home seems like an extremely difficult task, much like a challenge? Does work often feel monotonous, leading to disinterest and impatience?

Experiencing such stress is experiencing workplace burnout, meaning one is either physically or mentally exhausted in one’s work, which results in a reduced sense of accomplishment.

The author: ‘I felt shame if I wasn’t productive’ (Photo courtesy of Penny Bongato)

I was so busy, and it was self-imposed. I felt shame if I was not productive, stemming from this deep fear of failure. There was the fear that I would fail my family if I didn’t work hard enough as a breadwinner. I made myself believe that I had no choice but to work hard and hustle constantly.

But this need to do more had repercussions. Because I was laser-focused on giving everything to my career, I gave little priority to my well-being and self-care—which, over time, resulted in me feeling the many symptoms of burnout.

It felt like life was rushing past me, and I just couldn’t keep up. I felt like I was falling, and falling fast. It felt like a daily struggle to keep myself afloat. I felt utterly burned out from work and unmotivated.

But I gave myself no choice but to keep pushing. I had to keep going to keep my job secured by exceeding my job expectations. The pressure was real. And this pressure eventually caught up with me and broke me. I was exhausted both emotionally and physically.

I had hit rock bottom. But I still refused to ask for help. I guess there was guilt, or maybe pride or shame.

Burnout can exhaust your soul, and I never want to feel that way again. And I never want anyone to go through what I went through. And that is why I want to share with you how I make sure to avoid all forms of burnout and deal with it.

Burnout can exhaust your soul, and I never want to feel that way again

How do you recover from burnout?

It’s time to take relaxation seriously. Take that needed vacation leave. Immediately take time off, clear your schedule, and dedicate a few days to rest and relaxation. If you can’t because you have to pay the bills and take care of your children, take a day off. Come on; you can make that happen!

It doesn’t have to be grand and costly. All you need is time away from notifications, alarm clocks, blue light, and city noise. You can best spend it in the comfort of your home, and on your day-off you just have to do two things: 1) relax and 2) list down the things that bring you joy and make you happy, and strategize how you can get some of these back in your life.

 Ask for support. The shame you feel about asking for help is only in your head, and is doing you no good

Don’t suffer in silence. Ask for support. The shame you feel about asking for help is only in your head, and is doing you no good. Asking for support from your manager or a coach (or even loved ones) is the responsible thing to do. It shows you care, and want to do the job well. A new challenge will always spark things up, and to get into a new challenge, you need all the feedback you can get.

The earlier you can bring up the issue of feeling exhausted and tired from your work overload, the more likely you’ll be able to fight your burnout before it’s too late.

Build and implement a self-care regimen. These are the five self-care routines I started following religiously, with zero excuses:

1. I carved out “me” time in the mornings. I started with 10 minutes of journaling meditation and prayer, which helped with my relaxation. Meditation leaves me feeling calmer, less stressed and less rushed.

2. I forced myself to make time for physical activity every day—extremely important! This jumpstarts my day and allows me to feel energized, focused, and engaged. It doesn’t matter what form of exercise you do, but you should do some every day for at least 10 minutes.

3. I started looking after my diet and eating more nutritious meals at the proper time.

4. I started spending more time with loved ones, meeting friends, and devoting time to family on weekends. Even a virtual catch-up with friends would do.

5. I started visualizing, something I’ve always wanted to have or something I wanted to experience. I can assure you that just thinking of your goals and dreams like it was already happening will give you that kiligmoment and will instantly put a smile on your face.

Resolve issues between your colleagues. It’s not good to keep quiet and hold a grudge; you need to vent if you are consistently bothered by someone else’s attitude, to create a healthy workplace.

Although conflicts are inevitable in the workplace, try to have some healthy, respectful conflict in the workplace. There’s a thing called constructive feedback and forgiving. What you need is a good approach and ears ready to listen, as well.

Join a self-improvement workshop. Now that you’re more than ready to take some action for new beginnings, bounce back extra equipped by joining self-improvement workshops. Engaging in these activities and connecting through talks about self-improvement will help you see the struggles and victories of others. It is important to surround yourself with healthy peers and great ideas. One must see how important it is to have a growth plan no matter how old you get.

I am experiencing its great outcomes and magnificent results on individuals I have worked with. Join me in my Vision Board Workshop, patterned after Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles, and get extra energized and see your dreams turn into reality.

If you are among the nearly burned out or belong to the burnout population, who are now eager to take action or simply trying to find that spark, you are not alone, and I can truly be of great help.

I admit that sometimes these were hard to do, especially in the beginning. But you have to mount the resistance. I promise it gets easier.