Work place burnout. We’ve all experienced this. It’s one of those things that’s inevitable, and finding the best tips and tricks to avoid the burnout can be difficult. I found personally that the burnout happened a lot more when I was in my early twenties. Since I was new to the workforce, I was happy to hit the ground running. My philosophy was to say yes to everything because I was trying to gain as much experience as possible and wanted to prove myself as an asset to the team.
I work in the healthcare field as a pharmacist, so this meant picking up extra shifts on top of my 40 hour week, working holidays, and saying yes to any request presented to me, even if it was optional. Because I was taking so much on, I found that I would isolate myself on days off, staying at home and sitting on the couch all day. I just felt exhausted, and couldn’t even bring myself to respond to texts and phone calls from friends and family. I essentially used all of my days off to recharge for another grueling workweek.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found ways to not only decrease the burnout, but ultimately avoid it all together. Below are 5 ways anyone can use to avoid the burn.
Travel
“Eat well, travel often.” I like to travel at least once or twice a year. Whether domestic or international, leaving your comfort zone is a great way to reset your life and gain some perspective. There is so much of the world to see outside of the workplace, and it is easy to forget that and become consumed with only what’s in front of you.
I used to feel guilty about going on vacation and leaving the pharmacy for 2 weeks at a time. I would worry about putting extra stress on my coworkers, coming back to upset patients, and generally worrying about the entire place burning down. As I gained more experience, I found that wasn’t the case. Yes things may not have been left exactly as I wanted, but nothing a quick fix couldn’t handle.
Practice Self-Care
I work 12 hour shifts at my current job, and if I don’t take care of my body, those 12 hours can seem to last a lifetime.
Something that makes a big difference in how tired and fatigued I get on shift is proper nutrition and hydration. I always try to pack something healthy and filling for lunch, because that’s why I’m relying on for fuel to get through my shift. I mean, we all know the difference we feel eating chicken and veggies for lunch versus eating a slice of pizza. My productivity levels are like night and day. Right along with that comes hydration. I used to not drink enough water while I was at work, and found myself extremely fatigued and foggy-brained. I try to now drink at least 2 liters of water a day, and it has made a huge difference.
Another method of self-care I use to combat workplace burnout is having a proper skincare routine. I’m in my thirties now, and having makeup on for 12-13 hours a day can be tough on the skin. I used to come home so exhausted and drained that I would rush through or cut corners on my skincare routine because all I wanted to do was get into bed and relax. It took me a long time to change my mindset and realize that my skincare routine is time that I’m carving out for myself in the day. Instead of dreading the routine, I now look forward to it because I realize how much my skin needs a refresher after such a long shift. Here’s a blog post I did on my current skincare favorites for some of the products I’m currently using.
Socialize
There’s no better way to blow off some steam after a long week than by meeting up with some good friends and having a good catchup. Workplace burnout crept up on me when I was stuck in the cycle of work>home>sleep> repeat. Breaking out of this cycle with friends and family shook me out of my funk.
Not only does the change in scenery help, having someone to vent to at the end of the day can ease some of the built up stress from the week. Also having hangouts planned gave me something to look forward to at the end of the work week.
Excercise
Yeah. I know. I hate it too. I’ve never been one to experience the “runner’s high” or to look forward to my workouts everyday. BUT I have to admit that I always feel better after working out. After all, exercise has been proven to release endorphins in the body, which in turn makes us happier. I can go into the workout filled with dread, feeling fatigued, and in a bad mood, but after some time in the gym, I feel refreshed.
A great way to stay consistent with working out is finding an activity that you actually like to do. I actually like working out at the gym because that works for my lifestyle, but I enjoy hiking as well! I also switch up my workouts a lot more. I used to do the same workout everyday, and used to blow off a lot more workouts because of how much I dreaded it.
Reward yourself!
TREAT YO SELF! Doesn’t have to be anything big, but it’s ok to get yourself something as a reward! As an example, I like to get myself smaller rewards, like a coffee from my favorite cafe when I have a day off in between shifts just as a midweek treat.
I also like to set larger rewards for myself when I hit certain goals in my career. Usually it’s towards the end of the year when raises and bonuses have been set, or after the annual review from my company has been done. It’s just a reminder to myself that I’ve been successful in my field and to keep on going. Having that self-motivation to always better yourself is really important because it’s so easy to become stagnant in your current position. I’ve always had to remind myself to always be better, and to continue to grow.
