Managing Burnout
On Episode 21 of BPerryFilms Podcast on today's episode we will be talking about Burnout. Most importantly how it affects people. Burnout happens to everyone and it feels impossible to avoid. In this video me and my guest Daniel Mondragon will be sharing our tips and tricks on how to manage it more effectively. Daniel is currently attending school at Georgia State University as a Finance and Real Estate student. He is currently working towards achieving his Bachelor's degree and launched his podcast called The Daily Bread where he gives advice on Productivity Hacks. Hopefully by the end of this video you will find strategies that work for you and have a better idea on how to increase positive habits to relieve stress.
Define Burnout
Burnout is a combination of emotional, physical and mental stress which is caused by many external factors which include work, school and heavy workloads. Everyone experiences this type of stress at some point in their lives. Burnout can last for days, weeks, months and even a year at most if not treated right away.
How Does It Affect The Body?
Burnout can make someone with high energy feel exhausted. This can end up making the person feel groggy. Many people think taking naps will help with this but it makes your body feel unbalanced because your body hasn't had the time to recuperate. Stress is a process of someone feeling overwhelmed with their environment and the people around them. Some other signs that you will see are mood shifts with very high highs and very low lows in energy and how you interact with people around you. This could cause you to be distant from the people who you normally associate with.
Mental health is a real thing that affects your body and mind causing anxiety to happen. You will be very tense, shaky, anxiety gets high, you may become emotional and not be in the right state of mind making you lash out or people and may start crying. To take it even further it may increase the likelihood of someone taking substances which includes both drug and substance abuse. Lastly it could possibly result in you temporarily getting Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of virus that people are diagnosed with at 90%. Sometimes it can take several years to find out if someone has it. It is recommended for people to take their blood sugars regularly. Luckily unlike Type 1 Diabetes having a healthy diet of staying hydrated, eating health and staying physically active can help prevent that disease.
How To Treat Burnout?
When trying to treat burn out its all about using the resources around you. The first step is to be observant with your environment and state of mind. Do you notice something different about you? Do your peers notice something about you? Have you noticed your performance dropped? Or feel irregular today? These are signs that you need to slow down your pace. Seek help now. I recommend that people see a licensed doctor and therapist just to make sure your health is in the right state of mind. Someone who is experiencing burnout wants to make sure your blood sugar isn't high. When talking to a professional they could recommend some things that could help you long term. The trick is to keep your mind and body at a calm level re-caliber your system. It is usually more calming for most people to talk to a therapist due to lack of judgment and they have dealt with people in the same shoes as you.
When touching base with your peers such as your Friends, Family and Co-Workers you could share some of your experiences with them and they may be willing to monitor your progress. It is all about using your resources and keeping yourself accountable. Listed below are some different tips that I have used to cope with burnout.
Hack 1: Time Management
There is a time and place for everything. Using tools such as Calendars, Planners and To Do List help keep you on track. It is important to write down what you have planned for the day to relieve the stress that is around you when you are not structured. This helps out with decision making, Prioritizing your goals from what is the most important thing that needs to be done to what will take the longest. Remember SMART. Smart goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and TIme-Bound. If it does not fit you know to drop it and move on to something else. Having a time frame for the short and long term goals that you want to accomplish. Set deadlines whether its going to run some errands or taking a break and going to the beach, Figure out what you want the value proposition to be. Is it appropriate at this time to take a break or do you keep working? Remember to keep yourself accountable.
Hack 2: Journaling
Getting your thoughts out and on to paper or digital notepad is the first step to achieving a goal. I can not stress this enough. Getting your ideas out helps you vent easier and helps reduce the factor of forgetting things that are on your mind. Just like in my last video and blog post I did on Goal Setting & Vision Board is that you should write down a few words that describe who you are in the moment, where you want to be, who you manifest yourself to be and note take of how you plan to get there. Remember nothing is impossible. It just takes effort to remember SMART. I use an app called Notion and it helps me get my thoughts out. I have different tabs asking: What A I grateful For? Whats happening now? What do I want to accomplish? Action steps to achieve those goals? Bring your idea to life Be in control of your checklist.
Hack 3: Traveling
Traveling is fun and it does not have to be far away either. You could get out of the house and go for a hike. Hiking is an intense way of exercise but it helps you have a clear mind and preoccupies your thoughts with the task you are trying to accomplish which happens to be getting to the top of the hill. If that is too much for you, taking a couple of days off and getting out of town is something that is outside of your norm. Doing something new can sometimes be scary but you end up finding it amazing because you did something different. You are expanding your reach. Try different foods, expose yourself to different cultures, test out the weather and more. Be in that moment and interact with the people around you.
Hack 4: Detox
Time to get away from the computer. Step away from it and put that phone down and on silent. It's time for you to be in the moment. So many people are focused on what's happening on social media it is like FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Don’t worry your friends will still be there just use this time to focus on yourself. Take a meditation call and clear your thoughts. Mediation is harder than you think. Knowing your body and mind and being in control of your center as you would define it to be. Want to level up the intensity take Gym Class, Zumba, Martial Arts, and other athletic classes. These workouts are fun and you forget about the intensity of it because you are in that moment and feeling the music.
Recovery Stage
How do you manage stress?
Making time for yourself and understanding what stresses you out and learning how to cope with it when it comes. Managing stress takes time and patience and it shouldn't be rushed. You always want to feel like you are in control of what is going on around you.
How do you know when it's time to take a break?
It is time for you to take a break when you are not feeling like yourself. When you feel tired, have the shakes, feel moody and your behavior has changed. You could even ask the people around you and see what their thoughts are.
How long does it last?
Burnout out like any stress factor like mental health and anxiety can take its course depending on the individual and their environment. How long it takes for them to find a solution to the cause can also take a long time because they may not be aware of what their body is trying to communicate to them. Many people believe that taking breaks is considered being lazy
Do you have a system that keeps you accountable?
Seeking help when needed is a must. Making sure you check-in with yourself weekly is a must and definitely treat yourself. Put yourself first.
Conclusion:
Burnout happens to everyone and it can't be avoided sadly but it can be managed. The intensity of burnout varies on the individual but most common signs are mental health, anxiety, mood shift, and exhaustion. I recommend trying out the 4 tips as mentioned above such as making a schedule, journaling, Travel and Detox when you can. Make sure that you are communicating effectively and you will be amazed how many people want to be there with you and help you to recover from what you're dealing with.
Resources Citied:
All Points North. (2022, May 15). The mental health benefits of journaling - addiction, recovery. The Mental Health Benefits Of Journaling\. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://apn.com/resources/the-mental-health-benefits-of-journaling/
Contributors, W. M. D. E. (2020, December 3). Burnout: 3 signs to look for. WebMD. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/burnout-symptoms-signs
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2021, June 5). Know the signs of Job Burnout. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642
WebMD. (2021, October 25). How travel can help reduce stress and ease anxiety and depression. How Travel Affects Mental Health. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/how-travel-affects-mental-health
