What is Burnout? Why is it Important to Avoid it? 6 Ways You Can Prevent Reaching a Point of Burnout

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. They key word here is “prolonged”. When you are pushing through a level of intensity — whether it’s your workload, strain in your relationships, financial burdens, or all of the above — for a long period of time without effectively taking care of yousrelf and investing in your relationships — you can burn out.

It’s not a pretty state. It can be debilitating.

Burnout can occur when you are operating in a state of being overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands without sustainable rest, self-care and time away from the cause of your stressors.

When you burn out, it can deplete your sense of motivation, impact your productivity, and make you feel cynical, apathetic or detached. Burnout can also have serious consequences for physical health, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, immune system deficiencies, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.

It’s a horrible place to be. And like any other disease, or health condition — prevention is better than cure. There are a few ways you can prevent burnout. By creating a sustainable lifestyle, boundaries and stress management techniques — you can take care of yourself and create a lifestyle that will allow you to rest from the strain and challenges of life.

You can also recover from burnout — though this may take a longer time. And don’t get me wrong — good things take time. But it’s best that you consistently taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally so you’re not resorting to emergency protocols to recover from a debilitating state of burnout. Here are a few strategies and tips you can take to prevent burning out.

1) take care of yourself and schedule in self-care

Schedule in time for yourself like you would for a work meeting, first date, or your monthly bottomless brunch with friends. Scheduling time in your calendar means you’re prioritising self-care. Making sure you engage in activities that bring you joy, such as exercise, hobbies, and spending time with loved ones can help prevent you from burning out, as you invest in the things that bring you joy, groundedness and rest.

2) know what your priorities are and set boundaries around them

Setting boundaries is also really important part of preventing burnout. It’s crucial that you can establish clear boundaries between work and personal life, and make sure to stick to them. When you say no to something, you’re always saying yes to something else. One thing that can help you to set healthy boundaries is to reflect and get clear on your priorities.

3) manage your stress effectively with mindful meditation

Practicing stress management techniques can also be an effective way to prevent burnout. Stress management techniques can include deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation, or yoga. I personally like to listen to (and watch) guided meditations on YouTube. Sound baths are also incredibly healing and grounding too.

Life will always bring it’s challenges, and rather than being a rhino and smashing through all of them — or being an ostrich and hiding your head in the sand — equipping yourself with the effective tools can be bring you the confidence to manage the stresses of everyday life.

4) reach out for help

Establishing a strong support network and learning how to reach out for help is a crucial for preventing burnout. It can feel vulnerable to seek support, but reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of self-respect. It shows that you understand your weaknesses, and know that you can find strength, comfort and encouragement by connecting with friends, family members, coach or a therapist for emotional support.

One of the worst feelings is to feel alone in your challenges. To be able to reach out and to talk to someone you trust about your stressors regularly can prevent you from bottling everything in and burning out alone.

5) take regular breaks

Remember that’s not only okay, but important to take breaks! Allow yourself to take breaks throughout the day to rest and recharge. You don’t have to be productive 24/7. The quality of your rest will impact the quality of your work. Rest can look different for everyone. Whether it’s a walk around the block, sitting in the sun, going to a cafe to read a book or catching up with a mate over happy hour drinks. Prioritising rest regularly will surely help prevent burnout as you’ll continue to refill your cup so that you can give out of overflow, not empiness.

6) Manage your workload

Managing your workload can be a tricky thing to do, but can really help to prevent burnout. A few ways you can manage your workload is by prioritising tasks. Create a list of the tasks and projects that are urgent and important. Check your workload to see if there is anything that you can delegate. Are there certain tasks that you can outsource — even if you have to hire a contractor, or hand it over to someone else in your team who may have more time, headspace and resources to complete it. And make sure that you don't take on more than you can handle.

There are many ways we can slip into the busyness of life and succumb to the demands of our workplace, relationships and families without adequately taking care of ourselves. Even if things are really busy and chaotic — prioritising your self-care, support, boundaries and values will be the best thing that you can do for yourself, and for everyone else around you too. By creating a sustainable, balanced lifestyle, you can prevent burnout and operate at your optimal state.