BURNOUT TANGO PART 3: 11 PREVENTION TIPS

As soon as you sense the signals of burnout tango, do yourself a favour, do not ignore it and hopefully think it will disappear. Try to put your life into perspective. You can stall burnout before it becomes a tango.

Here are some tips for you:

1. Take a dose of spiritual pills every day. Though many do ignore their spiritual life, it eventually pays to develop it. Seek the Lord your God every blessed morning. Don’t just jump out of bed as soon as you wake up. Develop an intimate relationship with your Creator.

o Pray.

o Read the Bible.

o Meditate on the Word of God.

o Spend at least 15 to 30 minutes for this. You can spend more time than that but start anyway; get the key of and for the day from Him who knows the day.

The Bible has this to say; “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep…seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!...the young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” (Psa. 127:2; 105:4; 34:10 ESV)

2. Embrace healthy eating habit – eat right.

3. Embrace healthy sleeping habit – sleep right.

4. Exercise – 20 to 30 minutes workout every day is good. It keeps the body in shape, the heart in good condition. This will give you the strength to handle the demands and hassles of life.

5. Learn to say NO – whenever you discover that your “me” time is been encroached upon, have the gut to say no. you cannot satisfy everybody.

6. Set a very clear boundary between work and personal life – don’t jeopardize your home for work and vice versa.

7. Declare your freedom from technology – put away that laptop, switch off that phone, delay the checking of that email, postpone that tweet and update for another time, leave that update on Facebook for now. Set a time of complete detachment from those gadgets for each day.

8. Develop your creative side – creativity is a powerful antidote to burnout. Try something new, different from the work you do. Your favourite hobby for instance.

9. Socialize – meet with people; develop a good relationship with others. Have close rapport with your family.

10. Go for seminars, conferences, workshops, symposiums or continuing education activities. Learn that new skill.

11. You’re overdue for your annual leave, go for it. Use the leave break to re-energize yourself.

BURNOUT TANGO PART 2: SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

The signs and symptoms of burnout I will describe or classify under four headings. They are spiritual, emotional, physical and psychological or behavioural signs.

 SPIRITUAL SIGNS.

o Spiritual dryness.

o Luke warmness towards/avoidance of Bible reading.

o Skipping of quiet time.

o Prayerlessness or epileptic prayer life.

o Sometimes staying away from fellowships and services.

 EMOTIONAL SIGNS.

o Self-pity.

o Absence of motivation.

o Loss of momentum.

o Self-doubt.

o Diminished contentment.

o Aloofness, feeling of loneliness.

o Feeling of defeat and helplessness.

o Cynical misanthropic pessimistic.

 PHYSICAL SIGNS.

o Signs of sickness frequently e.g headache, back pain, colds, muscle pain, stomach problems and so on.

o Feeling of tiredness.

o Diminished immunity.

o Exhaustion and fatigue often.

o Alteration in eating and sleeping pattern.

 BEHAVIOURAL SIGNS.

o Addiction and Substance abuse e.g food, drugs, alcohol, etc.

o Social isolation.

o Procrastination.

o Aggression.

o Late home coming.

o Skipping work.

CAUSES OF BURNOUT.

Workload is the major culprit behind burnout. However, job related overload is not the sole cause. There are other causes; personality traits, mode of living and technology are other factors that can contribute to it. Technology now keeps some in constant contact with their job, blurring the line between work and private life.

 WORK RELATED FACTOR.

o Feeling of loss of or little autonomy.

o Undervalue and lack of acknowledgment.

o Ambiguous work role.

o Lack of promotion.

o Poor leadership.

o Schism, disharmony and working in a chaotic environment.

o Reduced career advancement opportunities.

 PERSONALITY TRAITS FACTOR.

o Cynical mind-set of oneself and worldview.

o Inability to delegate responsibilities to others.

o Disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable.

o Type A personality, high-achieving.

 MODE OF LIVING FACTOR.

o Workaholic with no time for relaxation and social activities.

o Inability to say no.

o Having limited, not enough sleep.

o Lack of close, helpful, supportive relationship.

o Trying to satisfy too many people.

 TECHNOLOGY FACTOR.

o Information technology

o Computer/Laptop.

o Ipad and Tablets.

o Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, etc.

BURNOUT TANGO PART 1

In this write up and in some of the post that will follow, I will be dealing with burnout and stress. Many do confuse burnout with stress but they are actually different from each other thought somewhat related.

Let me ask you some pertinent questions before going further –

- Are you feeling disappointed or dissatisfied with yourself and your work that it is not all that good as it has seemed disillusioned?

- Is there a feeling of helplessness around you?

- Are you frustrated?

- Are you always chronically feeling exhausted?

- And there is this feeling of powerlessness around you?

If you can answer yes to all or most of these questions, there is the tendency that you are burning out or on the way to burnout. Constant feeling of disillusionment, helplessness, sapped out completely may be pointer to burnout. Challenges looked invincible or unbeatable; everything looks lugubrious, gloomy and morbid. The motivational desire to harness your strength to do something will be gone. The moodiness, melancholic aloofness caused by burnout can cause you your work, relationship, happiness, joy and your health. The good news however, is that healing is available for it.

WHAT IS BURNOUT?

Merriam-Webster defined burnout in two ways:

1. To drive out or destroy the property of, by fire.

2. To cause to fail, wear out, or become exhausted especially from overwork or overuse.

These two definitions apply to what we are discussing here. Burnout is when you drive out, destroy that spark in you, when the energy that spurs you on is drained and you always become tired easily – man, you are on the way to burnout square. It also means to overwork or even overuse oneself to the point of becoming exhausted, worn out, and one begins to fail. Merriam-Webster has this boatload of synonyms to describe it. Included are; break, exhaust, burst, do in, do up, drain, fag, fatigue, frazzle, harass, kill, knock out, out-wear, tire, tucker (out), wash out, wear, wear out, weary.

Quite a list!

It is the term used to explain the physical, mental, emotional exhaustion induced by protracted and inordinate work or study related stress. Burnout can effects serious damage to the spiritual, psychological, emotional and physical make up of people. It eats up the energy, rendering one to become unproductive and ineffective. At the end, you may feel useless, having nothing more to give.

HOW TO DEAL WITH BURNOUT Part 2

If you are experiencing workplace burnout, how can you recover?

Granted, change may seem impossible if you feel trapped in circumstances beyond your control. Nevertheless, consider the following four steps for dealing with burnout. You may have more options than you realize.

1. EVALUATE YOUR PRIORITIES. What is most important to you? Many people would likely put family relationships and good health near the top of their list. These are things that are likely to suffer if you are burnout. By clarifying your priorities, you prepare yourself to make difficult decisions and accept trade-offs. For example, you may see that your work is leading to burnout. Yet you may reason, ‘I cannot change jobs or work less; I need income!’ True, everyone needs income, but how much and at what cost to the things you value most? Beware of pressure to adopt the priorities of others around you as your own. Your employer’s priorities and yours are likely different. Others may choose to put work first in their life, but this does not mean that you must do the same.

2. SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE. To reduce stress and gain time for what you truly value, you may consider working fewer hours, you may be able to persuade your employer to reduce your current job demands, or you may determine that you need to change jobs. Whatever you decide to do, you will likely need to adjust your financial situation and make changes in your lifestyle. But this is not impossible and may not be as hard as you might think. In many lands, a consumer-oriented society sends the message that happiness is linked to income level and possessions. But in reality, it is not. A simpler lifestyle can bring greater freedom and satisfaction. To prepare for such a change, reduce expenses and save money. Try to lower or eliminate debt. Discuss the need for change with your family members, and seek their support.

3. LEARN WHEN TO SAY NO TO WORK. If you face an unrealistic workload or some other persistent problem in your workplace, discuss your situation with your employer. Whenever possible, offer solutions that meet both your needs and those of your employer. Reassure your employer of your commitment to your work, and explain what you are willing to do; but be clear and firm about you not able to do. Use foresight and be realistic. If you want to work less, your employer may expect you to accept less compensation. Anticipate risks such as the threat of job loss, and be prepared to respond. Remember that your prospects for finding a different job are better while you are still employed. Even when you have reached a mutual agreeable work arrangement with your employer, you can expect to be pressured again to take on more work. What can help you remain firm? Keeping to the commandments you have made. Doing so might give you leverage to ask your employer to do the same in return, including keeping your workload within the agreed limits.

4. RENEW YOURSELF. Even when your work is free of major problems, you may still have your share of stresses, difficult people, and unpleasant situations. So make time for sufficient rest and balanced recreation. Remember that recreation does not have to be expensive to be refreshing to you and your family. Cultivate interests and friendship apart from your work, and avoid defining yourself by the type and amount of work that you do. Why? The Book Your Money or Your Life observes: “Who you are is far greater than what you do for money.” If your identity and self-worth come primarily from your work, then you will find it difficult to minimize the role that work plays in your life.

Can you really make changes needed to deal successfully with burnout? Yes, you can.

Anil, mentioned at the beginning of this article, did so. He says: “I contracted my former employer and asked if he would take me back, and he did. I was embarrassed to face my former co-workers after I had talked about moving on to ‘greener pastures.’ And I took a significant cut in pay. But I gained peace of mind, and I had more time for my family and other things that I truly value.”

(Culled from AWAKE! September 2014, Vol. 95, No. 9)

HOW TO DEAL WITH BURNOUT Part 1

Anil was beyond exhausted. He had taken on a new job because it promised greater prestige and more income. But now he was working late nights as well as weekends, sometimes up to 80 hours a week. “The work environment was chaotic,” he states, “and all the responsibility fell on me. I said to myself: ‘what have I done? If I don’t make a change, I’m dead.’” Anil was rapidly burning out.

Workplace burnout is more than mere tiredness, and it goes beyond the ordinary stress of everyday work. Burnout is characterized by chronic exhaustion and strong feelings of frustration and powerlessness. Those suffering from burnout tend to withdraw emotionally from their work, lose motivation, and become less productive. Studies also link burnout to numerous emotional and physical health problems.

What Causes Burnout?

Work overload is often a factor. Because of economic pressures, some employers demand that employees work longer hours, at times for less money. Technology now keeps some in constant contact with job, blurring the lines between work and private life. For some, job insecurity, lack of control over their work, or feelings of being treated unfairly contribute to burnout. So does dealing with unclear priorities or conflicts with co-workers.

Burnout can also be self-inflicted. In the pursuit of career goals and greater income, some try to fit ever more work into their life. Such ones may become over-committed and find themselves on the road to burnout.

(Culled from AWAKE! September 2014, Vol. 95, No. 9)