Employee Burnout: How to Regain Ourselves

If constant stress has you feeling purposeless, ineffective, completely exhausted, and you’re beginning to question your professional situation, then you might be in the spiral of burnout. In this article, we'll look at what burnout is and learn how we can regain our balance by “taking the charge” and feel positive and hopeful again.

WHO defines burnout as a condition resulting from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” Symptoms include feeling exhausted all the time, lack of purpose or interest to carry on with one’s work, reduced productivity and detachment. These are also early warning signs of the employee planning an exit or taking a sabbatical shortly.

A lack of purpose leads to a series of unconnected events and thoughts, which results in a mind full of questions with no answers.

Why do I feel tired every day when I wake up? Am I heading in the right direction in my career? Am I able to do justice to my deliverables at work? Why is it that Monday blues seem real now? Where is the spark and enthusiasm with which I used to go to work every day? Am I able to balance personal space and work, or are the boundaries blurred with remote working? Is my family getting enough support from me during WFH?

If you were nodding as you read the above, then you might be in the spiral of burnout. Research states that 62% of people are currently experiencing burnout at work. Of those employees, 32% experience burnout weekly, and 21% contend with it daily.

The dominance of employee burnout has become so distinct that the World Health Organization now classifies it as a growing occupational issue. WHO defines burnout as a condition resulting from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

Symptoms include feeling exhausted all the time, lack of purpose or interest to carry on with one’s work, reduced productivity and detachment. These are also early warning signs of the employee planning an exit or taking a sabbatical shortly.

With the increase in remote working/hybrid working, burnout seems to be a burning issue. Often, employees find themselves torn between work and household responsibilities as the lines seem to blur, and everyone is having too much on their plate. The desire to please everyone and not deny any additional work, being detail-oriented and meticulous in every aspect of life – professional or personal, adds to burnout.

Gallup’s study states that employees who say they very often or always experience burnout are 63% more likely to take a sick day, 13% less confident in their performance, and half as likely to discuss goals with their managers.

The critical question we need to ask at this point is, “How do we regain ourselves from this burnout? Is this the end of being happy? Can we solely blame it on the pandemic or remote working? Well, the answer is within us. How situations pan out in life is uncertain, but how we choose to react to it makes or breaks us.

Here Are Some Quick Pointers on Taking Charge and Regaining Ourselves

It is essential to give yourself those coveted small breaks during the day while working or attending to things at home. Make sure to disconnect yourself, then reconnect to restore mental and physical vitality. Click To Tweet

1. Acceptance of the Situation: Referring to the Modified Kubler Ross Model which talks about the Seven Stages of Grief, “Acceptance” is finally finding the way forward. So the first step is to mentally accept that we are on this ride and lift ourselves. Half our life problems are solved when we take them head-on and are mentally prepared to find a solution to come out of it.
2. Conversations are Powerful: If we are ready to open up about how we feel and the kind of support we need, things can be better. We should not underestimate the power of asking for help. For instance, if we need someone to cover up for us due to personal commitments occasionally, we should not shy away to discuss and plan that in advance with colleagues. If we sometimes want to sleep a little longer and avoid a household chore, we need to ask for help from our family members/ partners. If nothing, just an honest conversation with our trusted ones over a cup of tea/coffee/any other beverage can release the stress to a great extent.

3. Disconnect and Reconnect: It is essential to give yourself those coveted small breaks during the day while working or attending to things at home. Make sure to disconnect yourself, then reconnect to restore mental and physical vitality. For example: Keep aside your devices for an hour or two every day and take in some fresh air, engage in a hobby that you like, exercise/do yoga/dance, paint, learn a new language and practice it, or meditate or sleep. Come back to what you were doing and let me tell you will feel refreshed with renewed energy.

4. Rediscover Your Purpose: Reflect upon your journey from where you started and where you are today. The next step is to think of the biggest obstacles and how you overcame them. It helps us realize how strong we are today v/s what we were yesterday. The final step is to rediscover our purpose as to why we took up the career we have today and what attracted us to be with this organization for the number of years we worked in it. If we can get a positive response from our mind and heart, we are in the right space. We need to lift ourselves and prepare to accelerate our growth. If the answer is confusion or negativity, we need to redirect our energy to what will make us content and the professional journey we see for ourselves from hereon.

If we take a back-seat or a pause to reflect but bounce back with rigour, then “burnout” will be just a phase of our life that will pass with time. After all, we are human beings with simple needs, and we need to accept that we have emotions to address.

In the end, it is “we” who are solely accountable for what we strive to achieve in our lives so let’s “take charge” and be the “catalyst”.