Tips To Handle Burnout

Prior to COVID-19, employees and students were experiencing burnout. The transition from fully online to a hybrid of online and in-person has taken its toll on everyone. Not only that, but researchers are saying that due to the stress caused by the pandemic, we will start to see people develop secondary trauma.

Secondary trauma can occur in, "professionals who work in high-stress and trauma-exposed fields, but it can also affect civilians who do not work in high-trauma fields but are deeply impacted by stories that they are exposed to (Tend Academy)."

With that said, there is no doubt that this would lead to some additional burnout. You aren't alone, I find myself getting burnt out and need a day to rest. This is why I want to give you some tips to handle burnout.

Breaks, Breaks, Breaks

Listen, everyone needs a break or two throughout the day no matter if it is a five-minute break or a half hour. So, if you're reading this and you find yourself needing a break, walk away for a few, I'll still be here.

No matter if you're working from home or in the office, it is always good to go walk around and reset to get your creative juices flowing. Give yourself time to collect yourself and focus on yourself for a little bit.

Listen To Music or a Fun Podcast

While you are on your break, sometimes you need to put on some headphones and have a jam session in your own home. I find myself frequently putting my headphones in, turning the volume up to near max, and jamming out to some metal music (my Spotify playlists are 95% metal at this point).

To change things up a bit, I'll listen to a podcast with a fun topic and focus on it to truly take advantage of the break. Sometimes listening to a podcast can help inspire you to get back on track, or give you a brand new idea.

Use Your Planning Tools

Throughout my years in college, I have found that prioritizing projects and assignments in order to get them done ahead of time helped me out a lot from suffering severe burnout.

If you are not good at using a planner or Google Calendar, stop right now and go organize your deadlines. The great thing about Google Calendar is that you can sync it up with any smartphone calendar, and have multiple events from each of your email accounts.

Pro-tip: Color-code your events if you're going to link up multiple email calendars so you can stay on track!

Treat Yourself

Yes, I am serious. The number of times I have said to friends and family, "Hey, treat yourself!" in 2021 is astounding because it is a very real way to help fight burnout.

Sometimes you need to get a pumpkin spiced latte from your favorite coffee shop, buy a social grilled cheese sandwich from Westside Social (fried egg on a grilled cheese sandwich, need I say more?), buy that video game you have been wanting, or my personal favorite - cracking open a cold hard cider.

Treating yourself can be inexpensive as well, even if you meditate or give yourself some words of affirmation, it can go a long way for your mental health.

Connect With Co-Workers, Friends, or Family

Our support system is key to curing burnout. Sometimes we need to vent to our friends and family members, and sometimes we need to reach out to our co-workers to let them know what is going on.

During our weekly L10 meetings, we always talk about one positive in our personal life and one positive in our professional life. Reminding yourself and the people around you that there are positives out there can help recharge your batteries and get you back on the right track.

I hope that these tips will help you fight your burnout because we all need to help each other out a little bit more. Make sure to share with us your burnout tips on our social media platforms or reach out if you want to hear more!

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