Breaking Away from Work Burnout
Modern life for many people is a clean and simple experience: We wake up in a warm bed, have hot showers and a bounty of food waiting for us in the pantry. For the majority of people living in the United States, the perils that our species grew up with are a thing of the past: we don’t have to guard against predators at night or scrounge for food in the morning. We still need to work, but the urgency is gone. Instead of hunting for food, many of us are sitting at a desk or completing repetitive tasks in a sanitary, indoor environment. This repetitive, reliable, yet dull and sometimes meaningless working environment is leading many of us to burnout.
In an unnatural environment like modern day America, feelings like work burnout are natural. We may have trouble going to work each day, or spend countless hours at work just waiting for the day to end. Those of us who work from home are facing new challenges with motivation and schedule-keeping while working from home.
Signs of Burnout
Loss of motivation
Trouble concentrating
Mental and emotional exhaustion
Consistent malaise
Procrastination
Decreased sense of accomplishment
Feeling helpless or detached
To fight back against burnout from work and other elements of our lives, we need to redefine what we’re working toward and how we do it. It all begins with determining what we’re fighting for. To mentally reset and start this soul search, you might visit our wellness spa near Portland or float center near Seattle with red light therapy and an infrared spa. In the meantime, let’s explore how to break away from burnout and feel motivated again.
Setting Goals
Having a goal in mind is the key to motivation, both in work and in everything else. Your goal doesn’t have to be a dream job or salary or even early retirement. It doesn’t have to be directly job-related at all. Your goal could be to travel more, or spend more time with your kids, or find love, or hone your skills at the guitar. Your work, (and yes, this includes raising children, taking care of the house, and careers of all varieties), then becomes a vehicle in achieving that goal, and if your goal is truly motivating, orienting yourself toward that goal can flush away feelings of burnout.
You may find that your goal involves switching careers or cutting hours, and that’s okay so long as these actions make sense for you and your goals. It may also involve doubling up on your efforts at work or taking on more hours. Even if your work still feels like a struggle or like you’re running on a hamster wheel, reminding yourself of your goal can help you keep from burning out.
If you’re between chapters right now and can’t find a goal to motivate you, think of things that will help you to achieve a goal once you find the inspiration. Putting money away and taking care of yourself in the meantime will help you achieve any goal once you discover it.
Creating a Daily and Weekly Schedule
One of the easiest ways to burn out is to try to be productive over time, beating yourself up when you’re unable to do so. You may find yourself counting the hours you’ve been unproductive, or trying to will yourself into working while sitting in front of the TV. The secret to escaping this cycle is to create a schedule that works for you, and stick to it.
What daily schedule will help you to achieve all your goals for the day, from exercise and healthy eating to taking care of work and responsibilities? You might play around with your schedule for a while, such as exercising in the morning or reserving your creative work for the late evening. The goal is to eliminate as much stress as possible and accomplish everything you need.
Do you need a quick way to decompress mid-day? A visit to an infrared sauna is both relaxing and invigorating, bringing energy to your cells as you relax in the heat.
To keep burnout from taking hold, each person needs a different amount of flexibility in their schedule as well as the opportunity to get away from responsibilities. You may flourish by taking certain responsibilities completely off your to-do list on the weekends, or may find you need to reserve one or more nights a week to spend with friends. Your schedule is your own; use it to make burnout a distant memory.
Enjoying Life
Remembering to enjoy the precious moments in life is surprisingly hard to do. Our minds are problem-solving machines, and this means we often dwell on the negative looking for solutions. We have to realign to notice the small moments: a walk in the sunlight, a nourishing meal, the sound of laughter. We also sometimes need a nudge to try something new.
Let this be your nudge! What’s something you’ve never tried, or haven’t done in years? If you’ve never tried float therapy before, it’s an absolute must! Your body will thank you. We chase burnout away by breaking away from the cycles that keep us down, so let’s break that cycle!
We of Urban Float sincerely hope that everyone who is facing burnout from work or otherwise is able to find joy, inspiration and a second wind.
