Battling Burnout and Prioritizing Self-Care

When you’re juggling work, school, and family obligations, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you don’t take steps to reduce stress, you may eventually experience burnout, a state of physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion. Burnout causes a wide range of symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, and appetite changes.

Fortunately, it’s possible to prevent burnout by using self-care to improve your overall well-being. Colorado State University Global has an Employee and Student Assistance Program to help you access online counseling and other valuable resources. We’re also committed to helping students and staff members find qualified mental health professionals in their communities.

Understanding Burnout

One of the most common causes of burnout is a challenging workload. When the amount of work you have exceeds your personal capacity, it’s difficult to meet your obligations. Burnout is more likely if you have a challenging workload and additional stressors.

It’s also common to experience burnout if you feel like you lack control over your life. When you’re in control, you get to make decisions based on your individual needs and preferences. If you work for a micromanager or have to adjust your lifestyle to accommodate others, you may end up battling burnout at some point.

Finally, you may experience burnout if you have to tackle serious challenges without support from family members and friends. A strong support system reduces mental stress, reducing the risk of burnout.

Effects of Burnout

Burnout can have a major impact on your personal and professional lives. At work, burnout is likely to reduce your productivity, as mental and physical exhaustion makes it nearly impossible to keep up with assigned tasks. You may also find yourself avoiding certain job duties or isolating yourself from colleagues.

At home, burnout may cause you to avoid important responsibilities, such as helping your children with their homework or tending to the needs of an elderly parent. Another common sign of burnout is a loss of interest in self-care activities.

Signs and Symptoms of Burnout

Exhaustion is one of the most common signs of burnout. You may also experience the following:

• Pain
• Digestive problems
• Poor coping skills
• Feelings of depression or sadness
• Increased cynicism
• Difficulty concentrating
• Reduced performance at work

Prioritizing Self-Care

To learn how to recover from burnout, you must get acquainted with the principles of self-care. In simple terms, self-care is any activity you do to maintain your physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental health.

Self-care offers several benefits for anyone who’s overwhelmed by the challenges of everyday life:

• Improved physical health. Some types of self-care involve physical activity, giving you extra opportunities to strengthen your muscles or improve your balance.
• Increased productivity. When you’re feeling burned out, it’s tough to focus. Taking time for self-care relieves some of the stress associated with burnout, allowing you to concentrate on your assignments.
• Enhanced relationships. Burnout sometimes causes people to isolate themselves from loved ones, putting a strain on their most important relationships. Self-care reduces stress, making it more enjoyable to spend time with your friends and family members.
• Better mental health. Because self-care reduces stress, it has the potential to help with anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.
• Increased energy. Burnout saps your energy, leaving you feeling fatigued and overwhelmed. By reducing stress, self-care makes it possible to boost your energy levels.

Effective Self-Care Strategies

Not everyone knows how to practice self-care without a little guidance. Whether you’re on the verge of burnout or already experiencing the symptoms, you may benefit from these strategies:

• Exercise regularly. Exercise releases endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals that help relieve stress. Physical activity also strengthens your body, making it easier to perform many tasks.
• Eat a well-balanced diet. The food you eat affects your brain, so improving your diet can have a major impact on mental health. If you have a chronic health condition, speak with a dietitian before you make dietary changes, as you may have to avoid certain foods.
• Get plenty of sleep. Getting more rest can help you avoid the physical exhaustion that leads to burnout.
• Try mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness helps you focus on the present moment instead of worrying about other things, while meditation helps you clear your mind. Both techniques may help you in your quest to avoid burnout.
• Write in a journal. Journaling gives you a chance to express your emotions instead of keeping them to yourself, giving you an outlet for your stress.
• Maintain social connections. Maintaining social connections makes it easier to build that all-important support system.
• Find a therapist. A licensed therapist can help you improve your coping skills and address some of the reasons why you’re prone to burnout.
• Engage in your favorite hobbies. If you’re overwhelmed by work and family obligations, taking time for one of your hobbies gives you a chance to relax.
• Manage your time wisely. Some people experience burnout because they take on too many tasks. Make sure you manage your time wisely to avoid stressful scheduling conflicts.
• Use stress-reduction techniques. If you’re still battling stress, try deep breathing, yoga, or other stress-relief techniques.

Tips for Battling Burnout

If you’re experiencing burnout, learn to set boundaries and say no to unreasonable requests. You don’t need more tasks on your plate. It’s also helpful to create a supportive environment instead of trying to do everything alone. CSU Global’s success counselors are familiar with successful time management techniques and can help students create personalized study plans to stay on track to meet their academic goals — so tap into yours as needed for additional support.