How To Deal

With Work

Burnout

Overview

Your brain and body can only handle feeling overworked and overwhelmed for so long.

If you consistently experience high levels of stress without taking steps to manage or reduce it,

exhaustion eventually takes over — leaving you emotionally and physically burned out.

You may begin to feel less motivated since it seems like nothing you do matters.

Since burnout happens gradually, you might not notice symptoms immediately. But once it takes hold, it

can affect your ability to function across all aspects of life.

Take a Vacation

Talk to your manager as soon as possible and take a

break. Not a five-minute break, and not a couple of

days at home. You need a complete and total cut-off

from work. Basically, you need a vacation.

Explain why you need time off without whining or

getting emotional. Be rational when you lay out all

the reasons you deserve a break, and why you will

be an even better employee when you return.

Find a Release

Burnout can build, leading to a pressure cooker of

stress. If you don’t open that release valve from time

to time, you are going to explode. Perhaps not

literally, but you’ll crack emotionally, have outbursts,

or maybe do something that could hurt your career.

Take a Break From Alcohol and Caffeine

A lot of people deal with the stresses and strains of

a hectic work life by turning to the bottle or dosing

up on coffee, energy drinks, cigarettes, or even food.

While these can sometimes be soothing in

moderation, you can quickly become dependent

upon them, especially if you’re using them to cope

with significant or growing stress at work.

Dependency leads to addiction, which isn't good.

Ask for Different Responsibilities

Burnout in advertising agencies can not only happen

from overwork, but also from working on the same

few clients for months at a time. As the old saying

goes, "a change is as good as a rest," so talk to your

manager about taking on different responsibilities.

Will your boss assign you a different account? Can

you work with clients who require you to leave the

office more for meetings, photoshoots, and events?

Perhaps you can swap accounts with someone else

who is feeling worn out.

Have a Heart-to-Heart With Someone

Close

Another way to relieve a little pressure is to

share your problems, thoughts, and concerns with

someone who genuinely cares about your well-

being. It could be a spouse, your best friend, a

neighbor, or a trusted co-worker, although be

careful about sharing too much with someone at

work who is known to spread gossip or might

use the information against you.

Find Ways to Make Work More Fun or

Interesting

In advertising and design, exciting projects can

alleviate some of the problems that come with an

exhaustive schedule. Yes, you’re busy, but you’re

having so much fun it’s not an issue. When you’re

burning the candle at both ends on projects that

do nothing to inspire you, that’s when burnout can

really take hold. When this happens, find ways to

make the jobs you’re working on more fun.

Work Away From Your Desk

A change of scenery can do you a world of

good, even if you’re still working 12-hour shifts

seven days a week. Most ad agencies will let you

work remotely from time to time, especially if

you’re looking for inspiration. Find a local coffee

shop, museum, or park.

Take Advantage of the FMLA Laws

Known as the Family and Medical Leave Act, FMLA

is a federal law that guarantees certain employees

up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year without

the threat of job loss. It’s often used for a major life

event, such as the birth of a child or significant

illness. But severe burnout and mental stress can

qualify as a reason to use FMLA protection.

Identify immediate changes you can make

You might recognize a few ways to lighten your

load right away.

Those with a lot of ambition to succeed in their

careers are tempted to do it all

But this can backfire when you end up with no

energy for anything.

Instead, try accepting that doing it all isn’t

realistic, and ask your supervisor to reassign one

project or add someone else to your team.

Get Plenty of Sleep, Exercise, and Eat Well

It goes without saying that when we get stressed,

we look for ways to soothe and comfort. For many

of us, that involves eating comfort foods, drinking

alcohol, and collapsing on the sofa to binge-watch

TV. However, those activities rarely cure burnout

and, in fact, can make you feel worse. Don’t reach

for the chips and the remote. Instead, create a plan

to exercise more and eat healthier foods. Get a

good eight hours of sleep every night. A few weeks,

or months, of this and you will feel ready to take

on the world.

Talk to people you trust

If you feel unsure of how to begin sorting through

the causes of burnout and looking for ways to

ease your stress, that’s normal.

Burnout can become so overwhelming that

determining how to address it still seems

exhausting. It’s also hard to identify potential

solutions when you feel completely spent.

Quit Your Job

As a last resort, if the stress is too much, you may

have to quit. For some people, it’s a choice

between quitting and finding a more reasonable

way to earn a living, or persevering to the point of

a breakdown. In that case, it’s really no choice at

all. You cannot afford to become so mentally and

physically ill that you end up incapacitated. So, find

a way to quit.

Examine your options

You may not see an easy road to recovery, but a

little exploration may unearth some kind of path.

Maybe your boss keeps piling work on, despite

your requests for help from co-workers or time

to finish current projects first.

It might be time to start searching for a new job

that respects your capabilities.

If you feel burned out because of relationship

difficulties, a counselor can offer support as you

take a closer look at your relationship and

whether it’s serving your best interests.

Take back control

To start, try these tips:

• Prioritize. Some things just have to get done, but others can wait until you have more time and

energy. Decide which tasks are less important and set them aside.

• Delegate. You can’t do everything yourself, so if more tasks than you can handle need immediate

attention, pass them off to someone you trust.

• Leave work at work. Part of burnout recovery is learning to prioritize work-life balance. After

leaving work, focus on relaxing and recharging for the next day.

• Be firm about your needs. Talk to others involved and let them know what’s happening. Explain

that you need some support in order to take care of your health and manage your workload

productively.

Set boundaries

Setting limits on the time you give to others can help

you manage stress while recovering from burnout.

Before you agree to help someone or accept an

invitation, she recommends the following:

• Push the pause button.

• Take a moment to walk through everything that

will be required of you if you agree.

• Ask yourself if you really have the time and

energy.

• Consider whether doing it offers value to you.

Practice self-compassion

Reaching a point of burnout can bring up feelings of

failure and a loss of purpose or life direction. You

might feel as if you can’t do anything properly or

you’ll never achieve your goals.

When you reach a point of burnout, you’ve

probably pushed yourself past the point of what

most people would realistically consider themselves

capable of for some time.

Pay attention to your needs

Taking charge of your physical and emotional health is key to burnout recovery.

In an ideal world, reaching the point of burnout would mean you immediately take time off, clear your

schedule, and dedicate your days to rest and relaxation.

Try these tips:

• Make enough time for restful sleep.

• Spend time with loved ones, but don’t overdo it — alone time is important, too.

• Try to get some physical activity in each day.

• Eat nutritious meals and stay hydrated.

• Try meditation, yoga, or other mindfulness practices for improved relaxation.

Remember what makes you happy

Severe burnout can drain you and make it hard to

remember what you used to enjoy.

You may have lost your passion for a career you

once loved and feel angry and resentful when you

get to work each day.

Perhaps you no longer care about your favorite

hobbies, or you’ve stopped responding to texts

from friends because you lack the energy for

conversation.

You might even feel perpetually irritated and snap at

your partner or family without meaning to.

Talk to a therapist

Confronting burnout isn’t easy, especially when it’s

already taken a toll on your personal relationships

and quality of life.

A therapist can offer professional guidance by

helping you identify causes, explore possible coping

methods, and navigate any life challenges

contributing to burnout.

Possible causes of job burnout

• Lack of control. An inability to influence

decisions that affect your job — such as your

schedule, assignments or workload — could lead

to job burnout. So could a lack of the resources

you need to do your work.

• Unclear job expectations. If you're unclear

about the degree of authority you have or what

your supervisor or others expect from you,

you're not likely to feel comfortable at work.

• Dysfunctional workplace dynamics.

Perhaps you work with an office bully, or you

feel undermined by colleagues or your boss

micromanages your work. This can

contribute to job stress.

• Extremes of activity. When a job is

monotonous or chaotic, you need

constant energy to remain focused —

which can lead to fatigue and job burnout.

• Lack of social support. If you feel isolated

at work and in your personal life, you might

feel more stressed.

• Work-life imbalance. If your work takes up

so much of your time and effort that you don't

have the energy to spend time with your family

and friends, you might burn out quickly.

Conclusion

We can’t maintain good work if our work is all we do. When you begin to notice signs of burnout,

remember that when we feel better, we can do better—and then balance accordingly.

Part of the reason behind the WHO’s limited definition is the fact that some of these symptoms also fit

the diagnoses of anxiety and depression. If you continue to experience any of these symptoms despite

lifestyle changes and tips mentioned here, please seek the support and guidance of a qualified medical

professional.

Sources

https://www.lifehack.org/893091/signs-of-work-burnout

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/burnout-recovery

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-deal-with-work-burnout-4142144

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642