Virginia WaltonIf you prefer the video version, click here https://youtu.be/NfKNEQqh4iY
Even Superman experiences burnout!
If you are thinking, Virginia, he is a fictional character that saves the world. How could he possible experience burnout?
I am serious, I read in a recent article about a change with the character’s son, they paint the scene that Superman is suffering from physical and emotional exhaustion from saving the world.
This makes sense. At some point helping all those people has to wear you down. Hell, just finding a place to change now that phone booths are obsolete must be stressful!
I share this not to just bring some humor into your day given this is fiction but to remind you that saving the world is exhausting! You may not feel like you are not saving the world.
You may feel like some days you are just fighting to hold it all together, but in reality, that is YOUR WORLD!
You are working every day to save your world, to make it better, to do the best work, to be the best mom, the best spouse, the best manager, the best employee, the best soccer coach, the best PTA President, and the list goes on and on!
An article on TechRepublic.com, recently listed the top five signs of burnout.
- Disengagement: As opposed to the stressed-out person who becomes over productive, those who disengage become less productive.
- Forgetfulness: This is from an inability to focus which also makes it harder to be productive.
- Fatigue: Feelings of exhaustion and general tiredness all the time. Feeling depleted and drained also impacts one’s ability to be productive.
- Anxiety & Insomnia: You may feel exhausted but cannot sleep. This leads to tension and edginess. Who wants to work with the ‘edgy’ person? Right, no one!
- Cynicism: This is feeling like nothing matters, it all sucks. You may even start to isolate from co-workers. It is hard to get projects and reports done when you are not reaching out to your co-workers and teammates.
Do you see the irony?
You are pushing yourself to save the world and meet every demand thrown at you, but you end up being less productive, making it hard to meet those demands.
What a vicious cycle! How do we break it?
- Disconnect regularly, not just when you have hit all five of these warnings. Build these breaks into your schedule and daily routines. I know it sounds crazy, but we can actually leave our phones in another room.
- Listen to your body. If it is telling you to rest, do it. Trust me, if you don’t listen, eventually it will just shut down on its own. I’ve been there. I pushed and pushed until I would find myself too physical exhausted to drive to work, so then I’d be in bed trying to send an email and cancel meetings with one eye open. Next thing I would sleep for 10 to 15 hours. Talk about lost productivity!
- When you plan your week, plan in time for relaxing activities. Whatever works for you, make sure it is on your calendar. It could be reading, knitting, cooking, going for a walk, an awesome fitness class, massage, fishing, or something else! Find what chills you out and make time for it.
- Get organized. Plan your week ahead of time and not just meetings and deadlines, but down time, time with family, little breaks in your work day. I do this Sunday night so I wake up with a game plan and am not stressing over it Monday as I’m also trying to get work done.
- Lean on your support system. If you do not have one, get one.
This is where coaches can be a great resource. Why?
Because they are not part of your daily live, they are separate and create a save space to discuss what is going on, find a plan that is best for you – not your entire world- just you.
The focus is your well-being, not what your boss and family need from you.