Burnout prevention is high on the list of wellbeing tools at the moment, and rightly so. Now recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an ‘occupational phenomenon’, we explore what burnout is and what you can do to prevent it.
Burnout can impact anyone. In fact, according to Mental Health UK’s Burnout Report, one in four adults feel unable to manage stress and pressure levels in their life.
While it’s not a medical condition, burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. Symptoms include feeling drained most of the time, feeling trapped, detached, and overwhelmed, as well as doubting yourself and taking longer to get things done.
We recently invited Lucile Allen-Paisant, the director of Mind It Ltd, who specialise in providing wellbeing support in the workplace, to host a burnout prevention workshop at Wellington Place.
Here’s what Lucile had to say: “We tend to think about mental health and physical health as separated, but they both work hand in hand, so they should be considered at the same level.
“Looking after your mental and emotional health is as essential as looking after your physical health.”
View our video here.
Lucile’s top tips for preventing burnout are below.
- Decrease the stressors
What are these current sources of stress? What is taking up our time, mental space, or our energy in a negative way?
Identifying these stressors and finding a way to decrease their impact is a great starting point to prevent burnout.
- Increase the rewards
What do we love doing that is making us smile, disconnect from our phones and relax? Plan it.
So, if you’re thinking about treating yourself after a tough day or arranging a weekend away – do it!
- Let it go
Letting go of things we don’t have control over, or letting go of things that are not necessarily urgent or important, yet, have a sense of urgency or importance.
Lucile recommends making the most of the resources available if you need support and points out MindWell.org as one to visit.
You can find out more about the wellbeing support on offer at Wellington Place here. If you’d like to find out more about Mind It UK, you can visit their website here.
