Burnout is not the end of the world. Here’s how to cope !
Exhaustion, drowsiness, and a drop in productivity. Does that sound like something you are going through? We hate to break it to you, but you’ve likely got a bad case of burnout. When you work non-stop for a long time the physical and emotional stress starts getting to you until it reaches a crescendo that brings you crashing down. What follows is a period where you are swamped with work and your exhaustion prevents you from keeping up. All of these symptoms come together in what is known as burnout.
So you’ve got the diagnosis, what’s the treatment?
1.Acceptance
First, you need to accept and validate that you have reached your limit in how far you can push yourself to work without a break. Everybody has their breaking point. If you keep going despite this, it will affect not only your productivity but also your health, social life, and work satisfaction.
2.Step Back and Assess
Introspect and listen to your mind and body. What do you need in the form of a break? If you study endlessly for a week, maybe you need to take one night off and hang out with your friends. If you haven’t taken a leave from work, take a day off and indulge in a self-care day. Self-care is not only treating yourself to good food and a scented candle. It also means that you take care of chores that you have ignored for days. This will refresh your monotonous routine and take the pressure of an unending task list off your mind.
Understand your patterns and tendencies. If you are accustomed to a certain manner of working that is actually detrimental, track it and unlearn it. Introduce a new system. As with any new habit, it will take time to get used. It will all ultimately work out.
3.Reschedule
Chances are that you have been living by a rigid schedule where everything is penciled into your calendar. Rethink your weekly schedule. Create space for exercise and me-time. In the beginning, you may also feel guilty about taking breaks and slowing down. However, you must remember that you are in the game for the long run. You need to take this in short bursts and sprints of productivity instead of a long marathon. This new schedule must be designed in a way that during work hours, you are only focussing on work, and during breaks, you do not entertain work calls. Respect time whether it is your own or somebody else’s.
4.Take it Slow
Any change takes time. Getting burned out involves a series of small actions that eventually build up and leave you drained. Similarly, coming out of burnout will also take time. Don’t push yourself too hard too fast. Know that you will make mistakes but remind yourself of the first point: Acceptance.
Its time to rejuvenate. After all, even an Ivy League student needs time off. Will that student be you? Reach out to us and get started on your college application.
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