How to Manage Work Stress Without Burning Out

Have you ever experienced burnout?

You’re not alone. Burnout is something that many of us will experience in our lives as we try to manage work stress and stress in our personal lives. 

What is burnout, exactly? 

Being burned out isn’t just being tired or overwhelmed. It’s actually a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. Burnout often results from long term stress, a lack of control, or feeling undervalued in your role. As you can imagine, being burned out doesn’t feel good at all. When left unaddressed, burnout can majorly impact your mental and physical health, making even simple tasks feel overwhelming. 

Burnout is not only something that comes up at work, although that’s the way people commonly understand it. You can experience burnout in any area of your life, whether it’s at work or in your personal life, but most people experience burnout primarily at work. 

These are some common signs of burnout to watch out for: 

• Feeling chronically exhausted

• Experiencing increased irritability, at work and at home

• Struggling to find purpose or motivation

• Difficulty focusing or completing tasks at work

• Physical aches and illness 

• Feeling disconnected or numb

Why do women feel so burned out at work?

You know the cliche of the woman who “has it all”? The pressure to be a woman who has it all figured out can add to the sense of burnout you’re experiencing. Women tend to experience burnout at higher rates than men, because of the compounded pressures of work and personal responsibilities. 

Having a full time career and having a household to manage is a lot of work. Women are often expected to take on emotional labor at work that their male coworkers are not tasked with, and it can feel like you’re risking your career when you say no. Women also tend to be paid less and have fewer opportunities to advance in their careers, which can both contribute to feeling burned out. 

The expectation to be “everything to everyone” can create an overwhelming sense of stress, which leaves little time for the self-care and recovery required to stop burnout in its tracks. Understanding the stressors that are impacting your experience of burnout can help you find ways to manage it more effectively. 

If you’re feeling burned out at work, there are some things you can do to start to feel better: 

Work on your boundaries

Having clear boundaries are crucial to managing burnout (and preventing it from happening again). Setting boundaries can be overwhelming, especially when you historically haven’t had very firm boundaries at work. 

Remember that boundaries are a way to help your relationships (including your work relationships) continue over the long term, not a punishment or a sign that the relationship doesn’t matter. In addition, it’s important to note that boundaries are about explaining what you will do, not about controlling what anyone else does. 

Saying no can be harder than it seems, but keep in mind that it’s okay for you to say no to things! If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the number of tasks you have on your calendar, it’s perfectly fine to talk to your supervisor about what you can reasonably handle, and what you need help with. If you’re stressed by the amount of emotional labor you’re taking on in the office, you can clarify what you’re willing to do and what you’re not able to take care of. If you’re stressed about work bleeding into your personal life, you can set a boundary that you only check email during work hours, or clarify that you will only work on tasks that fall under your job description. 

Prioritize taking care of yourself 

Burnout takes a toll on your ability to care for yourself. The feeling of stress and exhaustion that burnout creates means it takes much more energy to take care of the little things that help you feel better. Remember that taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity, and without taking care of yourself, you’ll be unable to function. It might seem silly to focus on self-care as a way to improve your stress level at work, but self-care helps you build a solid foundation so you can withstand other stressors in your life. Starting with the little things can make a big difference in how you feel overall. 

Try scheduling regular breaks during your workday to step away from screens and reset. Make sure to engage regularly in activities that bring you joy, such as reading, journaling, crafting, or dancing. Do your best to improve your sleep quality, by sticking to a sleep schedule, minimizing sleep disruptions, and potentially even working with a sleep doctor to make sure there’s nothing medical impacting your rest. Make sure you’re prepared for your day by fueling yourself with nourishing foods and staying hydrated throughout the day, and take time to move your body in ways that feel good to you. 

Take lots of breaks

Work stress can seem never-ending, and it’s crucial to build in lots of breaks so you don’t add to your level of exhaustion. Some breaks can be built into your day to day work routine, like using the Pomodoro Technique, where you concentrate on a task for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break to reset, or taking a walk on your lunch break. It’s also important to build in larger breaks where you can. Schedule regular time off, and use all of your vacation and sick time - it’s a benefit of your job for a reason, and you’re entitled to use it. It may also be helpful to have different types of tasks you can switch to, so when one is tiring, you can try another. 

Figure out your major stressors

Have you pinpointed what triggers your stress at work? Is it a difficult manager, unrealistic deadlines, an overwhelming workload, or slacking coworkers? Figuring out what it is exactly that contributes to your stress is key to managing them effectively. To get started, try keeping a journal or a note on your phone to track how you’re feeling throughout the day. 

Once you start keeping track, it will be easier to spot patterns and identify triggers. Once you’ve clarified what it is that’s causing your stress, consider if there’s anything about your job that you can change. Can you delegate tasks, request a shift in responsibilities, or clarify expectations with your supervisor? 

Advocating for yourself at work can be scary, but it’s important to speak up for yourself before you are taken advantage of. Finally, if the culture in your workplace is negatively impacting your well-being, consider whether advocating for change will help, or if searching for a new job might be the way to go..

Call on your support system

When you’re experiencing something difficult, it’s important not to isolate yourself. Remember that you don’t have to navigate work stress alone. Talk to trusted friends, family, mentors, or colleagues who can provide perspective and emotional support. Seek out professional networks or support groups where you can share experiences and coping strategies.

Remember, that your employer benefits when you are able to do your job well, so if you’re burned out, consider talking about it to your supervisor. They may be able to help you figure out a way to delegate responsibilities and manage interpersonal issues that are impacting your job. If your workplace has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), take advantage of counseling or wellness resources they may offer. 

Get help from a therapist

Learning how to manage work stress and life stress is difficult, and having help from a mental health professional can help you find solutions that work for you. A therapist can help you develop coping strategies for handling workplace challenges, navigate career transitions or difficult work relationships, set boundaries that protect your mental health, work through feelings of self-doubt or imposter syndrome, and identify and break patterns of overworking or perfectionism that contribute to burnout. 

If you’re feeling burned out, know that you don’t have to manage it alone—therapy can provide the guidance and support you need to navigate stress and burnout with confidence. Our clinicians can help you find ways to manage work stress and find balance in your life. Contact us today to get started!

What to Do When You’re Burned Out

Do you know what to do when you’re burned out?

Burnout is something that many of us are all too familiar with, especially since the onset of the pandemic. While many of us know on some level that we’re burned out, it’s less clear what to do when you are burned out. A complicating factor with treating burnout is that it leaves you feeling exhausted, depleted, and hopeless, which can make it harder to get started doing anything that will help you feel better. Coping with burnout doesn’t have to be complicated, though, and there are some simple steps you can take to start feeling better. 

What is burnout, anyway? 

Burnout is excessive and long-term stress. It’s easy to confuse burnout with stress, but they’re a little different. Stress is generally about a specific thing or situation, and it has an end. Burnout, on the other hand, is long-term. Burnout lasts until we do something about it, even if the situation that originally stressed us out has passed. 

Anything that causes lots of stress can lead to burnout. Some situations that can lead to burnout include:

• Being a caregiver or parent

• Struggling with relationship problems

• Having to work multiple jobs

• Being in a rigorous academic program 

• Having to deal with too much at work

What does burnout feel like?

Burnout is a message from your body that you’re doing too much, going too hard, and you need to listen before you cause serious damage. As you can imagine, it doesn’t feel good! 

Some of the physical and mental symptoms of burnout are:

• Feeling cynical, helpless, trapped, or defeated

• Getting sick more frequently

• Procrastination

• Struggling with self-doubt

• Problems with concentration or memory

• Being exhausted and drained all the time

• Coping with substances 

• Becoming more detached and isolated from the people in your life

• Feeling consistently bored or overwhelmed

• Irritability 

• Loss of motivation for things that are important or meaningful to you

• Frequent aches and pains (like headaches or stomach aches)

• Changes in appetite

• Shifts in your sleeping patterns

Why is burnout so common?

Burnout is common because our culture values work/productivity above personal happiness. Our worth is often tied to our jobs and how much we can produce. Being busy is rewarded and not being busy is seen as lazy. With inflation rising and the economic unpredictability from the pandemic, many people are working more than ever and having less time to recuperate. 

Being stressed for a long period of time is harmful, both mentally and physically. Our bodies aren’t meant to be stressed for months and months on end, and when they are, it can cause problems, from mood swings to health problems like heart disease. 

Dealing with burnout takes a two pronged approach of treatment and prevention.

Burnout always has a cause, but it’s not always easy to figure out what that cause is. Understanding the cause of your burnout can be key to prevent it from happening again. Figuring out what is making you feel burned out can help you focus on relieving the symptoms of burnout so you can make yourself feel better. 

What can you do to feel better right now? 

The first step to treating burnout is to ease the symptoms and start feeling better. It might seem like there’s nothing you can change, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes there’s not much you can do about a situation, but other times you can make changes that will help you feel better. Try approaching the problem after a few good meals and a good night of rest. When you’re feeling slightly less depleted, try to think about where the burnout is coming from. 

It can feel bad to have to cancel plans or to ask for help, but remember that you’re not meant to go through life alone. Even if you feel like you’re the only one who can do certain things, you deserve to have a break too. Go through what’s on your plate and cancel or reschedule a few things. Ask for help from the people in your community. 

It can also be helpful to let people know what’s going on with you so you don’t feel so alone. Most of us have dealt with burnout at some point, and it can be comforting to know that someone has gone through something similar and come out of it. 

How to prevent burnout in the future

Once you understand a little bit more about where the source of your burnout is coming from, you can work on strategies to prevent it from happening again. If you struggle with being assigned too much at work, you can work with your boss to clarify your job responsibilities and learn how to delegate. If you are burned out from caregiving, you can call in your support system and ask for help. 

Do you tend to be a people pleaser? When you struggle to ask for help, it can lead to burnout because you feel you have to take everything on yourself. No one can do everything alone, but it takes practice to feel comfortable asking for help from your support system. 

Make it a habit to celebrate what’s going right. Our brains naturally try to focus on the negative to keep us safe, but sometimes they overdo it. It takes effort to focus on the positive sometimes, but when you make it a habit to celebrate what’s going right, it can help you feel less hopeless about the future. 

Finally, it’s crucial to give yourself breaks. Schedule time off in your calendar. Take all of your vacation and sick days. Switch shifts with people to give yourself some time away. Say no to plans when you’re overwhelmed. 

The way that we work and live in the modern world is pretty tough, and it doesn’t give us a lot of time to ourselves. It’s important to take time off regularly and use it to replenish your energy. This is hard because a lot of us spend our free time running errands or completing tasks, not resting. It can take time to learn how to really rest in a way that replenishes you, but it is possible. 

What to do when you’re burned out and can’t take a break or change jobs

Work is a frequent source of burnout. While it can be fun to imagine just leaving your job and never coming back, that’s not always possible for people. Most of us need our jobs to keep the bills paid and keep a roof over our heads. If you’re burned out at work and you can’t take a break or change jobs, you’re not alone. There are some things you can do to help feel less burned out. 

Start with setting boundaries. Talk with someone you work for like a manager or supervisor and explain what you’re experiencing. Your employer should have an interest in supporting your mental health, because employees who are burned out aren’t as productive. Your productivity doesn’t define you, but it may be something your boss cares about. Using this logic can help persuade your boss to help take some things off your plate or find solutions where they can. Try to set boundaries like when you will respond to work messages or how much you can realistically handle. 

It may also be helpful to challenge your sense of urgency. Are the things causing you stress really urgent, or do you just feel like it is? Try to assess whether you’re pressuring yourself to do too much. Remember it’s okay to have boundaries, and not everything needs to be done right away. In most situations, what is happening is not an emergency, even if the people around us are behaving like it is. 

Finally, take good care of yourself when you’re burned out. Treat yourself like you would when you’re not well, because you’re not well when you’re burned out. Get enough sleep, eat enough food, drink enough water, take enough time for yourself, do things that make you happy, move your body, and spend time with people you love. 

Burnout is unpleasant, but it is treatable. Working with a therapist can help you cope with burnout and find solutions to prevent it from happening again. Get in touch with our office today to get started.