How To Avoid Burnout – Protect Your Mental Health

As an HR-tech company, we are in sync with corporates and scale-ups regarding their human resources needs, projects development or cybersecurity needs, we understand the human dynamic and the pressure that comes with managing the stress levels between work and personal lives.

We had a chat with our HR team and they shared some tips and tools that would help developers and non-technical employees prevent burnout. 

The classical definition of burnout is the mismatch between the demands that our job puts on us and the resources we have available to meet those demands. 

What are some of the burnout indicators?

  • Exhaustion – Just like you get tired when you over-exercise, the effort that you put into work produces fatigue. Exhaustion is triggered by excessive effort over time. Remember that exhaustion can be triggered by emotional and cognitive effort as well as physical exertion. 
  • Cynicism – One of the core markers of burnout. Cynicism is a detachment you feel from your work. When you no longer feel that your work provides you with purpose and that you have nothing left to give. In short, you just don’t care anymore.
  • Depersonalization – While cynicism is an emotional detachment from the task at hand, depersonalization relates to your relationship with other people. These could be clients, colleagues, or your boss. When you feel disconnected from the people you interact with, it’s a clear warning sign of burnout.
  • Self-inefficacy – While the previous two markers relate to your work and to other people, self-inefficacy is much more personal. Self-inefficacy means you no longer believe that you can complete the tasks that you need to, both in a personal and professional capacity.

These are some of the indicators that signify burnout and should make you begin to seek active steps to alleviate it.

Here are some of the tips that could help you

  1. Name the problem: Just as in any classic horror movie, knowing the name of the demon is the key to defeating it. If you can identify and call out the markers of burnout, you can start to address them before they combine and defeat you. Speak about how you’re feeling. Once you’ve identified the markers of burnout you should speak to your manager about taking steps to address them. It’s in their best interest to protect your mental health, so letting them know that you’re struggling is an important first step.
  1. Track your burnout levels. If you know what the markers are then keep notes about how you’re feeling and get help before it becomes a problem. Don’t expect that what works for one person will work for everyone. Mindfulness training and yoga are great, but it’s not a cure-all. Find what works for you.

Also, we advise managers to pay attention to the team’s dynamics so as to take the necessary actions to protect them from burnout. 

While it’s important to capture the mood of the company, relying on a single large survey every six months isn’t the way to do it. Rather, find ways to continuously check in with team members and show that you’re taking the issue of burnout seriously. And don’t ignore the signs yourself. If you’re not taking care of yourself then how can you expect those who report to you to do the same?

On an organizational level, it’s also important that leaders use the same language to discuss mental health with employees. Having a consistent message means that people are more likely to take the topic seriously.

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