Deal with Burnout #NoMatterWhat
Emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress is better known as burnout. 75% of workers have experienced it and 67% of people think it has worsened over the last 20 months. If you’re not personally familiar with the symptoms of being overwhelmed and the feeling of being unable to meet the constant demands of the world, count yourself lucky because many of those around you certainly are.
I get the USD $51 billion dollar question quite a bit -- the last time was this past week while speaking at the Association of High Technology Distribution Conference in Colorado Springs. (By the way, the Broadmoor hotel is a stunning conference facility if you’re looking for one in the Colorado area).
Why a USD $51 billion question? That’s how much productivity is lost in the U.S. alone due to burnout absenteeism and potential depression.
There are typical answers for how to deal with burnout, for example, flexible schedules, wellness and mental wellness support at work, more communication from leadership etc. All of that gets an A+, so I’m not diminishing the value of those things... I’m all about meditation, yoga in the workplace, and time off. That said, as I see it, there’s still something missing if that’s the approach.
Growth. Being willing to do things in new, innovative (or even uncomfortable) ways.
There seems to be this attitude amongst many in the corporate world that the only way to achieve more (more clients, more money, more sales) is to do more. When companies and/or individuals are focused solely on the path of “more” it can directly impact the well-being and mental health of those caught up in the cycle of only doing more to get results. Put in that extra hour. Send one more email. Call one more client. Driven only by results you might need, especially if your responsibilities are increasing, the condition of the world becomes more harsh when you come up against something particularly challenging. If the only way to improve your results is to do more of what you’re already doing, of course it would lead to burnout! You’re trying to achieve more by doing more of the same. There’s only so much time in the day. It’s an unwinnable and unscalable proposition.
What if instead of just trying to do more of what you’re already doing, you grew and changed how you were doing it?
Pick up the phone instead of sending the email…
Ask for the deal instead of placating endless client questions…
Take a few mindful breaths to orientate yourself towards what you want to accomplish between meetings instead of constantly running from one thing to the next…
When you’re open to changing how you see and do things, you can increase your results without necessarily having to increase the amount of time you take to achieve them. Being open and amenable to potential discomfort when trying a new approach to solving problems, can be an incredibly powerful tool to overcoming the feelings of being overwhelmed and may even help you to get ahead.
Getting comfortable with discomfort takes practice. As you get comfortable trying new things and you learn to embrace the risk that comes along with trying something new, you can actually jump off the “more cycle” and empower yourself to truly make a difference in your life and the way you approach your work.
It’s not the only answer, but it does work.
Tell me how you deal with burnout in the #NoMatterWhat Community on Facebook. What breakthroughs have you had to ward-off burnout that might help others in our community, your business or even in general? Again, if you’re not dealing with it, those around you are.
Just so I’m clear, take the vacation. Spend time taking care of yourself. Get the support you need, for sure. That break might be just what the doctor ordered. And as an additional step, next time you’re feeling stressed or burned out, ask yourself what you might be able to do differently. How can you grow and change yourself to deal with something new, from a different approach that fosters growth to avoid burnout and consistently hit your goals faster because you can… #NoMatterWhat.