3 Keys to Managing Career Burnout

 Copyright 2005 Ann Ronan

I recently gave a presentation on this topic at an Annual Conference of Human Resource Professionals. The room was full! So I thought the information might be timely for some of you.

What is burnout? What are the symptoms and causes? And if you're experiencing it, what can you do?

The dictionary states that burnout is "exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration." I put usually in italics because even when you love your work like I do, you can overdo and find yourself burned out.

Symptoms of burn out can be physical, behavioral and spiritual. Here are some signs that you're heading for burn out:

* fatigue * muscle tension * headaches * insomnia * not keeping commitments * lack of effectiveness * irritability * anxiety * sense of emptiness-nothing left to give * lack of joy * not able to laugh

Causes of burnout can come from within ourselves or from our organizations. Some common causes are high expectations of ourselves, denial of our basic needs like food and sleep, poor time management skills, inability to set boundaries or to say no.

Organizational causes can be a culture of competitiveness, or one in which being constantly busy and overworked is prized with email and phone calls taken along on "vacations." Insufficient training in new job roles or cramped, noisy environments can also contribute to burnout.

Here are 3 ways to manage burnout: change the stressful situation, reduce your vulnerability to stress and/or change the way you react to stress that cannot be changed:

1. Change the stressful situation if you can. If there are some high stress aspects of your job, see if you can rotate this task with others. Limit the number of hours you are under stress. Spend some time on career/life planning. Set your priorities and live by them.

2. You can reduce your vulnerability to stress by taking care of your physical self with good nutrition, exercise and enough sleep. Avoid nicotine and don't overdo caffeine and alcohol. Surround yourself with supportive people, work with a coach who will listen to you deeply and help you to create a good balance of work and other aspects of your life.

3. Finally, change the way you react to stress. You can do this by modifying your self-talk and self-criticism. Learn techniques to calm yourself - a few deep breaths can bring you right back to a centered place, able to face whatever stress is in front of you. Become a self-care expert and have some fun.
About the Author

Join Ann for a weekly study group by telephone that will "Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life. Register here: http://www.authenticlifeinstitute.com Ann helps others to acknowledge what they love to do and to do more of it. As a Religious Science Practitioner, she provides spiritual coaching to help others disarm their worries, doubts and fears.

 Ann Ronan

More Articles 

Finding Personal Meaning In Your Career - Scott Brown
When we talk about personal meaning in terms of our career, people often think it’s about turning your passion or favorite hobby into a job. However, personal meaning can mean different things to different people. Your personal meaning doesn’t...

Career Management in a Jobless Economy - Rebecca Sohn
Recent news from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting anemic job growth in a recovering economy and the election of thousands to quit looking for work continues to baffle the experts and depress the unemployed. If only there were jobs…...

7 Ways to Network Your Way Out Of a Job and Into a Work At Home Career - Kim Rhodes
Everyday you can read articles about how people network and find another job. You can find countless numbers of books and articles on how to create relationships to find jobs that might not otherwise be known. But what about people who don't want...

Home Healthcare Careers - Max Stein
One of the fastest growing sectors of the medical industry is that of home health. There are many reasons for this growth, but most important are: The number of aging and infirm citizens in the country. The lower cost of care in relation...

How Do You Define Career Success? - Ian Christie
Why is this question important? One of the most important career and life-planning activities you can engage in is finding your own definitions or models of success. This is vitally important for a number of reasons: If you haven't done this, how...

Home business career – choosing a unique online opportunity - Alice Nero
Money making is easy very easy at this time when the world is at your finger tips. Get connected to the web and get your hands on a suitable home business career. Many of us run after corporate careers but lack the home based ...

Business Career Advice: Stop Feeling Guilty about Time Off! - Paul Megan
Are you sitting at your desk dreamily imagining yourself on a South Seas vacation? Or maybe a rollicking holiday with the family? Or maybe you'd prefer to stay home and watch some DVDs. Wanting to take some time off shouldn't make you feel...

Preventing Mid-Career Burnout Article - Searforclasses
Jeremy had all the symptoms of mid-career burnout. A 29-year-old buyer in the purchasing office of a Bay Area company for four years, he was having a hard time staying focused and completing projects at work. He also had low energy, no...

#1 Fear that Holds People Back in their Careers - Scott Brown
Surveys have shown the average American is more afraid of public speaking than they are of death. No wonder many people have let promotions at work pass them by for fear of having to speak in public. It may not even have been a conscious decision,...

Are you an ex-career woman living in a new country? - Caroline Jalango
Were you once a successful, professional woman who had a significant status level and received adequate remuneration for your work? Have you re-located to a new country where the educational degree you worked so hard to achieve is neither...

Planning Your Career - Stefanie Spikell
Planning your Career - What are the Fastest Growing Occupations ? There are jobs everywhere, that's for sure. But are they jobs that you want? And will they offer the kind of growth opportunities that you are looking for? Review the list...

Change Your Career, Change Your Life! - Marilyn J Tellez M A
Lots of times I see and talk to people who are tired, bored and burnt out of their current jobs. I'm not sure what causes this dis- satisfaction. One reason, though, that I've thought about is that the work they are doing is not their life...