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Not Doing So Great, Actually: Stop Yourself from Burning Out

Here's how to recognise and prevent it.
Illustration by Ben Thomson

This article is supported by TAFE Queensland, who can help give you the skills for a range of jobs. In this series, we look at work life and careers.

Stress sucks. Sure, a little bit can be OK—it's even essential to tackle our to-do lists—but when you're up to your eyelids in work and don't even have time to call your mum (call your mum!), you may be on the way to an epic burnout.

Don't stress about stress though. We asked some experts about how to recognise, and prevent, burnout.

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THE PSYCHOTHERAPIST

As anyone who's been on top of things one day and curled up in a foetal position unable to do anything but watch repeats of Roseanne the next will know, burnout is something that creeps up over time. "It's usually characterised by a state of emotional and physical exhaustion accompanied by a sense that nothing is being achieved," psychotherapist Brad McLean tells VICE.

"Too little stress and we lose motivation, too much stress and we are depleted, which adversely affects our physical and mental health."

How do you ensure you're maintaining a golden balance? You need to understand the way stress works.

Stress, in itself, isn't inherently bad. It's a natural motivational tool, which activates your fight or flight response. "It helps us focus, think with agility, and process quickly," McLean says.

There are a couple of ways to combat stress before it spirals (you know, into depression, messed-up sleep patterns, headaches—all that stuff).

"Generally speaking, everyone should have an ongoing stress management plan," McLean explains. "This includes exercise, meditation or mindfulness activities, contact with green environments, creativity, and healthy social connectivity. Eating well and particularly focusing on getting quality sleep is also important."

THE WELLNESS EXPERT

Living in a connected world, work/life boundaries often blur. Cora Geroux is a yoga instructor and life coach who has experienced burnout in the past —partly from loving her job too much and not taking time off. "I let it be all-consuming," Geroux recalls. "I was at the point where if I had a weekend off and I wasn't working, I felt anxiety about not working."

She recommends investing time into friendships and hobbies that are not work-related, and always factoring downtime into your week. "Try to completely separate yourself from work at least one day a week so that you don't get to Monday and feel like nothing's changed."

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"Remember that having time off actually makes you more productive."

Going off-grid—even if it's just for 20 minutes—is a quick fix. "You don't have to be meditating, just be in nature, or walk, or whatever you can do without technology. You'll come back recharged, fresh, and clear."

Geroux even has a life-stress hack you can try right now: Changing your breathing pattern can help you focus. Close your right nostril with the pad of your thumb and breathe only through your left nostril. "It actually has a calming effect on your nervous system. You don't have to be an expert meditator, you can literally shift your breathing and that changes how your nervous system is functioning."

THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT COUNSELOR

John Taccori has been working in career and vocational development for the past 20 years and says that being in the right line of work is important when it comes to preventing burnout.

Following your passion over what looks good on paper will help stop stress from building up. "I often see people who are expressive and they're in scientific roles and obviously they've come to see me because they're unhappy. They say 'I've always felt that' but for different reasons they've gone into these other areas."

If you're thinking about a career change but feeling nervous about the future, Taccori says it's all good. "We're in a situation where technology is changing our jobs. Don't look at it as a fifty-year career plan, look at it as an eight or ten-year plan, max." Work's a big part of it, but don't ignore other factors that might be making you feel like you're on the edge of a water-cooler meltdown. There's also relationships, family issues, and everything else happening in your life outside of the office that can contribute to feeling overwhelmed.

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"Millennials have to be all-rounders and that involves a lot of juggling in their lives."

Talking to someone with an objective ear who can help you identify different areas of stress in your life is a good place to start.

THE MULTI-TASKER

Brodie Lancaster is an author, writer, editor, and occasional DJ. She also frequently appears on panels to talk about all of these things.

"The beloved Etsy quote, 'You have the same number of hours in the day as Beyoncé' lead to a lot of exhaustion after I first decided to use it as a motivator."

This is where self-preservation comes in. A red flag for burnout is saying yes to taking on extra work and commitments when you really mean no. "Saying no to something doesn't mean you'll never be allowed to do something again —you're not going to get blacklisted. Be nice to work with and people will want to work with you again."

Alone-time is an essential part of self-care—especially when your work involves socialising—and helps recharge your batteries. "Figure out the thing that makes you feel human—whether it's swimming laps or watching The Bachelor or eating tacos—and do that thing."

This article is supported by TAFE Queensland. You can find out more about their diplomas here.