Coping with Burnout

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Crystal Watts: 00:04

Welcome to the Student Activities Online Leadership Toolbox. Today on Inspired Leadership, we'll be talking about coping with burnout. Stress happens to all of us. Though it never feels good to be stressed, it can help us to complete tasks and prioritize. Even in the last hour, stressed people can imagine that once they get their tasks under control, they'll feel better.

Crystal Watts: 00:34

However, if the stress is constant and leaves you feeling disillusioned, helpless, detached and completely worn out, you may be suffering from burnout. Burnout can seriously affect your schoolwork, relationships and activities. If left untreated, burnout can negatively affect your health mentally, emotionally and physically. There is hope, though. If you recognize the symptoms of burnout early, you can usually manage it with simple stress relief exercises.

Crystal Watts: 01:14

Even in the later stages of burnout, there are ways to regain balance by reassessing your priorities, seeking support and making time for yourself. What exactly is burnout? Burnout is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Burnout happens when we become overwhelmed by constant demands, and what work we do goes unrecognized or unnoticed. Over time, the continued stress will cause you to lose interest or motivation in the things that you are working so hard for.

Crystal Watts: 02:04

There are some days when we feel overworked, unmotivated or unappreciated. If you feel like this is most of the time, you may be dealing with burnout. Burnout reduces your productivity and saps your energy levels, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give. Well, isn't that just like being really stressed?

Crystal Watts: 02:40

In short, no. Stress is natural, and it often motivates you to complete your tasks. Even in the face of negative repercussions, people suffering from burnout have no motivation to complete their tasks. You may be headed towards burnout if every day seems to be a bad day, if your school or work life seem like a total waste of energy, if you're exhausted all the time, Or if you feel like your work is unappreciated or unnoticed. Now, let's focus on prevention.

Crystal Watts: 03:22

If you catch it quickly enough, there are ways you can prevent and treat burnout. These are great tips, but remember, you know yourself best, so listen to your body. Let's start with sleep. Sleep is an important part of overall health, but it is especially important when coping with stress. The average college student needs eight hours of sleep.

Crystal Watts: 03:53

Even if it is tempting to pull that all nighter to get a presentation done, you'll do it better and quicker if you sleep. If you struggle with getting enough sleep, try sticking to a schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. It might be difficult right away, but you'll feel better once your body adjusts. On the flip side, don't oversleep.

Crystal Watts: 04:25

You can't compensate for a week's worth of missed sleep by sleeping in on a Saturday until three p. M. The right amount of sleep at the right time can help you maintain energy even in stressful situations. Next, eat right and exercise. When you take care of your body, you have more energy to deal with the demands.

Crystal Watts: 04:54

Take note of which foods make you feel energized and which don't. It might seem like a great deal to binge on energy drinks and favorite snacks while writing that paper, but when your body crashes, you'll end up feeling lethargic and sick. Exercising will also keep you feeling good in times of stress. Exercising releases chemicals in the brain that create feelings of happiness. Plus, pumping iron is a great way to work out any frustrations.

Crystal Watts: 05:31

Next is setting boundaries. Don't overextend yourself. It's easy to add one more thing to your plate when you're already an involved student. It's important to learn how to say no when you are already busy. If you are leading a recognized student organization, remember to delegate tasks.

Crystal Watts: 05:55

People respect those who can find balance, and it makes your group members feel more involved to be given responsibilities. Setting boundaries also means not being available all the time. Don't be on call for your committees, your groups or school activities when you're doing personal things. It's easy to tell people they can call you any time, but you might regret it in the long run. Let's talk about me time.

Crystal Watts: 06:30

Do you like painting? Do it. Do you like to relax by playing video games? Take an hour to play. Do you like reading, sports, Dance?

Crystal Watts: 06:44

All of those things are important. Don't forget about your hobbies, even during busy times, even if you have to pencil yourself into your own schedule. Take the time. Thirty minutes won't mean finishing or not finishing your task, and you'll be more focused when you come back to it. There is re hope for recovery from burnout.

Crystal Watts: 07:13

If you are already feeling unmotivated, defeated and increasingly detached, then you may be experiencing burnout. However difficult it may seem, burnout can be dealt with. Just follow the three R approach. Recognize, reverse and resilience. First, recognize.

Crystal Watts: 07:38

Watch for the warning signs of burnout. Second, reverse. Undo the damage by seeking help through counseling, coaching or trusted relationships. Also, by delegating tasks and practicing activities that recharge you. Third, resilience.

Crystal Watts: 08:02

Build your resilience to stress by taking care of your emotional and physical health. Take note of what activities help you de stress and which ones you need to be aware of and prepare for that cause symptoms of burnout. After getting through burnout, the first reaction might be to jump back into your activities with your newfound energy. Now is the perfect time, however, to readjust your habits and prevent future burnout. You need to force yourself to slow down or take a break.

Crystal Watts: 08:45

Cut back whatever commitments and activities that you can. Give yourself time to rest, reflect and heal. When you're burned out, the natural tendency is to protect what little energy you have left by isolating yourself. But remember, your friends and family are more important than ever during difficult times. Turn to your loved ones for support.

Crystal Watts: 09:12

Simply sharing your feelings with another person can relieve some of that burden. Burnout is an undeniable sign that something important in your life is not working. Take time to think about your hopes, your goals and your dreams. Are you neglecting something that is truly important to you? Burnout can be an opportunity to rediscover what really makes you happy and to change course accordingly.

Crystal Watts: 09:45

And that's it. Let's review quickly what was presented. We discussed what burnout is, how to prevent and treat it and how to deal with the aftermath of burnout. Remember to take it easy every once in a while and enjoy your time here on campus. It'll go by quicker than you think.

Crystal Watts: 10:08

Don't let burnout become the main focus of your Maverick story. This podcast was presented by Student Activities at Minnesota State University Mankato. Thank you for participating. You can find other podcasts at mnsu.edu/activities/toolbox.