Burning Out and Burning Up

Here's another article to help you prevent Work Burn Out. This was published in my WorkLife Column at Manila Bulletin.

Have you ever encountered a person, maybe a friend or co-worker, who complained about everything that’s not going well with his or her career? You know, those people who oftentimes say, “I hate my job”, “My boss is a prick”, “My co-workers are so unprofessional”, “This is a dead-end job” and “I’m so miserable”…

Perhaps you have gone down that road yourself before or maybe you are experiencing these feelings right now. You may feel discontented over your job, you feel overworked and underpaid, or you’re having difficulties with your co-workers.

Suddenly, you find yourself staying in bed longer and instead of starting your day with gusto, you’re thinking up of possible excuses to not go to work and almost wishing that you have a slight fever, as you raise your hand to feel your forehead.

WORK BLUES

I call this the Work Blues. Many people go through this phase at one point in their work-life. And when this happens to you, you can’t help but wonder, “Am I on the right track?”, “Did I choose the right career?”, “Am I happy?”, “What’s wrong with my life?”

Some people would go further and start seeing all the negative things around them. They start complaining and blaming others, as well as themselves, for their perceived woes. Some may even go as far as quitting their job at the first sign of distress. And although they may find temporary relief initially, they find themselves going through the same cycle on their next job, then the next after that.

BURNING OUT

The truth is, no matter how much you like your job, there will be times when you will experience work blues. Sometimes, when you work hard and give all you’ve got for a project, you don’t always get the results that you expect. Your proposal doesn’t get approved, your boss criticizes the report you’ve toiled over and sacrificed your family weekend for, or an important sale you’ve been working on for months doesn’t come through.

These situations are bummers, and too much of these can lead to burn out. It depletes the spirit and makes most of us feel very tired.

BURNING UP

But rather than quit at the first major sign of Work Blues, I believe that it is best to find cures for burn out. This way, you become stronger. Not quitting when the going gets tough, builds character and it will give you better chances for long-lasting success.

If you get burned out, there are ways to find your second wind. To turn your feelings of weariness into rejuvenation, here are some ways to keep your passion burning!

R & R

If you need to rest from time to time, do so. Rest and relaxation may be done through different ways such as weekend getaways, curling up in bed with a good book, getting a luxurious massage, playing mindless video games, or just catching up on much needed sleep.

I’m sure a lot of workaholics or supermoms would nod and agree on this wisdom, but they will go back to working all the time or feverishly taking care of everybody else anyway, until they crash and burn out. See, there are many workaholics and supermoms who feel guilty for taking breaks. If you are one of them, make it a part of your job to take R & R. Sometimes, you need to slow down and take care of yourself first, before you can take care of others.

TALKING IT OUT

Many people, women especially, like talking about their problems. It’s a form of emotional release and it really helps, as long as the conversation doesn’t become a whine out session.

Although it’s good therapy to talk about issues, it becomes a problem when people start dwelling. And instead of finding solutions, they choose to wallow in self-pity for a prolonged period of time.

To prevent myself from the dangers of problem-dwelling, I use a simple technique. When faced with painful events, I allow myself to cry it out and even go through a little “woe-is-me” whine-fest. But I put a time limit so that I can consciously stop and move on.

LAUGH OUT

Have you ever laughed out so hard that you end up in tears? You are laughing and crying at the same time and the onlookers around you are beginning to think that you are a loony… Well that’s the kind of laugh that you need if you want to clear away your work blues.

Always invite laughter into your life, be it through comedy films, humorous books, funny kitten or epic fail websites, jokes or looking at old eighties photos with friends. Laughing gives you instant relief from burn out.

SPIRITUAL SOUL-SEARCHING

When your spirit is not centered, you will feel blue. This means that your soul is in need of nourishment through meditation, prayer and even retreats.

It’s a time for quiet reflection and to see if you are living a purposeful life. If your job allows you to help others and it is in line with your purpose, good for you. If it does not, find out if there are ways to align your job to your purpose or if there are outside-work activities that can satisfy your soul’s desires.

Thank-Fest

Saving the best for last, I believe that the best way to counter discontent, work blues and complaints is an attitude of gratitude. Every time you are feeling down about your job, think about and list all the things that you like about it.

Appreciate the good and even the bad parts of your life. When you see the silver lining in every situation, your grass will look greener than the other side. When you are thankful for what you have, you will begin to appreciate your job, the people around you and the life that you have.

Burning out happens to many of us, but what separates the great ones is the ability to continuously burn up with passion again and again!


About the Author:
Jhoanna O. Gan-So is president of Businessmaker Academy and the managing director for HR Club Philippines. Her company conducts seminars on Human Resource Management, Corporate Skills Development and Company Teambuilding Retreats for their Corporate Clients. To know more about the seminars that they offer, you may visit www.businessmaker-academy.com or call (632)6874645. You may visit www.hrclubphilippines for more Work-life articles. Email your comments and questions to: mbworklife@gmail.com