The 3 best strategies to reduce stress at work and fight burnout
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It can be difficult to focus on work after the holidays. There may be hundreds of emails you need to reply to and more meetings to attend now that everyone has returned from vacation. It seems that the hours pass at an eerie pace.
A seasonal slump can also occur when one is coming down from holiday height, and faces colder weather and more responsibilities. Emily Ballesteros, who works as a coach for burnout management in Seattle tells that it’s common. CNBC Make It.
If your New Year’s resolutions are making you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or both, don’t worry. Visier, a people analytics firm, recently surveyed 1,000 workers In the U.S., 89% of respondents had suffered from burnout over the last year. This is a problem that requires our immediate attention.
Ballesteros states that winter can be the most hectic and stressful season. “It’s a time to re-focus on self-care – and have little pockets of light at the end of the tunnel, activities that you enjoy, to help you through the harder months.”
Below are Lauren McGoodwin (CEO and founder of Ballesteros). Career ContessaHere are their top tips for avoiding burnout at the office.
Walks are a great way to spend time
Some of the world’s most successful leaders – including Bill Gates and Jack Dorsey – swear that their best thinking happens during long walks.
According to a study, walking is good for the brain. It can increase your energy and stimulate creativity, as well as reduce anxiety. Psychology Today.
McGoodwin takes a 20-minute stroll to her Starbucks after hitting a wall at the office. She says that anxiety sometimes turns into a lot of energy. Walking, for example, is a good way to release this tension. When I return from walking, I feel calm and peaceful.
Even a 10-minute stroll outside – or a couple laps around your apartment building – can help you tackle work with what McGoodwin calls “fresh brain space.”
Make a positive mantra
Positive affirmations are a great way to get out of funk or boost your confidence in a stressful work environment. ResearchPositive affirmations have been shown to increase brain reward system activity, which in turn can decrease pain levels and boost self-worth.
These phrases will help you to turn your attention from stressors to a goal or remind yourself to be kind. McGoodwin says that her favorite mantra “I’m making my best effort” is what she uses.
“A lot of times, we’ll use self-criticism to motivate ourselves to pick our work up a notch – but beating yourself up won’t make you work faster,” she explains. “Self-compassion lingo is a lot more beneficial – it gives you a moment of appreciation and gratitude that you are human and you are doing as much as you can right now.
Career ContessaOther mantras for dealing with stress at work include “Today IS Today, Not Every Day” and “I Can Do Anything, But I Can’t Do Everything.”
Try a brain dump
Ballesteros advises that you do a “brain-dump” when your end of work is close and you still feel anxious. Write down the work you have done and your personal tasks on one side. On the other, write what thoughts and feelings are on the right.
“Writing everything down gives me peace of mind, a clear list of what I need to do and it helps me better separate work and life – which I feel like a lot of people are still struggling with after working from home for almost two years,” she says.
A brain dump is a great way to clear your mind and focus your attention on the important things. You can unwind as well. Ballesteros states that she keeps her brain dump until 5:00 PM. After she finishes journaling she logs out from work.
It is crucial to establish small and lasting habits that will help you feel relaxed at work. “Burnout isn’t black and white – it’s death by a thousand paper cuts,” Ballesteros says. Burnout is a result of small actions that can have big consequences. Your management skills will make a difference in how your burnout symptoms are managed.
You can check out these:
3 tricks for setting–and sticking to–your 2022 work goals, according to career coaches
This founder says quitting her corporate job didn’t solve her burnout–here’s why
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