Simple Tricks to Avoid Burnout While Working from Home
While working from home might be incredibly convenient, it can also make it all too easy for your personal and professional boundaries to become blurred. Not being in a regular office environment can present a set of new challenges, from prolonged working hours and an increased workload to a lack of breaks and downtime, all of which can quickly lead to work burnout. Thankfully, having a healthy work-life balance doesn’t need to be so difficult, as long as you keep these tricks for avoiding burnout in mind:
Recognize the symptoms
As accumulated stress is most commonly the cause of burnout, it can be quite difficult to notice any changes in your health and behavior, especially when you don’t work in a traditional office setting where colleagues and managers might notice that something is wrong. However, knowing the symptoms of burnout is incredibly important, as it allows you to efficiently deal with the negative consequences of working from home.
To that end, it might be wise to do a quick assessment of your physical and mental health, such as asking yourself if you are irritable, anxious, cynical, unmotivated, unproductive, forgetful, or even experiencing insomnia, migraines, or heart palpitations, as they could all be symptoms of work burnout.
Stick to an exercise routine
If you believe you are experiencing burnout, it might be time to make some positive lifestyle changes, and exercise can be a great place to start. Apart from allowing you to become physically fitter and healthier, regular exercise can also help to lower your stress levels, improve your sleep, lift your mood, and sharpen your brain, thus helping to avoid burnout.
As sticking to a workout routine might be difficult for many if you are forced to do it at home, it’s recommended to find a physical activity you truly enjoy, in order to stay motivated and persistent, whether that means buying at-home gym equipment, practicing yoga and pilates, or even having regular dance sessions in your living room.
Fuel your body properly
Food is another aspect that could significantly impact your energy, mood, and stress levels, which is why opting for a healthy and balanced diet every day is recommended for avoiding burnout. This means eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, as well as nuts and legumes, for the most nutritious and nourishing meals.
Whenever you’re in need of a quick pick-me-up during work hours, it might also be wise to choose beneficial smart drinks such as nootropic supplements. Apart from increasing energy and alertness, these drinks could also help to boost memory, creativity, motivation, and cognitive function, thus being a brilliant choice for fighting burnout.
Take regular breaks
Spending longer periods of time on your phone or computer might be a necessary aspect of remote working, but it can also be quite damaging to your physical and mental health, often causing stress, irritability, fatigue, and leading to burnout. In an effort to confront these feelings, it’s important to take regular breaks while working.
It doesn’t matter if you decide to take a five-minute walk around your home, step out in the garden to get some fresh air, take your dog for a daily walk, or even take an hour-long lunch break, setting aside a few minutes to stop and take a breather can help you feel refreshed, recharged, and ready to continue working.
Set clear boundaries
Whether you are running a business from home or working for a company remotely, not being in a traditional office environment can take a significant toll on your daily routine. Not only do we have a tendency to work more at home, but we are also faced with a number of new distractions, from our TVs and phones to families and daily chores.
To avoid burnout due to such a high number of responsibilities, it’s recommended to set clear boundaries when it comes to your job. This means setting strict working hours and not receiving calls or answering emails outside of them, setting aside enough time after work for home-based concerns, as well as scheduling in some downtime for relaxation and de-stressing.
Take some time off
In case burnout has already taken a toll on your physical health and mental well-being, it might be best to take some time off. While this might not be such a common occurrence in the world of business, there’s truly no shame in removing yourself from an unhealthy situation.
In fact, having enough time to recover from burnout and recharge your batteries will not only make you a calmer, happier, and more content person, but it will also allow you to be more focused, productive, and creative once you come back to work. So, don’t be afraid to take a sick or annual leave in an effort to recover, if at all possible.
Although burnout might be common when working from home, it is also a serious concern that needs to be immediately addressed. Thankfully, there are many ways to efficiently avoid and deal with burnout, all of which will allow you to create the ideal work-life balance.