Dealing with Burnout 

Whether you’re working, in school, or involved in some other activity, it’s common to face burnout. Sometimes life can be overwhelming and it can be difficult to keep up with your responsibilities. This is especially true if you also struggle with depression or another mental illness. Learning how to deal with burnout can make your experience much easier. 

Identify Your Stressors 

Often burnout occurs because of overwhelming amounts of stress. To combat this, you should start by identifying what exactly causes your stress. Your stressors might include certain activities or tasks. They could also be people, places, or certain situations. As you go through your day, take note of what things cause you the most stress. Moving forward you can do your best to avoid these things. In some cases, you may find it helpful to talk to others so they can help you avoid these stressors or create situations where it’s easier to manage them. 

Set Boundaries 

Another reason burnout occurs is that you are taking on too much all at once. It’s common for people to do more than they can handle because they are trying to meet others’ expectations or because they feel they need to. In order to avoid burnout, you need to set some boundaries for yourself. A good example would be to separate your work and home life. Don’t bring your work home with you. Other boundaries might include saying no to certain tasks or giving yourself breaks throughout the day. Evaluate your daily schedule and see where you could create some better boundaries for yourself. 

Create a Support System 

When you’re facing burnout, you don’t need to handle it all on your own. The pressure of your responsibilities can seem even larger when you handle them alone. It’s important to find a support system for yourself. This support system can include friends, family, coworkers, and anyone else who can aid you throughout the day. You can depend on them to talk about what overwhelms you or to help you lighten your load. Determine what you need and see if your support system can help. 

Burnout is a major challenge and it can leave you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and hopeless. While it can’t always be avoided, there are things you can do to lessen the effects. If you struggle with burnout, take some time to determine how you can best fight it. 

Dealing with depression can make burnout more taxing. Click here to learn more about depression and potential treatment options.