Strategies to Prevent
and Avoid Burnout We want to be proactive and prevent burnout if possible. Let’s use the analogy of strep throat. If you go to the doctor right away, it only takes a short time to recover with antibiotics. If you wait a week to see the doctor, you will need stronger antibiotics, probably more than one round, and it will take you longer to recover. Te earlier you address it, the easier it is to treat. Burnout is much the same. Te earlier you identify it and intervene, the faster you can recover.
Use your vacation days. American workers only use 51 percent of their vacation days. Most U.S. companies give employees a two-week vacation compared to six weeks for most European companies. We have to get better about taking our leave time; getting away from the workplace to rest and rejuvenate. If you feel you must keep connected, say that you will check in every day for fifteen minutes, then shut off everything except for that time.
Some businesses allow you to get paid for your unused vacation and leave time when you retire. Using that option may be sensible for someone close to retirement, but not for someone with years left to work. Building up hundreds of hours of leave time is not a badge of honor—it’s a recipe for burnout. One boss felt offended because he was on vacation and no one tried to contact him. He missed being needed. We have to let go of some of that.
Change up your routine. Doing something different stimulates the brain. Drive to work a different way; eat something different; shop at a different grocery store; take a different role on a committee.
Change up your environment. I spend nine hours a day in a 14x14 office with no windows. I redecorate for different seasons. At home, I rearrange furniture all the time. Move to a different office or cubicle, rearrange your office furniture, hang different pictures on the wall, anything to stimulate your brain.
Seek social support. As humans, we are social creatures. Talk to someone. It could be a spouse or other family member, a close friend, a religious advisor, or a counselor. We all need support and benefit from contact with others.
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Cultivate healthier habits. Too often during stress or burnout, we default to the easier comfort foods, drop exercise, drink too much alcohol and/or caffeine, or turn to drugs (legal or illegal). See the prior section on cultivating healthier habits.
Get involved in a cause that is
meaningful to you. Te operative word is “meaningful.” Contributing to making the world a better place helps us to focus less on our own problems.
Strengthen your social ties at work.
Studies show that people who socialize with their co- workers are happier. Get out of your office and mingle. During break times, join the group rather than staying in your office.
Reframe the way you look at work.
Sometimes the only change we can make is our attitude— and sometimes that makes all the difference in the world. I have a sister who is paralyzed from the knees down. When I complained about traffic congestion delaying my trip to the office, she said “I’d love to be able to drive to work.” When I complained about piles of dirty laundry, she said “I’d love to be able to carry a laundry basket.” I quickly became thankful for the opportunity to drive to work in traffic and do loads of laundry. Find value in what you do and gratitude for the small things.
Be more positive; spend more time
around positive people. Negative attitudes are contagious. So are positive ones.
Set boundaries. Leave work on time; leave work at work. It should be an anomaly to take work home, not the norm. Also set boundaries around other areas of your life and don’t allow work to encroach.
Find balance in your life. Look for meaning and satisfaction in other areas or things if you’re not finding it at work.
Avoid nicotine and caffeine; drink only
minimally. Set limits and stick with them. Tese substances are only quick fixes in the moment, but can create a larger problem. If you need caffeine to keep you
TPI Turf News March/April 2017
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