November 29, 2023
Specialising in positive psychology, Amanda Collinge is an organisational psychologist and works with the SVC Training team as an associate trainer. Here she shares some tips on how to avoid professional burnout.
In her time as an organisational psychologist who specialises in positive psychology, Amanda has considerable experience in seeing the impact of professional burnout in the workplace.
Sadly, burnout of this nature tends to influence our lives not only in our work life but also our home life and in our personal relationships. This is why Amanda is so passionate about helping employees and employers firstly identify the early warning signs of burnout at work and secondly put in place interventions that can bring about lifestyle changes to beat the risk of burnout.
In this her last article in a four-part series of blogs on the subject of beating burnout at work, Amanda picks out five more ways in which you can help yourself when suffering from this damaging workplace condition.
Being kind to yourself and celebrating every success are simple but highly effective ways of combating burnout. In fact there is evidence that just spending a bit more time dwelling in the big wins and the little wins of life can help to make you more successful, both in your personal life and your business life.
1. Reward yourself
Rewards can be great for our wellbeing and serve as a positive reminder for all the good work that we are doing – both in our work life and personal life. You can treat yourself in many ways: give yourself a ‘well done’ for managing a difficult day; take time out for a proper lunch or tea break, give yourself a tick each time you complete an action of your to do list or take time out for a hobby that you enjoy. There are a number of ways you can consciously celebrate your successes, and it’s important to do so.
2. Be realistic about goals
Remember that Rome was not built in a day. It is OK to go at a slower pace. It is OK to be realistic about goals. Instead of having a never-ending to do list, put your tasks and actions in a daily diary. By doing this you will more accurately assess how much time each task needs, so that you can plan accordingly. You will also feel a sense of satisfaction each day as you achieve your realistic goals.
3. Say ‘No’ to someone else’s monkey
Learn to say ‘no’ without feeling guilty. Ask yourself, do I often feel resentful after saying ‘yes’ to tasks that you don’t really want to do or don’t really have time to do. Break the habit and only say ‘yes’ when you want to say ‘yes’.
4. Relaxation
Taking time out to relax is vital for our physical and psychological wellbeing. There are many ways to relax – such as reading, walking, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga or meditation to name a few. Find out what works for you and commit to making time to relax.
5. Exercise
Ranking up our physical activities not only awakens the muscles but also refreshes the mind. You could start each day with a short walk and set an alarm for every hour to remind you to get up and walk about. Stretch regularly, even while sitting at your desk, and think about heading out for a walk or cycle ride during your break. You could even do a few squats while waiting for the kettle to boil – any way to keep active will reward you.
As an associate trainer at SVC Training, Amanda Collinge leads a number of courses at SVC in her capacity as an organisational psychologist. To find out more about the personal development courses offered by SVC visit https://svcsolutions.co.uk/training/.
