Setting Priorities: The Key to Beating Burnout

Human beings are genetically hardwired to seek stability and security in their lives. We don’t always want to admit it, but we crave the feeling of being in control. And this is because our brain equates control to safety, which satisfies our natural instincts of self-preservation.

But, as we all already know, we’re rarely ever in control. Just look at how the pandemic has turned our worlds upside down. We’re all now more uncertain of our futures than we ever were before. And, for some of us, we spend more time worrying about the challenges we’re facing than finding solutions to them. These worries can pile up and when they do, they tend to have adverse effects on our mental health, eventually leading us to lose engagement in our day-to-day activities.

That state of disconnect is what we often refer to as burnout. The term was coined by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger to describe the immense stress and exhaustion felt by doctors and nurses who sacrificed themselves to help others daily. We, however, later learn that burnout isn’t unique to those in the medical field as practically anyone can suffer from it.

Burnout can rear its ugly head in different ways. There are physical signs, which can include a constant feeling of being drained, frequent pains, and changes in appetite. At the same time, there are emotional signs, such as loss of motivation, self-doubt, or cynicism, among others. There are also behavioral signs like hotheadedness, withdrawal from responsibilities, and the desire to skip work.

More often than not, we overlook how these changes might also have an effect on the people around us. If you’re, let’s say, always irritable or tired at home, you can neglect your responsibilities to your family, making them feel like you’re emotionally distant from them. Meanwhile, if you’re overly cynical or critical in the workplace, you can impact the workforce’s morale, possibly lowering the productivity rate.

This is exactly why it’s important for you to get on top of whatever it is that’s causing you to be in this state. But to do that, you, of course, have to first know what’s causing the problem and where it’s coming from.

Contrary to the belief of many, burnout doesn’t always stem from stress – it can similarly come from passion.

To understand this, let’s first define the two terms. Simon Sinek explains that, when you put time and effort into a cause, ideal, or purpose – whatever it may be – that you believe in, you experience passion. If you do the same for something that you have no personal connection to, you experience stress.

What’s common about the two of them is that they’re both our outputs. They aren’t feelings to be scared of. Stress and passion are part of being human. They both come from within us, meaning they can be managed and controlled. And, as we mentioned earlier, having control makes us feel safe.

Since both are outputs, we always have the ability to choose what we put in our figurative plates. We’re essentially setting our own priorities for our lives. Because it’s when we put too much on our plate – either out of passion or out of stress – that we struggle to find solutions to the problems that are causing us to feel burned out in the first place. And sometimes, due to how overwhelmed or overworked we feel, we don’t try to find solutions at all.

As such, it’s essential to keep our minds straight. When we know our priorities, we can better manage what we have on our plates and focus on what’s important. When we’re able to do that, it’s easier to find solutions to our problems. At the end of the day, our decision to take action is what will help us reach our desired results.

Ideally, no one should be feeling burned out in a workplace – not anyone with positions in leadership or the workforce itself – as it could affect overall productivity and morale. But the workplace is a good platform for employers and employees to connect and help find solutions to each other’s problems. This is especially true for decision-makers who are in a better financial position to provide aid to those under them.

It’s all part of empathetic leadership, as we discussed in our previous blog. When employers have empathy, they can put themselves in their employees’ shoes and understand what they have to deal with in life on a much deeper level. And that’s what drives them to go above and beyond what is required of them – to help not only the employees themselves but their families as well.

If you’re an employer, you can do all this without putting too much on your plate – without overwhelming yourself. There are professionals ready to give you a hand and lighten your load so that you can attend to your priorities without compromising the well-being of your team.

We’re here to help. Book a no-commitment appointment with us and find out how you can transform your organization with the right programs to engage your team. Click here to reach us: https://calendly.com/janetnng