How to shield yourself against the depleting effects of burnout🛡️

Welcome to Quick Confidence! This weekly letter delivers a spritz of stories, tips and actions that will build your confidence and power. Each tip bolsters confidence in your body, mind, and relationships so you can lead yourself and others to greatness. Quick Confidence is also a book! Get your copy to carry confidence wherever you go. 

That heavy feeling in your shoulders. A daily, forbidding sense of dread. Feeling bone-tired way too often. Burnout is at an all-time high and those are just a few of the symptoms. Can you relate? I sure can.

Although writing, publishing, and promoting my book has been a dream come true, I have to confess that I’m feeling very much the same way as 59% of U.S. workers who report they’re experiencing at least moderate levels of burnout. Maybe more sobering, 71% of the youngest generation of workers (Gen Z) say they’re “seriously affected by burnout.” 

I think we can all agree that it’s hard to feel confident when you’re feeling depleted. And let’s not underestimate the effects of burnout: the World Health Organization characterizes burnout as feelings of exhaustion, job-related mental distance or pessimism, and reduced professional efficacy.

So why are so many people feeling this way? There are many factors at play – financial struggles, fear of getting laid off, pressure to achieve great things, low job satisfaction, lack of perceived work-life balance, and the sense that employers just don’t care (Aflac found that 45% of employers aren’t likely to consider burnout a problem for their organizations).

I know it might be difficult to admit you’re pushing too hard when you consider yourself someone who can “do it all.” But here are some simple actions we can take to ward off burnout — especially when a week-long tropical vacation may not be feasible.

Quick Confidence Tips to Reduce and Prevent Burnout:

1. Mindset: Recognize YOUR warning signs. For one person, burnout appears when they start to feel cynical or helpless. For someone else, they might be burned out when their accomplishments and positive moments start to feel hollow. For me, I know I’m in the danger zone of burnout when I’m so busy I can’t think straight. In the flurry of my busyness, I become forgetful, feel a constant sense I’m late for the next thing, and I sometimes don’t even hear people when they’re talking to me! When I can’t think straight, I know it’s time to take a hard look at the schedule I’m keeping and the pace I’m agreeing to. What are the symptoms for you? And realistically, how long can you sustain that way of living? Once you see the signs, you can decide to do something about it before things get any worse.
2. Embodied: Ask your body what an energy-giving day feels like. Think about it: the opposite of burnout is feeling vigor, energy, and that wonderful feeling of “oomph.” So instead of just reacting to burnout, I’d like to ask you to check in with your body about what prevents it from happening in the first place. What is energy-giving and nourishing for you? For me, it’s having some gaps in my day where I’m not meeting with others or cramming in as much work as possible. That gives me time to get up and stretch, walk, or connect with a friend – and you know what? Those actions make me feel human. They feed my energy. How about you? Do you need time to do something creative in a day? A rest or break between tasks? The ability to take on even 10% less? Consider what fosters your energy so you can steer your everyday experiences clearly in that direction!
3. Interpersonal: Create vacation-like moments every month. I have a friend, Jane, who didn’t go on vacation for YEARS. She eventually got so burnt out, she impulse-purchased a Cancun vacation, racking up lots of credit card debt in the process. The trip was a dream…until the monthly statements started popping up in her email. Luckily, she had an idea that helped her avoid this situation in the future: she started to purposefully create vacation-like moments whenever she could. Those moments could look like walking around a new nearby town for a couple of hours one weekend, going all out for a special night out once a month, researching and visiting a local spa-resort with a friend, or something else that feels like a vacation. Little moments can have a big impact! One survey found that 87% of workers believe that three-day weekends are actually better for stress relief than longer vacations. How about you - what creates a minibreak or microvacation for you? How can you budget for it, plan it, and do it? Your mental health (and credit score) will be better for it!

I know that it can be difficult to “see the light” when burnout has your mental health on the brink. But you can start implementing these tips immediately and without monumental effort. Start today and see where you are a few weeks from now. Maybe you’ll have made it to that hike or kickboxing class you’ve wanted to attend, or you planned a highly anticipated weekend staycation with your sweetie. 

These tips for reducing and preventing burnout will help you feel more in control of your life and, more confident in yourself.

What are your warning signs that you're on the brink of burning out? And what strategies do you use to get back to feeling like you again? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you.

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