Eight Key Tips to Maintain Boundaries and Prevent Burnout
Have you ever felt overwhelmed at work? That you simply cannot handle any more? That although you had loved your profession, now you are feeling tired of it and are getting frustrated? Have your felt burned out?
This is unfortunately not at all unusual. The problem often is that we have not set appropriate boundaries between our professional life and our personal life, and we are beginning to suffer burnout as a result.
I will explain some of the reasons we feel this way, some warning signs to us, the consequences, and most importantly, 8 tips for you to successfully navigate these situations. We all have a right to be professionally fulfilled and have a satisfying personal life as well. Let's see how we can do that, together.
Reasons we fail to set boundaries. Often our self-worth is defined by what we do professionally. Our professional success can be viewed as validating who we are. How often have we been accustomed to saying when we first meet someone, “What do you do?” We often evaluate ourselves as professionals based on our success in our career.
Moreover, our very financial security is directly related to how well we do professionally. If we want to achieve our monetary goals, we must be successful in our career. We feel pressured to work harder, more hours, more intensely, to solidify our financial future.
In addition, we are so committed to helping our clients. We are problem solvers. We want to serve others. So, when we are presented with a problem, we want to dive in and help, often no matter the time of day or hours required. The cost does not matter, we tell ourselves, because it is what we do to help our clients. We justify this to our family and friends by saying that we are providing great service to those in need.
Then of course there is the boss who keeps giving us more and more work, despite an already full plate. Paying no heed to the demands on us, the partner may pile more assignments on us even though we are already overwhelmed by too much work to do. Work interferes with our personal or family commitments.
Do any of these situations seem familiar to you?
As a result, our work takes on such an important role that it interferes with our personal fulfillment. We do not set enough boundaries between our professional life and our personal life.
Warning signs of burnout. The first critical step is to be aware of what is going on in our professional life, and to look for some indications that our work commitments have crossed the boundaries to interfering with her personal life and their fulfillment.
What are some signs that we may be doing too much, failing to set boundaries and thereby starting to suffer burnout?
We are frequently sending out emails at odd hours, even when it actually could wait until we get into the office the next workday.
We are not taking breaks at work. We work incessantly, not stopping, nose always to the grindstone.
We are working far too many hours. We suffer through 10- or 12-hour days, coupled with some nights and weekends, and we still never seem to have enough time. Although we know this is not what we signed up for, we continue to work excessively hard.
We are not delegating or collaborating with others (often because we think it’s easier to do it ourselves). We want to do it all ourselves. No one, we feel, can do it as well or as fast as we do. We do not want to be dependent on others for the success of the project we are handling.
We are constantly taking on more work than we need to. When someone needs to step up to the plate, we are the first one to say, "I can do it." We are constantly taking on more and more and more work to prove ourselves, to help out, etc.
We often find ourselves working from home when it could usually wait until we get back in the office. Even though we have important commitments at home, we tear ourselves away from them to work on still another project.
Unexpected surprises drive us crazy. Small things that do not go the way we anticipated frustrate us much more than they should. These are just a few examples. Have you ever experienced any of these?
Consequences of Burnout. Left uncorrected, these behaviors can lead to serious consequences for us. What are some of the consequences of this professional burnout?
impaired sleep habits
emotional exhaustion
physical fatigue
lack of concentration
unhappy at work
poor work performance
impaired relationships
disconnected at home
feeling unfulfilled and dissatisfied
susceptibility to illness
So many of us struggle with establishing boundaries. While we used to love what we do, we can get burned out if we do not establish some boundaries. These consequences can be devastating to us, professionally and personally.
8 Tips for Preserving our Boundaries and Preventing Burnout
The good news is we can restore a balance. We can do a great job at work, have a wonderful home life, and feel fulfilled. Here are 8 helpful tips:
Communicate. Let your business associates and your family know what time you have, what your ability is to work or to help, and what your needs are. Sometimes we keep hidden our time limitations and our frustrations, which simply creates more stress for us. It can be freeing to not keep our work frustrations secret. Sharing them with our spouse, close friend or trusted coworker can help us to receive some support and understanding.
Breaks. Take breaks during your day. Go outside, take a walk, do something that clears your mind and recharges your batteries. It is important every day to disconnect, get some fresh air, and get some brief time away from the stresses at work.
Say No. When it’s too much, when you’re not able to do it, just say no. We often say yes to something we are not able to do and then get frustrated at the person who asked us. It is hard. We want to please our boss or satisfy our client's needs. But sometimes we simply cannot, and we need to learn how to say "no" in a proper, respectful way. Look for alternatives. Perhaps find others who can help, navigate to a different time frame, or seek other options of getting it done.
Prioritize. Set priorities at work. First things first, always. Plan what you need to do and when you need to do it.
Organize your schedule. Plan your day. Schedule your work time, your breaks, your family time. Make a list of what you are going to do when. It really helps. And, when you create your schedule, try to stick to it.
Take time off. Take a long weekend. Go somewhere you love. Find time to get a break from the demands of your job. You deserve and need the time off. And, when you are away, disconnect from the office.
Unplug. When you are at home and you are able, unplug from work. Do not check the emails. It can wait until tomorrow.
Self-care. Take care of yourself. Eat well and nutritionally. Healthy nutrition both fuels your body and also improves Get some exercise, it relieves stress. Enjoy your hobby or activity that is your passion. Sleep well. Practice mindfulness.
Are any of these helpful to you? I love supporting folks who are struggling in this area. Please feel free to reach out to me; I can help. Let’s chat! Here is my link if you would like to talk- https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call