Burnout has become a global pandemic. Because of the pressures of our fast-paced modern society, workers from around the world are experiencing negative health consequences. In the United Kingdom, more than half a million people reported that they suffered from workplace stress in 2018
If your work is hectic, you may have been noticing symptoms of workplace stress and burnout in yourself. These symptoms are telling you that it’s time to make self-care a part of your regular routine. To help you find time for self-care with a busy career, here are four quick and easy tips:
1. Plan your schedule weekly.
When you look at your daily schedule, it’s easy to get frazzled about how much work needs to get done. Aside from work, you also have relationships and other responsibilities to think of. How are you supposed to fit all of these roles—and self-care—in just a day?
The solution is to plan your schedule on a weekly basis. Instead of only having 24 hours to fulfil all of your roles, you have 168 hours to distribute among them. Let’s say that you sleep eight hours every night and work 40 hours a week. You’ll still have 72 hours to do other activities! If you allocate two out of 72 hours for self-care, it doesn’t seem like a lot now, does it?
2. Prioritise your tasks.
When you prioritise your tasks at work, you avoid procrastination, which means you become a more efficient worker who meets all the deadlines, which means you won’t have to take work home with you after office hours. As a result, you’ll have enough time to recuperate before you go back to the office the next day. Moreover, you’ll get to squeeze in other activities and fast track appointments in your daily schedule, like going to your general practitioner without having to sacrifice your time at the office.
3. Set boundaries.
Learn to say no. If you have a full plate and your colleague asks for your help on a project, you can—and you must—say no. However, take some time to consider the request first. Is it a simple request or will it impede with your work? If the case is the latter, then find a nice way to say no, talk to said colleague in person, and explain your current situation as concisely as you can.
4. Choose an activity that you enjoy.
If you choose a self-care activity that you actually enjoy, then you most definitely want to make time for it. For those who like to work out, yoga is a great way to exercise your body and to calm your mind. You can also take a long warm bath, get your nails done, meditate, listen to a podcast, or take a nap. The choice is yours you’re suffering from chronic stress and burnout.