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Information and Resources for Your Business and Life

Inspiration, Tools & Tips!                                      FEBRUARY 2024

1.  Physical signs and symptoms of burnout

·  Feeling tired and drained most of the time.

·  Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses.

·  Frequent headaches or muscle pain.

·  Change in appetite or sleep habits.

 

2.  Emotional signs and symptoms of burnout

·  Sense of failure and self-doubt.

·  Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated.

·  Detachment, feeling alone in the world.

·  Loss of motivation. Increasingly cynical and negative outlook.

·  Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.

 

3.  Behavioral signs and symptoms of burnout

·  Withdrawing from responsibilities.

·  Isolating from others.

·  Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done.

·  Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope.

·  Taking frustrations out on others.

·  Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early.

1.  Work-related causes of burnout

·  Feeling like you have little or no control over your work.

·  Lack of recognition or reward for good work.

·  Unclear or overly demanding job expectations.

·  Doing work that’s monotonous or unchallenging.

·  Working in a chaotic or high-pressure environment.

 

2.  Lifestyle causes of burnout

·  Working too much, without enough time for socializing or relaxing.

·  Lack of close, supportive relationships.

·  Taking on too many responsibilities, without enough help from others.

·  Not getting enough sleep.

 

3.  Personality traits can contribute to burnout

·  Perfectionistic tendencies; nothing is ever good enough.

·  Pessimistic view of yourself and the world.

·  The need to be in control; reluctance to delegate to others.

·  High-achieving, Type A personality.

1.  Dealing with burnout requires the “Three R” approach:

·  Recognize. Watch for the warning signs of burnout.

·  Reverse. Undo the damage by seeking support and managing stress.

·  Resilience. Build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health.

2.  The following tips for preventing or dealing with burnout can help you cope with symptoms and regain your energy, focus, and sense of well-being.

·  Turn to other people

When you're burned out, problems seem insurmountable, everything looks bleak, and it's difficult to muster up the energy to care, let alone take action to help yourself.  One of the most effective is to reach out to others.

o  The person you talk to doesn’t have to be able to “fix” your stressors; they just have to be a good listener. They must be someone who is attentive and will not become distracted or express judgment.

o  Limit your contact with negative-minded people who do nothing but complain. 

o  Being helpful to others delivers immense pleasure and can help to significantly reduce stress as well as broaden your social circle. Be careful not to take on too much; you don’t have to expend a lot of time or effort. Small things like a kind word or friendly smile can make you feel better and help lower stress both for you and the other person.

3.  Reframe the way you look at work

Whether you have a job that leaves you rushed off your feet or one that is monotonous and unfulfilling, the most effective way to combat job burnout is to find a job you love. Of course, for many of us changing our job or career is far from being a practical solution. Most of us are grateful to have work that pays the bills. Whatever your situation, though, there are still steps you can take to improve your state of mind.

·  Try to find some value in your work. 

·  Focus on aspects of the job that you do enjoy, even if it’s just chatting with your coworkers.

·  Change your attitude about your job. It can help you regain a sense of purpose and control.

·  Find balance in your life. Look for meaning and satisfaction outside of your job. You can find it in your family, friends, hobbies, or voluntary work.

·  Focus on the parts of your life that bring you joy.

·  Take time off. Try to take a complete break from work. Go on vacation, use up your sick days, ask for a temporary leave-of-absence, anything to remove yourself from the situation. Use the time away to recharge your batteries and pursue other methods of recovery.

4.  Reevaluate your priorities

Burnout is an undeniable sign that something important in your life is not working. Take time to think about your hopes, goals, and dreams. Are you neglecting something that is truly important to you? This can be an opportunity to rediscover what really makes you happy and to slow down and give yourself time to rest, reflect, and heal.

·  Set boundaries. Don’t overextend yourself. Learn how to say “no” to requests on your time. If you find this difficult, remind yourself that saying “no” allows you to say “yes” to the commitments you want to make.

·  Take a daily break from technology. Set a time each day when you completely disconnect. Put away your laptop, turn off your phone, and stop checking email or social media.

·  Nourish your creative side. Creativity is a powerful antidote to burnout. Try something new, start a fun project, or resume a favorite hobby. Choose activities that have nothing to do with work or whatever is causing your stress.

·  Set aside relaxation time. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, prayer, Bible study, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response (a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response).

·  Get plenty of sleep. Feeling tired can exacerbate burnout by causing you to think irrationally. Keep your cool in stressful

·  Boost your ability to stay on task

5.  Make exercise a priority

Even though it may be the last thing you feel like doing when you’re burned out, exercise is a powerful antidote to stress and burnout. It’s also something you can do right now to boost your mood.

·  Aim to exercise for 30 minutes or more per day or break that up into short, 10-minute bursts of activity.

·  A 10-minute walk can improve your mood for two hours.

·  Rhythmic exercise, where you move both your arms and legs, is a hugely effective way to lift your mood, increase energy, sharpen focus, and relax both the mind and body.

·  To maximize stress relief, instead of continuing to focus on your thoughts, focus on your body and how it feels as you move: the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, for example, or the wind on your skin.

·  Minimize sugar and refined carbs. You may crave sugary snacks or comfort foods such as pasta or French fries, but these high-carbohydrate foods quickly lead to a crash in mood and energy.

·  Reduce your high intake of foods that can adversely affect your mood, such as caffeine, unhealthy fats, and foods with chemical preservatives or hormones.

·  Eat more Omega-3 fatty acids to give your mood a boost. The best sources are fatty fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines), seaweed, flaxseed, and walnuts.

·  Avoid nicotine. Smoking when you're feeling stressed may seem calming, but nicotine is a powerful stimulant, leading to higher, not lower, levels of anxiety.

·  Drink alcohol in moderation. Alcohol temporarily reduces worry, but too much can cause anxiety as it wears off.

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Burnout can often feel insurmountable. But the sense of being overwhelmed is a signal, not a long-term sentence. By understanding the symptoms and causes of burnout, you can implement the strategies you found in this newsletter. More importantly, you can recover and build a road map for prevention. Your brutal experience can serve as a turning point that launches you into a more sustainable, happier, healthier life. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Remember, taking care of yourself is not a sign of weakness; it’s a testament to your strength and dedication to being the best you that you can be.

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·  Consider rotating duties. Just as doctors take turns being on call, perhaps you and another ministry/church leader member can alternate weekends to cover emergencies. At least, find someone who can cover for you on your day off.

·  Block out important dates and times. Your spouse is important. Your children are important. Block out time on your calendar for date nights. Make sure to schedule time for your child's piano recital or ball game. Turn the phone on silent. Record an appropriate message for such occasions and leave an alternate contact.

·  Prioritize your time. Learn to discern between emergency situations that must be handled immediately and situations that can be handled later. Be kind and compassionate while finding ways to help your congregation understand that you, too, must have personal time.

·  Schedule regular vacations. Don't schedule yourself to perform a wedding or any other duty during that time — no matter how much pressure you may receive to do so. Vacations don't happen by accident. If you want to avoid burnout, plan for vacations.

·  While you certainly don't want to miss an opportunity to meet the needs of someone who is hurting, and you enjoy celebrating the joyous occasions of life with your congregation, you cannot accomplish these tasks alone.

·  Delegate duties or create buddy-type programs to avoid overlooking people in need. Find others who can help with visitation, letter writing or other tasks.

·  It is important to realize that every responsibility is not necessarily your responsibility. God has added to the ministry/church the support you need to complete the task He assigned to you. Plan accordingly. Create a list of people who will volunteer to substitute in emergency situations. In most cases, there is a better alternative than you trying to do it all.

·  Find support. Find an accountability partner, someone who will pray for and with you, someone with whom you can share. Schedule regular lunches or meetings to check with one another on how you are handling stress and the difficult demands of the job.

·  Stay healthy. One way leaders invest in themselves is to take care of their bodies. Leadership blogger, George Ambler writes, "Regular exercise and eating healthy is the best way to generate the energy required to sustain leadership. Research has shown that being fit has significant benefits, including increased creativity, clear thinking, increased confidence and improved emotional control, all necessary for effective leadership." So, make time for regular checkups. Follow a healthy eating plan. Establish a routine exercise program.

·  Make time to be fed spiritually. Look for opportunities to sit under the teaching of another spiritual ministry/church leader. Perhaps you can visit another ministry/church during a weeknight service or attend a special service during a time when your ministry/church isn't meeting. Or you can connect online or find audio messages to listen to in your own time.  

·  Take advantage of pastor-appreciation events. Sometimes churches or other organizations host special events for ministry/church leaders and their spouses.

·  Exhaustion is the central symptom of burnout. It comprises profound physical, cognitive, and emotional fatigue that undermines people’s ability to work effectively and feel positive about what they’re doing. This can stem from the demands of an always-on, 24/7 organizational culture, intense time pressure, or simply having too much to do, especially when you lack control over your work, dislike it, or don’t have the necessary skills to accomplish it. In a state of exhaustion, you find that you’re unable to concentrate or see the big picture; even routine and previously enjoyable tasks seem arduous, and it becomes difficult to drag yourself both into and out of the office.

 

·  Cynicism, also called depersonalization, represents an erosion of engagement. It is essentially a way of distancing yourself psychologically from your work. Instead of feeling invested in your assignments, projects, colleagues, customers, and other collaborators, you feel detached, negative, even callous. Cynicism can be the result of work overload, but it is also likely to occur in the presence of high conflict, unfairness, and lack of participation in decision making. Persistent cynicism is a signal that you have lost your connection to, enjoyment of, and pride in your work.

 

·  Inefficacy refers to feelings of incompetence and a lack of achievement and productivity. People with this symptom of burnout feel their skills slipping and worry that they won’t be able to succeed in certain situations or accomplish certain tasks. It often develops in tandem with exhaustion and cynicism because people can’t perform at their peak when they’re out of fuel and have lost their connection to work. The absence of feedback and meaningful recognition, which leaves you wondering about the quality of your work and feeling that it’s unappreciated, can also activate this component.

·  Prioritize self-care.

It’s essential to replenish your physical and emotional energy, along with your capacity to focus, by prioritizing good sleep habits, nutrition, exercise, social connection, and practices that promote equanimity and well-being, like meditating, journaling, and enjoying nature. If you’re having troubling squeezing such activities into your packed schedule, give yourself a week to assess exactly how you’re spending your time( a spreadsheet you can print, or download is in the freebie section).

o  You can do this on paper, in a spreadsheet, or on one of the many relevant apps now available.

o  For each block of time, record what you’re doing, whom you’re with, how you feel.

§  For example, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 equals angry or drained and 10 is joyful or energized.

o  Also indicate how valuable the activity is. This will help you find opportunities to limit your exposure to tasks, people, and situations that aren’t essential and put you in a negative mood; increase your investment in those that boost your energy; and make space for restful, positive time away from work.

 

·  Shift your perspective.

While rest, relaxation, and replenishment can ease exhaustion, curb cynicism, and enhance efficacy, they don’t fully address the root causes of burnout. You may still face the same impossible workload, unmanageable conflicts, and/or financial problems. You must take a close look at your mindset and assumptions.

o  What aspects of your situation are truly fixed, and which can you change? Altering your perspective can buffer the negative impact of even the inflexible aspects. If exhaustion is a key problem, ask yourself which tasks—including critical ones—you could delegate to free up meaningful time and energy for other important work.

o  Are there ways to reshape what you do whether it is your job, lifestyle, business, career etc. You want to look at this aspect in order to gain more control or to focus on the most fulfilling tasks. If cynicism is a major issue, can you shield yourself from frustration, while reengaging in your specific role.

o  Can you build some positive, supportive relationships to counteract the ones that drain you?

o  If you’re feeling ineffective, what assistance or development might you seek out?

o  If recognition is lacking, is there something you could do to change that? From a business standpoint you could engage in some personal branding to showcase your work. From a personal standpoint, you may need to do things that bring value to yourself as opposed to needing someone else to do it.

 

·  Reduce exposure to job stressors.

You’ll also need to target high-value activities and relationships that still trigger unhealthy stress. This involves resetting the expectations of colleagues, clients, and even family members for what and how much you’re willing to take on, as well as ground rules for working together. You may get pushback. But doubters must know that you’re making these changes to improve your long-term productivity and protect your health.

 

·  Seek out connections.

The best antidote to burnout, particularly when it’s driven by cynicism and inefficacy, is seeking out rich interpersonal interactions and continual personal and professional development. Find coaches and mentors who can help you identify and activate positive relationships and learning opportunities. Volunteering to advise others is another particularly effective way of breaking out of a negative cycle.

Given the influence of situational factors on burnout, you know other people who are suffering too. There are so many support groups started by people who have banded together to offer mutual support, identify problems, brainstorm and advocate for solutions. With that type of support, everyone in the group can increase their sense of control and connection.

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