6 Top Tips To Avoid Burnout

Burnout comes in all shapes and sizes, whether it be trouble sleeping, being cynical at work, feeling emotionally exhausted or simply finding it difficult to concentrate on tasks. Burnout can affect your mental health and the quality of your work. This is why avoiding burnout is essential before it has time to build up.

So, we know burnout is bad, but just how do you avoid burnout?

Here are 6 top tips for avoiding burnout and maintaining overall well-being. 

1. Self Care To Avoid Burnout 

Carrying out regular self-care is essential to avoid burnout. Make time for self-care activities that help you relax and recharge.

Remember that self-care is not selfish at all! Self-care is important to maintain optimum physical and mental health. It is something that every single person should be incorporating into their daily life, even for just a few minutes a day.

Self-care comes in several forms, like reading, listening to music, or practising mindfulness and exercise. 

Self care to avoid burnout can be simple like hanging out with friends, family, or colleagues. Social connections can provide emotional support and a sense of belonging - great for avoiding burnout. 

Remember to speak nicely to yourself and avoid self-criticism.

Give yourself the understanding you would offer to a loved one facing challenges. 

2. Take Regular Breaks in Work

Overworking can be disastrous for your mental health, but how do you avoid burnout at work?

Taking regular breaks at work, whether you’re at home, in the office, or a co-working space is key to preventing exhaustion. In fact, micro-breaks, lunchtime breaks and longer breaks have been shown to have a positive relationship with well-being and work productivity.

These breaks don’t have to be long! Just 5 or 10 minutes is enough to recharge, relax and break up the day. Sitting down for too long is not only bad for your mental health but also your physical health. Being sedentary can lead to issues like chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

Sitting for long periods is also thought to slow the metabolism, affecting the body's ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat.

So, when you can, step away from your desk, go for a walk, or engage in a brief mindfulness exercise like yoga or meditation to avoid burnout and improve focus. 

Learn more about how to improve focus and attention here. 

3. Surround Yourself With Likeminded People

Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals can affect every aspect of your life, from business partnerships to friendships and romantic relationships.

A great way to avoid burnout is to surround yourself with positivity. When you're around inspiring people, you’re more likely to adopt empowering beliefs and become a better person, both personally and professionally. 

Surrounding yourself with positive people can help to avoid burnout and stress. 

If you’re a start-up business owner, consider working in a co-working space. This is an area where entrepreneurs from different professions, industries and backgrounds come together. A co-working space allows you to expand your professional network and work amongst like-minded people with similar ambitions and goals. 

At Tramshed Tech, our co-working space memberships give you access to multiple benefits depending on the one you choose, such as social events, bookable workspaces, and more.

We also offer day passes if you’re only looking to pop in every so often. Discover more about our various memberships or book in for your free session.

4. Get Enough Sleep

Another way to avoid burnout is to ensure you get enough restful sleep. Sleep plays an important role in physical and mental recovery and overall well-being. 

This is because of several reasons. Firstly, adequate sleep is associated with lower cortisol levels of cortisol. If we don't get enough high-quality sleep, cortisol levels can remain high, leading to chronic stress, a significant factor for burnout.

Sleep also plays a crucial role in regulating our various hormones, including those that control appetite and hunger. A lack of sleep can disrupt these hormone levels, potentially leading to unhealthy eating habits, weight gain, and various health problems that can contribute to burnout.

Well-rested people are also much better equipped to cope with stress and challenges as sleep helps to maintain emotional resilience, reducing the likelihood of burnout during challenging times.

Discover more about improving your routine and sleep schedule here.

5. Participate in Activities That Help To Relieve Stress

You can participate in activities that help to avoid burnout, whether you're on your own or with friends, family members or your partner.

Stress Management Activities

Find activities that help you manage stress and make you feel good about yourself, such as:

• Meditation & yoga - Mindfulness practices that calm your mind and relax your body are fantastic for avoiding stress. Try things like meditation, yoga, or guided imagery.

• Physical exercise - Spending time doing some physical activity, whether it be inside or outside is also an excellent way to relieve stress. Choose activities you enjoy, like walking, yoga, dancing, or any other exercise form that helps release tension and gets those endorphins flowing.

• Be at one with nature: Spending time outdoors can help soothe your mind and body. Go for a walk, swim in the sea or sit in a park to enjoy the beautiful & refreshing surroundings.

• Aromatherapy: Using essential oils or scented candles with calming scents like lavender, chamomile, or citrus to create a relaxing environment is a great activity to relieve stress. 

It’s also a good idea to identify sources of stress in your life and take steps to minimise their impact. This might involve setting boundaries with problematic people, reducing exposure to negative news, or limiting time on social media.

6. Set Boundaries

Try to establish clear boundaries between your work life, personal life, and social commitments. Take steps to disconnect from work-related issues or general tasks during non-working hours. Determine specific work hours and stick to them as best you can.

Set clear boundaries with colleagues and seek support when needed. Never be afraid to ask for help. If you can, delegate tasks or work with colleagues to share the workload.

7. Seek Help 

Last but certainly not least, don’t hesitate to seek help from a mental health professional. If you’re struggling to manage stress on your own, or if you just need someone to talk to, there is no shame in seeking outside help.

Remember that burnout is not something to be taken lightly. Professional help can give you the expertise and guidance to handle burnout effectively. 

And there we have it! Maintaining a healthy work-life balance and prioritising self-care to avoid burnout is essential. This will help you prevent exhaustion and boost your general well-being.

Remember to listen to your mind and body. Our tips to avoid burnout can help you take care of yourself.

We are Tramshed Tech: a startup ecosystem home to 50+ companies and 600+ registered members from the digital, creative and tech communities.

We’re currently based in Grangetown, Cardiff Central & Newport, Barry and Swansea. 

Want to know more? Give us a call at 029 2010 3090 or send us an email through our contact form. 

Written by Kate on behalf of Tramshed Tech. 

Updated on 20/03/2024