The juggling is real, and don’t I know it!
You know it, too.
Keeping up with the responsibilities of our professional and personal lives can be stressful, in fact, so stressful that many of us forget about our own self-care, and once that happens, the resulting burn-out is almost a sure thing.
It’s a shame, but there’s a way to keep from falling into this cycle of stress, and agita and friends can play an important role.
Yes, friends, the ones that have your back and are keen to help you stay the course and achieve an effective life-work balance.
Friends can and should step in when the symptoms of burn-out become apparent. These include:
- Exhaustion: A significant sign of burnout is feeling physically and emotionally drained yet unable to sleep or execute the responsibilities that must be completed.
- Detachment and cynicism: Burnout can lead to feelings of detachment and cynicism towards work and other areas of life. This pessimism can cause a person to be snarky and undermine their relationships.
- Reduced performance: Burnout can significantly impact the ability to concentrate, focus, and perform effectively. This reduced performance can prompt the need to work harder because the results of what you are doing aren’t satisfactory.
- Increased irritability and negativity: Burnout can lead to increased irritability, impatience, and a short temper. Such behavior can negatively impact relationships with just about everyone.
- Physical symptoms: Burnout can have physical manifestations such as headaches, muscle tension, stomach problems, and changes in appetite or sleep patterns.
How can you help a friend when you see them exhibiting some or all of these symptoms and starting to “lose it.”
Here are suggestions:
- Provide emotional support when you see the very first signs of burn-out, and don’t let it go unmentioned. When someone is burned out, they tend to feel isolated and alone with no one to talk to or even vent their frustrations. Friends should be there for each other, offer encouragement, and listen without judgement or criticism.
- You probably know the cliché “can’t see the forest for the trees.” Well, it’s true, because when a friend is working hard handling a myriad of responsibilities and challenges, they start to lose perspective and seemingly “can’t get out of their own way.” Things mount up, they have difficulty setting priorities, and get caught up in a mountain of to-do’s and without any idea how to delegate, prioritize, or simply take a break. A friend can lend a set of fresh eyes and offer their viewpoints on how to get a handle on what looms ahead.
- What person doesn’t want to see their friends feeling healthy both physically and mentally. Suggesting time-outs for a walk or run, being a gym buddy, or sharing other ways to relax and play is one of the best things a friend can do. Taking the lead and making the plans for self-care activities and participating in them is one of the best ways to ensure that self-care is accomplished.
Of course, this doesn’t get to the root of the problem, that’s another situation altogether, but this will certainly go a long way to help a friend fight off burn-out and the negative repercussions that come along with the situation.
It might just be that professional help is required, and if that’s the case, please let me know if I can assist. I work with clients to make certain that burn-out does not occur, and if it already has, I can help provide tips, tactics, suggestions, and solutions to make for a much better situation.
Be the CEO of your life, work less, live more,
Yvonne
Something is coming soon that helps with organizing your working life better. A sure cure against burn-out, stay tuned!
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Yvonne has a vast coaching experience from executives to teams to ambitious business owners.
Through her personal and business coaching programs she has helped dozens grow their businesses while drastically reducing their working hours.
And when Yvonne is not coaching, you can find her indulging in beach walks, and a sparkly glass of champagne.
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