Jean

Last week I had the pleasure of talking about Stopping Burnout and Re-Energizing Your Job Search to Land a Great Job at the Schmoozer’s Networking Group in West Hartford. Someone in the audience brought up the fact that poor strategy when looking for work contributes to burnout. And I agree. What happens when you don’t have a plan or when your plan doesn’t reflect smart ways to look for work? You get discouraged, and over time, this can lead to burnout as you’re using up energy faster than it’s restored.

This is one reason why Job Search Work Teams are so effective as they help job seekers run a diverse and effective search campaign. My latest course, “Turn Off Your Computer and Get a Job!” is another way to ensure you’re searching smart. Take a look at the first three lessons on the online component of my class:  https://www.avanoo.com/first3/527. What else can you do? Get a search buddy, add one fun thing to every day (I showed off the baby mittens I made myself and gave them away), help your friends, read a good book, join LinkedIn groups, exercise, and systematically go after the jobs you really want.

I’ve been speaking to high-level officers at nonprofit organizations to find out more about how burnout is affecting their business. It’s bad, as it is in the corporate sector. We’re all being asked to do more with less support. We’re given projects that can’t be completed without heroic efforts. So what do you do?

My first tip is just notice it–notice what you’re being asked to do. Then pay attention to the symptoms–are you irritable, always rushing, multi-tasking and not producing quality work? How are your colleagues handing similar pressure? Try to use your sense of humor, or find ways to can take better care of yourself, whether that’s exercise, keeping a journal or cultivating gratitude.

Let me know your burnout challenges and I’ll be glad to offer suggestions. The best book  out there in my opinion, is “Banishing Burnout” by Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter. Get it from your library and take a step toward saying no to burnout.

I watched a Ted Talk yesterday on meditation and it reminded me how important it is to be present–to enjoy the moment. One of the serious threats of burnout is the inability to be present as our minds are a constant loop of hurt, resentment, feeling over-worked and under-appreciated.

What’s one step you could take today to break this cycle? Notice–just notice how your busy mind likes drama–likes the emotional high of feeling wronged. Don’t try to fix it, don’t talk about it, just notice, as if you’re watching a movie about someone else. Take a few deep breaths, and as you exhale, see if you can loosen your hold on these feelings. Maybe you can visualize them floating away.

Over time, you may be able to replace them, but for today, noticing is enough. See how this changes your day.

It’s easy to blame our jobs, our bosses, our families for feeling stressed out and burned out. But today I’d like you to think about something a bit diffrent and that is, what do you do that leads to your own burnout? Let me give you an example. Having lost my job a few times (a really good experience for a career coach by the way), I realized that I had a loyalty problem. And that was I tended to be overly loyal, what I’ve come to think of as “dumb loyal.” Out of balance loyal. This then leads to disappointment when the company you work for says, “Thanks you did great work but your position has been eliminated.” So I’ve learned to be “smart loyal”–still doing my best at work, but not expecting the company to take care of my career. That’s my  job.

See if you can find one way in which your attitude or behavior is making things more difficult for yourself. Then try to adjust it so that you’re not contributing to your own burnout. These small steps can have huge results.

When you think about the situations that cause you stress and burnout, see if you can make one surprising step today. What could that be? Offer to help someone who is annoying you, ask for advice (instead of working on your own), or find a new way to practice generosity. If you’re really struggling with this, keep a journal so that you have a clear record to refer to. We often learn most from the situations that are difficult, so see if your mindset can be open and accepting. And if possible, always end your day with gratitude.

Just spoke to a wonderful group of educators in Westport, MA, introducing them to Four Cool Tools to Get Your Joy Back. Here’s a tip for the day:

Get to work five minutes early and don’t get out of your car until you’ve taken three deep breaths with your eyes closed. Remind yourself that today you are going to listen, learn, love and that you’ll set one small goal to accomplish. This could be asking for help, finding a way to not be annoyed by a co-worker, or practicing gratitude. See what works for you and have fun!