Tips for Overcoming Burnout in Your Career

When mental and physical exhaustion start affecting not only your job but also your personal life, that’s your indicator there’s something serious going on. Burnout is more than just having a rough week at work; it’s an ongoing issue that saps your motivation and leads to you feeling exhausted, ineffective, and cynical about your job.

Burnout doesn’t have to completely derail your career, though. By addressing the issue and taking steps to prioritize yourself and your needs, you can find inspiration and motivation in your work again. Take care of yourself with these tips for overcoming burnout in your career.

Don’t Ignore It

Ignoring feelings of burnout only makes the issue worse. If you brush your experiences aside as a bad week—or worse, blame yourself for the way you’ve been feeling—you won’t be able to change anything. By acknowledging burnout as the serious issue it is, you can learn more about where these feelings come from, why they’re affecting you, and how you can make effective changes to overcome them.

Seek Professional Help

Burnout often goes hand in hand with anxiety, depression, chronic stress, or other mental health issues. Working with a licensed clinical psychologist regarding burnout can provide you with the support you need to work through these issues and better manage the mental, emotional, and behavioral symptoms of burnout. A mental health professional can also help you evaluate where your burnout stems from so that you can clearly analyze and address the cause of your frustration and exhaustion.

Connect With Colleagues

One of the best tips for overcoming burnout in your career is to create a support system for yourself. Making genuine connections with people—especially people involved in your career—gives you the support you need to work through some of the challenges of burnout. Connecting with colleagues can help reignite your motivation and remind you why you enjoy the work you do.

It can also help to talk with people who understand your frustrations, especially if your burnout stems from feeling overworked or underappreciated. Chances are your colleagues feel the same way or at least understand where you’re coming from. Talking about these issues with people you trust reminds you that you’re not alone. This can also lead to productive conversations and changes in your workplace that benefit everyone.