Linda Moseley of Brighter Changes shares her tips to avoid burnout for Stress Awareness Month

It’s April and it’s Stress Awareness Month. Today we’re talking to Linda Moseley from Brighter Changes, and she is sharing her tips to stop burnout before it happens.

Does your head feel like it’s going to burst sometimes?  Do you often feel exhausted?  Is it harder to make decisions and stay focused for long periods?  Do you find work is impacting on your family time and boundaries are becoming too blurred?

These are all common signs that you could be approaching burnout.  As a development coach who helps driven professionals avoid burnout, I know that people are finding more and more that they are suffering from overwhelm and, in an effort to combat it, they are working harder and for longer, often in very difficult circumstances. I call it struggling with juggling! 

Research shows that people are feeling more overwhelmed in the last two years than ever before and it’s affecting their decision making, effectiveness, productivity, health, relationships and ultimately their family. Does this sound like you? 

Signs to look out for are:

• Procrastinating with things that you used to tackle easily
• Snapping at people or over-reacting to situations
• Finding difficulty focusing or thinking clearly
• Being distracted whilst eating, for example answering emails whilst having your evening meal, or not taking time to eat at all
• Using alcohol, food, tv, scrolling social media etc to numb feelings 

I know from personal and professional experience what this feels like. I also know that it’s solvable and there are ways to reduce it so that you can feel happier, healthier and more in control. 

Jon Kabat-Zinn said, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf”. We may not be able to change all the circumstances in which we find ourselves, but we can, with the right dedicated and practical support, learn to change strategies and perspectives to deal with it much better.  When you think better, you get better results.

Strategies are very different for different people which is why I run bespoke programmes, however, here’s some tips you will find helpful:

• Reconnect with friends and colleagues and aim to seek out, not avoid contact
• Think creatively about how you work, especially about your environment if you’re working from home i.e. Physical, mental and time boundaries
• Find a way of exercising that you enjoy, e.g. the gym is good for some, online 5-minute yoga at home for others
• Take more time outside, even a 5-minute walk clears the head
• Put regular, dedicated undisturbed catch-up time for yourself in your work diary
• Ensure you stick to these appointments with yourself!
• Reconnect with a hobby. Remember what you used to love doing before work took over

Yes, it’s time out of your busy schedule, but it will save you time in the long run because you’ll feel happier, healthier and be more effective.

If you’d like to solve your burnout problem and get your life back or want a free presentation for your team to help them do this, [email protected]">contact [email protected] or visit www.brighterchanges.co.uk