March was a busy month hustling between work and "Women month" events, after finishing the non-stopping hustling it is time for some digestion of ideas and reflection to grow from it. So, in the upcoming period I will keep this space updated with my reflections and two cents.
During the She Can event organized by Entreprenelle, I was pleased to attend a talk by Dina Moustafa around beating the burnouts. Dina has more than 13 years of experience in marketing and currently launched "Girl Boss" to support business owners to grow in the digital world. And now let's explore what is burnout? how to spot it? and what to do?
Simply stated "burnout" is the prolonged fatigue period or state of being exhausted physically and emotionally due to long-term work stress or having a long-term draining experience. And the common symptoms are feeling tired, drained, helpless, or defeated. In addition to having sleepless nights, lose appetite, and being socially isolated. Having said that, it never comes in one shot. Burnout comes in five stages that you have to watch for:
Honeymoon phase
Onset of stress phase
Chronic stress phase
Burnout phase when you reach your limit and can no longer function normally. Work problems start to consume you and you obsess over them. As well as experiencing extreme self-doubt, intense, chronic headaches, stomach problems. As well as experiencing noticeable behavioral changes.
Habitual burnout phase when untreated, burnout becomes a part of your everyday life and eventually lead to anxiety or depression.
And as per Dina, to overcome burnout and keep the needed balance; you need frequent and consistent breaks to beat burnout. Know the burnout reasons learn to say no to excess work. Stay active and focus on your nutrition. Put a plan, managing your time. And stop negative social networking.