When you first started with your office, you couldn't wait to flaunt that flair and impress your colleagues with dedication and ardour.
However, at some point, the fervour to perform and succeed has started to recede. You have started to feel disinterested and uninspired rather than slaying at those work meetings and projects.
You could be under a burnout.
Various incessant stressors over a long period could leave you drained and, in a situation where you don't want to talk, touch, or timbre work.
Case : With her growing success of the current venture, Veronica started working simultaneously on her new e-commerce project. This was her dream project; she worked inexorably in a stress-packed environment through tough days, long nights and happy weekends. After all the herculean meetings, plucky negotiations, and strenuous preparations suppliers were set, logistics team was created and the perfect creative marketing agency was found, all was left to do was the auspicious execution of the project. Unfortunately right two days before the execution, a miscommunication with the support team landed up all that drudgery in vain, delaying the whole plan. Since then Veronica has been under a burnout.
This thingamabob got you! Below are 4 steps that help you bounce from burn-out to boosting energy.
STEP 1: CEASE TO ACT
In Veronica's case, she was tempted by her e-commerce project and its launch. What task is so enticing in your case? She had started to equate a failed project with a failed life. Her assumptions of failing were fuelling her fear, which drove her to work day and night unrelentlessly. These thought patterns are dominant enough to disturb the emotional stability.
Veronica took help of one of her mentors shared her work woes with him and asked what to do next? He said 'STOP! If you won't, your health suffers.' Being stubborn and hard-working, Veronica decided to hire someone in her place. To carry on the work duties so she could take a backseat. It didn't work! She finally decided to stop and wrapped the project for the time. She deactivated the website subscription, informed the suppliers about paused inventory stocking, and put on hold the creative agency work.
The need of the hour is to stop these thoughts and feelings. Probe yourself on the three points below:
What is my point of obsession and is inaccessible at the moment?
What is my biggest fear if I stop reaching out?
How would the scenario be if I surrendered?
Get a reality check! Consult your answers with someone close, and listen to what they suggest. Pull the plug off! Face the fall to rise again! You will have opportunities and options always. You can recover good!. Move to Step 2
STEP 2: UN-FILL AND FILL YOUR THINK TANK
If we could give our think tank's energy a measuring meter, what would your scale be after experiencing a burnout? It would be a quarter or less. We need to consider two elements here: rate of exhaustion and rate of renewal. In an optimal situation, the rate of revival is greater than the rate of depletion. In the burnout situation, it’s the reverse. Step 1 is about curbing depletion, and Step 2 deals with renewal. The burnout makes one indifferent and insensitive; it's difficult to feel happiness and gratitude, the required emotions that aided to face the challenges in life. So Step 2 is not only about getting rest but bringing the emotional stability back in life.
For Veronica, it was all about giving time to what she loved. She started to read, read a lot, watched movies, went out for luncheons and visited friends.
It could be anything taking a road trip, going for a beach vacation, taking up that abstract painting class or whatever helps you to re-furnish and restore. Don't be swallowed by going for things that lead to an achievement sense, do something that makes your soul happy. Take help from friends and family, fall on and follow them, when they say 'do nothing but enjoy'. The clichéd but true, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!
Once you start to feel joy by indulging in your hobbies or things that you love, the energy meter is going to rise. This might take time; it may take up to months not weeks. Once your brain fuel has reached to a half or three-fourths, you are good to progress to step 3.
STEP 3: REKINDLE YOUR WORLD
This step is all about reinvigorating your world and self, develop a fresh alleyway replacing the old thinking pattern and habits. This is a crucial phase, as your thought pattern determines your emotions and they further form behaviour of an individual.
Veronica's behaviour was the reason for her burnout, however her thoughts provoked her to act the way she did. She had to rewire her world in the nick of time. She with the help of her support circle adopted a couple of psychological ways to revive herself.
You need to change your thought pattern, develop a more positive and constructive approach towards things. It's like upgrading your iOS, so that bugs are fixed and the software runs more smoothly. Below are a few pointers to take cue from:
Keep a check on your thoughts: Maintain a daily journal, or try the meditation, figure out the heavy thoughts, the ones that make you anxious. Notice the disturbing thoughts and shift focus towards positive constructive ideas.
Be Grateful: Everyday, list 10 things that you are grateful for! Gratitude is one of the simplest way to shift focus to positive world. (Tip from THE HERO- Rhonda Byrne)
Consult a PRO: List your goals search for the right professional and discuss them with an expertise.
Believe in a greater power: Keeping faith in greater power is the antivenin to the burnout symptoms-disorder, melancholy, annoyance, and anxiety.
Veronica wanted to launch her e-commerce project, for which she decided to take help from a start-up E-COM consultant. He helped her remodel the business idea, work on a newer USP, rewrite the goals and work towards the new start.
STEP 4: RE-CREATE YOUR WORKLIFE
Bravo! You have made it through the three steps of bouncing back from burnout. You are now ready to work on the new chapter of your work and life, establishing new and stronger foundation.
If you want to find the right job, start your own venture or if you just want to get down to brass tacks, the consequence will depend on the level of your self-awareness, attitude and energy which will be repercussion of steps 1, 2 and 3.
It’s alluring to want to jump to STEP 4 directly, but without going through the previous phases, the approach is going to be disconcerting. Success through the previous steps determines the success in the last phase.
The results of following the step by step process can be dramatic. They were definitely for Veronica. She worked on the new business model, established the business, launched the e-commerce website with the unique idea and was happier and satisfied. She was doing great, enjoying her work and personal life and is grateful for each new opportunism day.
Rebounding from burnout is a time consuming process, and you can't rush through it. The time taken will be different for every individual, but once you are through it, you are a new person with revitalized energy, ready to take on the world.
Don't burn and fade away, when you can brighten up and shine!