Avoiding Burnout

A letter about how I cope through work stress and avoid burnout.

I know we say this all the time, but adulting is super hard. And it might just be me and my inner circle, but there’s been this wave of exhaustion going around recently.

Everyone is SO exhausted with work.

I mean, I’ve seen at least 5 people tweeting in the past week about how tired and exhausted they were and how they feel they’re close to burning out, and I’m one of those people. The past few weeks have been really hard for me, and that’s why I’m writing this. I think I’ve hacked how to come out of that dark place I go into when I’m super stressed and on the brink of burnout. So I thought I’d share my process and maybe it can help you too!

It’s important to pace yourself when it comes to work and your mental health. Nobody wins when you’re burnt out and exhausted, trust me. So keep reading to find out 3 great ways I use to handle stress and avoid burnout.

1. Set Boundaries

   With work, and especially with remote work, boundaries are key. A major mistake I made when I first started working was trying to prove to my employer that I was indispensable by putting in extra hours nobody even asked me to. At a point, working almost 24/7 became the norm for me. This was the beginning of the end, and now I’ve learnt my lesson. Set realistic deadlines and work towards meeting them during your stipulated work hours. Try your best to set boundaries and make sure work time is for work, and anytime outside that isn’t. Remember, work no dey finish, so no kill yourself on top work.

2. Find a De-Stressing Activity

   Find that one activity that helps you calm down and de-stress. For me its flag football, for others it’s the gym, another sport, writing, drawing or painting. When you find that activity, create time for it. I play flag football 2 to 3 times a week and boy, do I look forward to it! Basically, find that one thing that makes you calm and happy when you do it, and keep doing it. It makes a huge difference in how relaxed and energized you feel when you need to get back to work. So try it!

3. Don’t Neglect Sleep

   Now that I think of it, I wonder why I ever lost sleep over work. This might just be me, but I can hardly get any work done when I haven’t had enough sleep. Getting your necessary hours of sleep is super important for your productivity because nobody wins when you’re sleep deprived. Not your employer, and certainly not you.

So you’ve made it to the end of another one of my letters, thank you for continuously reading my rambling. I have a little favor to ask of you though.

My team and I are building a product for creatives, social media managers and any content creator. We’re launching soon and it’d be really nice if you can join our waitlist so you’d get first dibs when we’re up and running. Thank you for always supporting me!

Till my next letter!