Burn Out is Not a Sign of Success

Burn Out is real, Burn Out is common, Burn Out has Consequences

Burn Out is NOT a sign of success 

Burn Out is now recognised as an official condition (relating to Occupation) by the World Health Organisation, it is now officially defined as the following:

“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
• reduced professional efficacy.

Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.” – https://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/burn-out/en/

‘Without your health you do not have anything’ ‘Health is Wealth’ 

Taking care of yourself while in pursuit of your goals is not only important but is crucial. So many wrongly believe that they need to sacrifice their health and well being in order to achieve success. This is incorrect. 

Many of you who are reading this no doubt have researched ‘How to be successful’ and there are thousands if not millions of different types of resources and information on the subject.That being said there are some commonalities, simple ones that you need to implement if you are to navigate your journey successfully. Those who have achieved ‘success’ have a lot to say when it comes to health and well being, take the time to listen, learn and implement from your favourites. But be sure that those you are learning from do indeed have good habits! Which means achieving goals happily and healthily. Challenges will come but it should never come at the cost of your health and well being.

If it is. It can mean a few things. Here are some things to keep in mind, Hardship is easier to navigate when you are prepared 

You have not adapted your lifestyle to accommodate the new demands that are now upon you

‘It is not the strongest that survive, it is the ones that adapt’

Adaptability – It is a skill that we all need to develop, it has many purposes and benefits but on the topic of Burn Out it is about developing self awareness and developing new habits 

Most people forget that the way you are now will not be the same as the person you need to become in order to fulfill your potential and achieve your goals. 

When we don’t change and adapt this is when we start to experience anxiety, stress, depression and burnout

Overwhelm & Overload 

Being continuously overwhelmed and overloading yourself with too much unnecessary workload can lead you down the path to burnout. Remember ‘being busy’ is not the same as ‘being productive’. Assess your workload and delegate. Growth requires a team of people. Enable your team and you enable yourself and your career or business 

Seek Progress not Perfectionism 

You have to let go, you can still produce the highest quality without it needing to be perfect. Seeking perfectionism is more about you than it is about serving others so know the difference 

‘How are you today?’ 

If you are not asking yourself this question it means you are not checking in on yourself. In order to achieve anything you need to be in the best state possible. It can be uncomfortable but it’s the only way to be sure that you are making your wellbeing your number one priority. This includes mental, physical and spiritual well being 

Ask for Help 

This is both when you need to to ask for help from people you need to on your journey, as well as if you are in need of professional help when it comes to your well being. You don’t have to battle this alone. This is both for prevention as well as treatment. So many look after their physical health regularly but not their psychological health. Both go hand in hand and just like you might go to a doctor or coach for your body, you need to have the same for your mind. 

‘Make the time for your well being or you will be making time for your illness’ 

Anxiety, Stress, Depression, is the triple threat that you do not want to have on purpose, that being said all of us will experience one or all of these at some point in life. While it’s true that ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ be self-aware to know when it is happening. So while you may not be able to avoid it (as it may be something you need to experience for a greater purpose) at least be prepared and know what to do.