What is burnout syndrome?
You, artist, once had to get to work, but still couldn’t force yourself to do the chores of the day? Have you already felt exhausted with just the idea of starting to do pending projects, without knowing why? Well, you may have suffered from burnout syndrome.
Burnout syndrome happens when you overexert yourself for long periods of time, constantly stressing yourself. Such syndrome is noted with a constant state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. Freelancers often worry too much and take on more work than they can handle, for a variety of reasons, from financial need to wanting to progress on a certain project.
It is necessary to say that burnout syndrome is not a disease as such, but it can develop more serious health problems in the future. The person who suffers from it may feel unmotivated and dissatisfied with her work, in addition to having difficulties to perform satisfactorily in the same and frequently suffering from creative blocks.
But what can one do to avoid suffering from this form of job burnout?
Organize schedules and priorities
Working is very important for earnings and work experiences, but you need to make sure you have time to rest, eat, and have fun every day. It seems silly to say it, but I know many people, myself included, who sacrifice their eating and sleeping hours to get work done. It is understandable that one has financial needs, but you must think: “I want to live just to work and pay bills?”. Another thing to take into consideration is health. One may think that it is not a problem to work sacrificing sleep, but not sleeping can develop serious health problems, since the body needs these hours of sleep to replenish energy. Also, lack of sleep causes one to start performing less not only at work, but also in basic daily activities, such as bathing or brushing teeth.
To avoid not only burnout syndrome, but other more serious health problems in the future, it is very important to know when to start, and especially when to stop working. The person who will know best how to organize your day is you, that’s why I suggest you, why not start organizing yourself to have a more balanced life?
Efficiency ≠ Overtime
We tend to think that if we work many hours a day, we are doing well and we can include more work in our daily lives. It may be true, but are you doing the best you can in those many hours of work? That is, are you maintaining quality that you would like, or that you should maintain, in your work?
I propose something to you: try changing the thought of ‘I have to work all day without a break’ for ‘I will work x hours per day, and I will be as efficient as I can in this limited schedule, focusing on what I do and avoiding distractions.’. It seems like a small change, but it will help you be more productive at work, and gradually take care of other important priorities, like eating well.
Ask for help from trusted people
No one is totally alone in this world. We are social beings, and believe it or not, you will always have a friend, a relative, a co-worker or a neighbor willing to help you. If you feel like you can’t handle chores on your own, consider asking someone you trust to help you with them. Or maybe what you need is just for someone to listen to you and understand you. In moments of crisis, it is important to remember that there will always be someone who wants to see you well, healthy and happy.
Finally, many times we underestimate our health and well-being in order to work more, for the most varied reasons. However, we must constantly remind ourselves that without health, be it physical or mental, nothing gets done.
