How To Prevent Burnout In Your Career

Managing stress in regard to work is a topic that gets brought up a lot in therapy. Can I be successful while maintaining a work-home life balance? How do I work on not being a perfectionist when my boss expects perfection? Here are five tips we have for how to handle stress in a demanding career. 

1. Set boundaries

No one likes setting boundaries, but a life without boundaries leads to burnout. We realize that you may not be able to take a full weekend off without checking your work email and making phone calls, but maybe you can set aside one or two evenings a week dedicated to not doing anything work-related. Or maybe set a time frame (ex. 7 am to 7 pm) and outside of that time frame you won’t return work-related calls until the next day. 

2.  Focus on your values

Remind yourself of what’s most important to you in life. Is it your family? Your faith? Feeling connected to others? Sometimes when we think about our values missing out on that big contract or being passed up for a promotion can put things into perspective. 

3. Find a hobby

We want to clarify, find a hobby that has nothing to do with your work. Find something to do that you truly enjoy, where you can have fun and focus on something other than work. This doesn’t have to be a big elaborate hobby like pottery or running marathons, it can be something as simple as reading or yoga. 

4. Remember what drew you to this career

Odds are you weren’t drawn to your career because you thought it would come with late nights at the office. Maybe you were drawn to be a lawyer because you wanted to help people. Perhaps you started a career in advertising because you love being creative.  Get back to your roots and find whatever led you down this path. 

5. It’s okay to take a mental health day

We all have days where we need to recharge. Just as you would take a sick day if you had the flu, it’s okay to take a day off from work if you are struggling with your mental health. Stay in your pajamas, order takeout and watch Netflix, we give you permission to take a day to rest.  

Our work makes up such an important part of our life. Not only does it provide our source of income, but for many of us we spend the majority of the time throughout the week at work and it can often become part or even all of our identity. Although work is a big part of our lives, it shouldn’t be our whole life. If you feel overwhelmed with work and want help managing your stress:

Read more about our approach to therapy for anxiety.