For many reasons you’ve got to work hard. Offices and places of business are full of competitions and ambitions that shove and drive both the mind and the body towards productivity. There is always a reason: You want the next promotion, you’re bidding for a contract or you just find pride in being seen as hardworking by others, the list is inexhaustible. Unfortunately, successes tempt you to do more just as failures. So, you have no brakes either way.
But don’t forget that you’re but human. Any practice that denies your body can impinge on your health, and may be an unwitting invitation to burnout.
However, I think you can have your cake and eat it. That is, get all you desire from your work and at the same time make yourself burnout-proof. Just one thing. Be dedicated to leisure time.
If you ask me, I’ll tell you that this is a tough task that is easily to accomplish. There is just a sole secret to achieving this: Let work stay at work!
Please.
Pressure can inexplicably mount at work and you might be caught in the web of backlogs. As terrible as this may sound, you still don’t have to take unfinished work home. Your body needs rest, your mind needs to reset. After all, you’ve got to work tomorrow and you don’t want to show up at work looking like a hangover-battered soul. In fact, it is when you go home early and rest that you gain the mental alertness needed to deal with complicated situations.
So once again, office work stays at office – even if you work from home.
Having done the above, you can now spend your leisure time doing any of the following:
Relaxing
When you want to relax, yoga is a sure bet. You know, breathing exercises, stretching and meditation all wrapped up in a single package. It’s just naturally the number one recipe to help you relax your muscles and calm your mind after the rigours of work.
Remember, burnout is more psychological than physical. Meaning that your mind is what is at risk. Just as your emotion.
So, unwind big time.
Doing exercises
There is a plethora of options available to you – both indoor and outdoor physical activities. If you have a gym in your home, it makes exercising easier and more leisurely. But using a public gym has its advantage too. At least you get to meet new people or meet up with old friends.
If you have a treadmill at home, it will be particularly useful. Trust me, it’s going to get you out of the treadmill of the office monotony, and swirl reinvigorating energy through your system.
Another option is swimming. Whether or not you’ve got a swimming pool at home, there is always an available opportunity for swimming. Think of the beach, the local club, the hotel etc.
A note of caution however – this isn’t competitive and you don’t have to make it one. What is good for you is to take slow and steady laps, lounge around the pool area or beach, or just dip your body in the water with your eyes closed and your mind at peace. Let it wash tension out of your system.
Of course, there are other exercises out there. Just choose what you enjoy and throw yourself into it.
Eating right
Your diet is you; mind what you put in your stomach. The pressure of work often tempts many to use stimulants. This is misguided and self-destructive. In fact, a yearning for a dose of stimulant is a pointer that you need to slow down. Your body is only being faithful, it doesn’t want to take you by surprise.
Instead of a stimulant, eat healthy food such as vegetables, fruit and smoothies.
Getting sleep
Sleep is nature’s way of making sure you rest. You’ll be causing yourself a great harm not having enough sleep – at least between six and eight hours a day. Teach your body to replenish from good sleep. Know that insomnia is one of the symptoms of burnout. And you don’t want to make your body a haven for it.
Above all, be loyal to these everyday rejuvenators and you can be sure that you’re out of bounds for burnout.