Year-end burnout, how to manage stress at work (and prevent burnout)

Tired and exhausted workers, who arrive at the end of the year with professional anxieties and anxieties bordering on burnout. While on the one hand the holiday season is associated with a moment of joy and family closeness, for many workers the last days of the year, between deadlines and budgets, can become complex to manage. As Forbes reports, according to a survey by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 31% of Americans expect to be more stressed in December with an increase of 9% on 2021. But how to prevent a possible burnout? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout is a phenomenon “resulting from chronic stress in the workplace”. Recognizing the red flags can be key to avoiding a meltdown in mental and physical health. Forbes has dedicated a focus to this theme by lining up a few behaviors useful to reduce the risk of burnout.

Anti-burnout tips

The first, trivial in its simplicity, is learning to disconnect from work. So no to unlimited availability, to e-mails that can always be consulted on the telephone es al free time, holidays, disconnection (especially in the case of smart working). In summary, it is necessary to look at free time as an integral part of a worker’s well-being and productivity. Indeed, rest is essential for developing learning ability. It is vital then to prioritize projects to realize . It may be helpful to analyze your workload and sort items by urgency and level of importance. So as not to have the feeling of being overwhelmed by urgencies. If necessary, schedule a meeting with your manager to determine which tasks need immediate attention and which tasks can be completed at a later date. Whenever possible, it is good practice to break larger projects into smaller pieces.

The other tip for managing a busy schedule is to learn to delegate: Better to ask a colleague for support than risk missing a deadline. It is also suggested to defend small breaks during working hours: from a cigarette with a colleague to stretching up to a simple walk of a few minutes. In fact, the article mentions how spending time outdoors lowers blood pressure and reduces stress-related hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It is also essential to prioritize sleep, exercise and healthy eating habits.

The social network and knowing how to ask for help

It is important to cultivate relationships with colleagues. According to the Deloitte/Workplace Intelligence survey, 24% of people feel lonely in the office, while a BetterUp study records 69% dissatisfied with the social relationships they have at work. Isolation can promote depressive episodes and burnout. If work becomes a nightmare (an alarm bell anxiety before going to the office or company) it’s time to ask for help. Support can come from family, friends, colleagues and employer. Many companies, usually large ones, offer employees the possibility of contacting internal or affiliated mental health helpdesks. In addition, it may be useful to know that in October, the Cassation reiterated that all physical or mental illnesses are eligible for compensation by Inail the origin of which can be traced back to occupational risk, whether it concerns the processing or the organization of work and the methods of its execution.