Beating Burnout

It’s no secret that life gets hectic. Between professional and personal life, it can be hard to prioritize, or even remember, your own wellbeing. While some cope with stress better than others, it’s important for everyone to take a mental breather. If we are not mindful of our mental health, we potentially push ourselves to the brink of burnout.

Burnout has been on such a rise, that the World Health Organization (WHO) recently added burnout to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Burnout is defined as, “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

So how can we manage it before we reach the edge? We gathered some simple meditation techniques that you can incorporate into your daily schedule.

• Start your day off with a deep breath. Do people ever tell you that it seems like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Not sure about you, but that doesn’t lighten up my mood. Start your day off with a few minutes of focusing on your breathing. Count each breath up to ten, and just start over from there. Starting your day with a clear mind will help you go the distance.

• Mindful Mantra. When you feel the stress rising, keep a mantra in mind that will bring you back to base. It can be as simple as a favorite quote or something you made up. Keep it close for when you need a reminder that you’re in control. Do things like write it on a sticky note, make it your screen saver, or even just repeat it silently in your head.

• Be in the now. We cannot control the future, but that doesn’t stop us from worrying about it. Anxiety is hard to avoid for anyone. One way to try and curb it is by focusing on the present. Take a minute, close your eyes, and go through your seven senses. What are your hands touching? Do you hear any obscure sounds? By doing this, you force your mind to think about the here and now.

• Go to your happy place. Sounds pretty cliche, but you can’t knock it if it works. This works in real life or mentally. When you have a moment, find a place at work where you can release any pent up stress. Make sure this is a place used for the sole purpose of letting loose. If you don’t have any available time, visualize a happy place in your head and only use it in those moments.

• Try an app. Nowadays there is an app for everything, even meditation. If you’re struggling doing these on your own, try starting with an app. Healthline compiled a list of the best meditation apps of 2019 that you can try to help find your peace of mind.