{"id":149,"date":"2022-04-15T13:18:21","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T13:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.sensa.health\/?p=149"},"modified":"2024-01-23T08:46:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T08:46:58","slug":"how-to-set-boundaries-to-avoid-burnout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/how-to-set-boundaries-to-avoid-burnout\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Set Boundaries To Avoid Burnout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Burnout is a harsh reality for millions of Americans &#8211; especially in the age of remote working. In a survey by Indeed<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, over 52% of respondents experienced burnout in 2021 &#8211; over half of the workforce in the US are feeling mentally exhausted in their jobs!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However prevalent, burnout isn\u2019t always easy to spot from a first-person perspective. That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential to keep a lookout for a few signs that you might be pushing yourself a little too hard:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotional exhaustion and difficulty to regulate your responses to stressful situations at work<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical fatigue, especially in sedentary jobs<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difficulty concentrating, finishing tasks, forgetfulness<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decreased work performance &#8211; no matter how hard you try, you can\u2019t keep up with those deadlines!<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Job dissatisfaction as a slow burn<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people experience one or a few of these symptoms at work. While it takes some effort, you\u2019ll save yourself a lot of nerves if you put down rigid boundaries for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve found 4 boundaries you can start implementing in your life now to avoid the consequences of burnout:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"boundary-1-identifying-your-priorities\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boundary #1: Identifying your priorities<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This applies both inside and outside of work.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can start implementing this boundary at work by being very clear about who you report to and openly and honestly talking about your bandwidth to identify which tasks need to be done first. This way, you won\u2019t be stuck trying to fulfill all your obligations simultaneously.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And while prioritizing at work is essential for your well-being, <\/span><b>prioritizing work over yourself <\/b><b><i>isn\u2019t.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You and your wellbeing should be your most important consideration.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good way of prioritizing yourself is being aware of your mood, stress, and anxiety levels.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keeping a mood journal with entries describing the causes of your mood day to day makes you more present and aware of those factors as they are happening.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rather than putting pen to paper, it\u2019s a lot easier to use an app to keep your mood journal, to help yourself prioritize the things that lift your spirits daily.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"boundary-2-taking-time-off-when-you-need-it\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boundary #2: Taking time off when you need it<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your yearly PTO is there for a reason &#8211; to get the rest and relaxation you need to keep functioning as a human!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though the workload might seem never-ending, and you like to think that your company will fall apart if you leave just for a day &#8211; taking some time off is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">possible and necessary<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for your wellbeing.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking time off might improve your physical and mental health, improve your relationships with people important to you outside of work and boost happiness.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But you don\u2019t need to disappear for an entire week and travel internationally to reap the benefits of time off. Incorporating even a few minutes of off-time a day will significantly decrease your chances of burning out.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meditation and mindfulness apps like Sensa offer quick relief exercises that help you calm your anxiety or reduce your stress levels by deep breathing or grounding.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"boundary-3-managing-your-time\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boundary #3: Managing your time<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Managing your time is incredibly essential, especially when you\u2019re being pulled in many different directions, including work, family, friends, and personal time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do put in the effort to create some time management habits, you will find that you can pack a lot more into your day.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focusing on allocating the appropriate amount of time not only ensures that you use your time productively &#8211; it also helps you stop before you get too tired or overwhelmed with an activity.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using a calendar to plan your time is the most efficient way to keep track of what you&#8217;re doing and allow yourself the balance that a varied schedule brings. Using an app that offers this type of calendar, in which you can either fill your days with pre-existing activities or add your own, has proven to be the best option for planning your time, as it\u2019s always on hand, on your phone.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"boundary-4-identifying-your-limits\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boundary #4: Identifying your limits<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re in a working environment, it\u2019s easy to get carried away by your company\u2019s desire to grow as quickly as possible, as much as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasing workloads, long hours, and taking up additional tasks due to not being enough people on the team to delegate to will push your boundaries in terms of how much effort you\u2019re going to put into your work.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it may be beneficial for you to go the extra mile for a pay rise or promotion, to stay productive for a long time and not burn out, you should set hard limits for how much you can take on.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though it might be hard to measure whether you\u2019re trying too hard based on your workload, you should rely on how you feel to determine whether you\u2019re doing too much.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good way to do that is by using the Sensa app to complete assessments, which can give you a clear view of your stress, anxiety, and depression levels.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"so-what-to-do-to-avoid-burnout\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what to do to avoid burnout?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While everyone has a different strategy, it\u2019s crucial that you have something that fits your personal needs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By identifying what\u2019s important, planning your time wisely, taking breaks, and setting your limits, you\u2019ll be on the right path to avoiding burnout.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And even if you think you don\u2019t have the skills or time to look at your life and see how you can improve it, Sensa makes it easier to make these critical, sustainable changes that may leave you calmer and better adjusted in the long term.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Burnout is a harsh reality for millions of Americans &#8211; especially in the age of remote working. In a survey by Indeed1, over 52% of respondents experienced burnout&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":160,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[4],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":816,"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions\/816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sensa.health\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}