It is morning and the familiar high pitch sound bellows in your ears. You reluctantly reach over and hit the snooze while muttering “5 more minutes.” This action is repeated a few more times before you concede to your body’s fatigue and make the call “I can’t come in today. I am not feeling well.” It is not a lie but instantaneously, you feel a little better and actually fall asleep despite tossing and turning all night until the alarm went off.

Maybe, it is the day before the long awaited vacation which sadly comes to an end. Even before returning home, that pesky sinking feeling sets in and suddenly you are drained.

Burnout is not a random occurrence. It is a buildup over time which inflicts stress, anxiety and depression symptoms on anyone including people who like their jobs. Burnout is the mental screams with physiological effects warning you that it is time for a needed break or a change pronto! However, since majority of the population is not granted sabbaticals or unfortunate to not have a rich family who can financially sponsor an extended holiday in the Maldives, you have to suck it up, show up and perform.

Suck it up and show up

There are a lot of positives to be said for the hippie lifestyle. After all, minimalism is trendy. If you are not about that life, then your current option is to get up and show up.

You may be one of those people whose job is critical with little room for error; therefore, being a slacker is never an option. Imagine if your surgeon decides to give less than 100% during your surgery or your therapist is lost in his own woes during your suicidal thoughts.

There are people whose work ethic disallows anything less than 98% even while feeling sorely defeated. They are identified by car dancing to loud music at 0730 in traffic, a usual pit stop for a monster caffeinated beverage despite being late, reciting a very poignant bible verse/mantra obsessively or maybe the ‘crazy’ person screaming into the ether before stepping out of the car.

Compartmentalize

How does one perform while a dumpster fire is raging inside? It is called compartmentalizing. Think of it this way, you never put your underwear and shirts in the same drawer or store antifreeze with your beverages.

Everything in life has its place. This explains why not everyone appreciates a coworker who consistently brings her personal drama to work or a friend who always yammers on about work when you are trying to have fun.

Even if your job is not critical, learn to stick most of your stressful thoughts in a temporary vault before entering work and focus on the day’s tasks. This helps to minimize feeling overwhelmed and maintain work integrity while barely surviving the job from day to day. Of course, you are counting down to the weekend or the next holiday.

Take a breather throughout the day. Escape to the bathroom when the pressure becomes too much. Leave your desk for lunch or take breaks away from the work area if possible.

Short daydream helps to refocus your mind from your current situation and give you a mental break. Having a picture on your phone that triggers pleasant memories helps to facilitates that short mental escape.

Talk about non-work things with coworkers you trust. If you do not trust any of your coworkers, then go back to the daydream suggestion.

Leave it at work

‘Why don’t you just leave the job?’ Well, timing is everything. Quitting a job is easier said than done for a lot of people who have obligations.

When you can not just leave, it becomes very important to leave work at work. Replace those work thoughts with something else – preferably pleasant thoughts. Let’s face it, at the end of the day, if you can dump any trace of work, you gain an ounce of energy to survive another groundhog day.