Heart Disease: Risk Factors, Prevention, and More

8 Ways To Deal With Overwork And Burnout At Work

Source: Antoni Shkraba/Pexels

In today's world, overworked employees are overwhelmed by chronic transition and uncertainty. They are under-equipped to manage the demands of life and work successfully.

A recent SHERM global survey suggests that employees who work overtime may actually be less productive. The survey of 10,333 workers found that 40% regularly work after hours, often feeling pressure to do so rather than wanting to work longer. In fact, employees who logged off at the end of the workday reported 20% higher productivity scores compared to those who felt compelled to work late. Notably, half of all respondents did not take work breaks, and those employees were 1.7 times more likely to experience burnout.

The Problem with Overwork

The findings suggest that employers may need to reevaluate expectations around overtime and encourage workers to maintain a healthy work-life balance, which could lead to greater overall productivity. And ultimately, workers need to recognize the toll on mental health.

Overwork and burnout have a strong interrelationship with mental health. When we're perpetually overworked, our brains and bodies don't get the rest and recovery they need. Chronic stress takes a major toll, impairing our ability to regulate emotions, focus, and think clearly. We become more irritable, less productive, and increasingly prone to mental health challenges.

The solution isn't simple, as the drivers of overwork—economic pressures, technology, and personal ambition—are deeply embedded in our culture. However, prioritizing mental health and setting boundaries around work are critical first steps. Cultivating healthy habits like regular breaks, time off, and mental health check-ins can go a long way.

8 Strategies to Deal with Overwork and Burnout

1. Set boundaries and prioritize work-life balance. Many people are moving to self-employment or a flexible work schedule because they're reevaluating their priorities as they set boundaries and incorporate more work-life balance. Be intentional about establishing clear boundaries between your work and personal time. Avoid the temptation to constantly be "on" and make time for rest, relaxation, and activities you enjoy.

2. Practice self-care. Make sure you get enough sleep, eat nutritious meals, and incorporate physical activity into your routine. These basic self-care practices can go a long way in managing stress and preventing burnout. In my practice, my clients who made self-care a priority are feeling better, and there will be a financial return on that.

3. Take breaks and vacations. Regular breaks throughout the work day and periodic vacations are essential for recharging. Use your paid time off and encourage your colleagues to do the same. Consider taking mental health days to recharge your batteries and replenish your energy.

4. Seek social support. Burnout can be isolating, so make time to connect with friends, family, and coworkers. Talking through your struggles can provide much-needed perspective and stress-relief. Research shows that social support from contacts in your network is significantly and positively associated with salary and promotions, too.

5. Manage your workload. Be realistic about what you can reasonably accomplish. Don't be afraid to ask for help and delegate when appropriate. Prioritize your most important responsibilities. Use your calendar to block off time for specific projects. To avoid interruptions, take advantage of your automatic response to emails. At the end of each day, take a moment to clear your desk and desktop and organize your to-do list for the next day. Managing your workload is an important aspect of self-care.

6. Explore mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Meditation, deep breathing, and yoga can help calm your mind and body when you feel overwhelmed, paving the way for creative thinking, problem-solving, focus and concentration, and ethical decision-making. If your workplace is chaotic, consider approaching management about organizing a committee within your organization to create more of a culture of wellness.

7. Ask for professional help. If you're experiencing significant burnout or mental health challenges, don't hesitate to seek professional help. Most employers offer an EAP as part of their benefits package. It is free and confidential to employees and immediate family members, for support with mental health and any other personal challenges in your personal or professional life. While financial advisors help people manage their money, as a psychotherapist, I help professionals utilize psychological skills to improve their self-worth and emotional intelligence to achieve work-life balance and financial success.

8. Advocate for change at work. If your workplace culture significantly contributes to your burnout, speak up. While it is a sensitive topic, approach it from a win-win viewpoint. For example, give your boss some empathy and start the conversation by saying, "I know you have deadlines and realize you have expectations from the top. But I feel overworked and burnt out. Is there a way we can work together so that I can recover and succeed in the workplace?"

Mental health is our most precious resource. By being proactive and making mental health a top priority, you can combat overwork and burnout. With the right self-care strategies and workplace support, you can reclaim a healthier, more sustainable way of working.

Ways To Cope With Testing Anxiety, Stress

ORLANDO, Fla. – Bridgett talked to a therapist about healthy ways to get through the stress and anxiety of testing and finals season. Dr. Treshonda Baucom from Enriched Life Counseling says there are several ways to help students deal with stress and anxiety in a healthy way.

She says parents should check to see how their student is feeling.

Help them prepare and focus with dedicated time and space to study, but remember they still need time to decompress and play.

"Make sure you're giving time for breaks and relaxation. Kids need a break and relax time as well," Baucom said.

She noted parents need to be mindful of their own words and feelings around their students as well.

"Anxious parents create anxious kids and calm parents create calm kids. Our nervous systems talk to each other and can mimic or reflect what another is thinking or feeling. It's important we can check our own emotions and relay calm support and understanding to our kids too," she said.

Baucom says the stress and anxiety can extend well before and after test days, so talking with a therapist and their teachers can help unlock the best ways to reach and assist your individual student's needs.

"I always like to say the earlier you can work with it is the best. That's when they're forming their understanding, their coping skills, the tools that they'll use. And the longer you wait, you have to go back and undo a lot of those things," Baucom said.

Get more tips, watch the entire interview above.

Watch BWB weekdays at 7:30 a.M., on the News 6 plus streaming app or ClickOrlando.Com

Learn more about Dr. Baucom and Enriched Life Counseling here: https://enrichedlifecounseling.Com/

You can listen to every episode of Florida's Fourth Estate in the media player below:

Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

Five Steps For Reducing Stress On And Off The Jobsite

Stress is a completely natural human experience. It is the body's way of responding to short-term challenges and threats in daily life. Millennia ago, it equipped humans to properly react to dangers such as predators, competitors and life-threatening situations. Without stress, it's very possible our species would not have survived as long as it has.

And while stress is still a necessary part of survival today, most of us are (hopefully) not facing regular attacks from bears or wondering if there are enough provisions to survive the winter months. Those are short-term stresses—the difference between life and death. The problem comes when our minds today make us feel like we're constantly facing life-threatening situations or are experiencing stress for long periods of time, leading to acute or chronic stress.

The stresses many of us experience today are vastly different from what our ancient ancestors were forced to deal with, but still our bodies react the same. On the construction site, there are certainly potentially hazardous situations, and stress helps workers in those situations stay safe. Seeing a colleague at risk for a slip-and-fall may cause stress and help others quicken their reactions to assist them. Experiencing stress when in a hazardous area ensures workers are alert and mindful of every step and maneuver.

However, too much stress or unnecessary stress can actually distract workers and put both their physical health and mental health at greater risk.

STRESS ONSITE

On a jobsite, the most common causes of stress are being overworked, having unrealistic deadlines, performing physically dangerous or demanding tasks, lack of communication, poor work culture or environment and improper training. Additionally, there are often other stressors that workers bring to the construction site from home or from their personal lives that seep into work life.

Dealing with chronic stress on the construction site is not only harmful to a worker's mental health but it can be dangerous for both the individual experiencing the stress and those around them. If a worker is distracted and not performing their job at a satisfactory level, their mistake can quickly put their coworkers' wellbeing at risk.

So, how can workers on construction sites reduce their stress? Here are five strategies to employ to help workers reduce chronic stress and improve their mental health as well as the overall safety of the worksite.

1. CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN

Chronic stress often comes as a result of stressing over situations one cannot control or manage. The first step in reducing pervasive stress is recognizing and understanding what in your life you have control over and what you do not. One sure thing you can take full control over is yourself—including how you receive and perceive factors outside your control.

You cannot dictate your environment, and you most often cannot regulate others' actions, responses or feelings. However, you can control how you react to your environment, and you can choose the people you decide to spend your free time with. Know that when something negative happens to you or around you, only you have the power to choose to acknowledge it, accept it, reframe your thinking and manage how you will react or respond to it. If you find yourself surrounded by negativity, acknowledge that and take personal actions to manage how you will allow this situation to affect you.

Whenever possible, work toward and choose to be around positivity and people who bring you joy, peace and happiness. The mind is a powerful piece of biology. Being patient with yourself, getting to know yourself better and not allowing yourself to impulsively respond to negative situations and people can help you become a better problem solver, eventually leading to better self-management of your emotions and responses to stress.

2. BE VULNERABLE

Not everyone will be open to talking about what may be causing them stress. Some family, friends and colleagues may be more adept at listening than others. Yet, bottling up what's causing stress is a surefire way to prevent you from solving it. It takes strength and courage to speak up when you don't feel right, but it's often the only way to get the help you need.

In most cases, nurses, physical trainers and/or other professionals can work to create open dialogues with workers that typically start with a physical ailment before some prodding reveals a more challenging stress or mental-health issue that needs attention. But having leadership on a jobsite who can build a professional and personal rapport with employees and is willing to have more difficult conversations before bringing in a professional goes a long way to creating a more open, more satisfied work environment.

3. RECOGNIZE STRESSORS

Sometimes when people find that they're stressed, they may not know what the initial cause of it was. This causes a cycle where they find themselves becoming irritable, easily triggered and even more stressed by incidents and events that typically would not phase them. That mental/emotional stress can cause physical damage throughout the body. When it comes to your performance at work, stress can cause strain on muscles, making people unable to perform physical tasks as efficiently and as safely as they otherwise would have.

To prevent this, it's important to recognize when you find yourself getting stressed and identify what the initial cause was. Being mindful of your own emotional and physical feelings may sound simple, but it's the easiest way to head off stress before it may become debilitating.

4. SLOW DOWN

Workloads on construction sites these days are significant, with lingering supply-chain issues, dwindling backlogs and an ongoing worker shortage. But even during high-volume work, it is absolutely critical to take physical and mental breaks to prevent burnout and reduce the probability that mistakes will happen on the jobsite. In fact, improper hydration and poor diet—including consuming too much caffeine—is a common stress accelerator.

When you find yourself in a period of overload, slow down. Mistakes happen and injuries occur when people are working too quickly. Proper planning, pulling in management and focusing on the fundamentals leads to better safety outcomes, faster work output, cost savings and more effective time management.

5. LEAD WITH COMPASSION

Leaders on construction sites have challenging jobs, and it takes a lot of interpersonal skill to be a strong manager. Two leadership qualities that stand out and can make the biggest impact on worker wellbeing are compassion and empathy. Many leaders think that higher pay will solve a lot of workers' stress, and in some instances that certainly helps. But creating a stronger workplace begins with understanding what's the root cause of workers' stress and what's possible to address it—considering each workers' individual circumstances.

Leaders have the ability to impact an employee's life—whether positively or negatively. Those that use their authority to advocate for their team and empower their workers have the ability to lower stress levels and improve overall wellness for their workforce and their jobsite.

---