Feeling Overwhelmed at Work? 5 Proven Strategies to Combat Burnout

We’ve all been there.

Feeling overwhelmed in a 9-5 job can leave you wanting to jump out of the nearest window or bang your head against a keyboard. You're not alone in this feeling. It's likely caused by stress, burnout, or guilt. But don't worry, there are ways to manage these emotions and find relief.

Sometimes, frustration, anger, and sadness can all come together and explode inside of you because of your career. However, it's important to realize that it's not necessarily your career that's the problem. Often, it's the environment you're working in that causes these feelings. So, what small changes can you make to improve your surroundings and avoid feeling like you want to escape?

I’m here to help you with that with my 5 proven strategies to combat burnout.

Get yourself in some fresh air

It may sound simple, but it’s the very thing that keeps us breathing every second of every day, without it - we wouldn’t be here. Taking a walk before or after breakfast or during your lunch break is REVOLUTIONARY and gives you the time and clarity to take a step back during or before a busy day of work.

Close your laptop or computer on time

Probably again a simple strategy for many people, but ensuring you finish work on time and physically close down your laptop or computer can really help with physically and emotionally detaching yourself from work. In turn, it allows you to create a distinction between your work life and personal life, which hopefully limits that work burnout. Also, most companies don’t even pay you for working overtime anyway - so stop doing it!

Use your breath to your advantage

Breathwork and breathing are definitely your friends when it comes to avoiding burnout and managing your stress levels. Meditation may not be up your street, but being able to slow down your breathing in moments of high stress will see significant results if you try it when you’re feeling overwhelmed at work.

Take your full lunch break

There are SO many times and previous jobs where I did not do this, so let me tell you, or more accurately beg you, to please start taking your allotted lunch break. It is your right and it’s even in your contract. So take that sandwich away from your desk and computer screen and have a change of scenery as you’ll only reap rewards by doing so.

Cut back on the caffeine

This is probably the hardest one for me as I’m very much known at work for being a creature of habit and getting my morning Costa every single morning. However, too much coffee or Redbull or <insert another caffeine drink here> will make you feel like those jitters are about to take over. No amount of heavy-duty typing is going to help, you’ll probably work late and end up unable to sleep.

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Founder of The C Word Magazine, Emily is currently living in Bristol. She is passionate about art, travel, culture, cinema, fashion, sports, feminism and a whole lot more. She dabbles in graphic design and drawing, when not doing her day job as a Media Planning Director. Find her on Instagram @emlrking or chatting on Confession Sessions, The C Word Mag’s podcast.