Given the rising burnout rates among professionals, it’s not surprising that the Great Resignation is happening across the country. Burnout has been widespread in the American workforce over the past few years, but ABC News reports that more professionals are still experiencing extreme levels of exhaustion. The World Health Organization revealed that burnout is killing people since long working hours led to 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016.
If you’re one of the many professionals experiencing burnout, you need to remember that your career can be better. Before it’s too late, try to improve your professional life through the following strategies:
Prioritize self-care and stress management
First things first: you need to start taking care of yourself more.
While you may feel guilty for neglecting your responsibilities, VeryWell Mind highlights that it’s crucial to develop clear stress management practices to help reduce the adverse effects of your high-stress job. Healthy lifestyle habits and even treats for a job well done are excellent self-care practices. Still, you can also practice self-care by talking to your supervisor or HR department about potential work issues. By focusing on your needs in your personal and professional life, you can mitigate the destructive effects of burnout.
Identify if you need rest or change
You can’t solve burnout in just one day, so you need to identify the best path for you moving forward.
Before making any irreversible career decisions, LHH’s article on dead ends and burnout recommends examining your experience as one of the two situations. The first situation may be due to a management team not being interested in your long-term goals or professional growth, and this scenario is why it’s best to pursue a different path once you’ve hit a dead end. Meanwhile, burnout stems from a lack of control, autonomy, and consistency, so you may need to recharge and reset once this occurs.
Update your professional profile
If you’ve decided to join the Great Resignation, you’ll have to update your professional profile to improve your chances of getting better opportunities.
The Executive Director of the Great Careers Network emphasizes keeping your LinkedIn profile updated. If you have left your previous role but don’t have a job lined up, don’t leave your current position shown as still employed by the company for too long, as this is a misrepresentation.
You should note that you left the role and then highlight the skills you’ve gained and accomplished tasks. Try to be active on LinkedIn and other professional social networking sites to gain leverage in the job search.
Apply for jobs that meet your green flags
A new job will not necessarily liberate you from burnout. To ensure that you’re not working in a toxic workplace, Serious Women recommend that you watch out for green flags throughout your application process. For instance, the job listing must have transparent job requirements that are clear and reasonable. An honest and organized interviewer is also an excellent green flag since it shows that the company has a system to interview candidates.
You don’t have to be a “rockstar” in a fast-paced environment to enjoy a fulfilling professional life. You can have a healthy and fulfilling job as long as you address your professional needs throughout your career.
