Are you suffering from burnout at work? Here's what burnout looks like....
Are you more irritable and less patient with others? Do you feel disillusioned and no longer derive satisfaction from your accomplishments? Have your sleep or eating habits changed? Are you experiencing headaches or neck and lower back pain? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be suffering from job burnout.

You're not alone. According to a nationwide survey by Career.com, a whopping 77% of workers say they feel burnout on the job.

The causes might be:

• Working harder and longer due to staffing cuts, or fear of losing your job
• Lack of appreciation, recognition, or reward for your efforts
• Unclear or impossible job expectations
• Being in the wrong job or profession
• Performing monotonous or unchallenging work
• Working in a dysfunctional, chaotic, or high pressure environment

Certain personality traits can also contribute to burnout. For example, you might be a perfectionist who wants control or refuses to delegate tasks to others. Also, certain professions suffer from a higher degree of burnout, such as healthcare or social workers.

Here are eight ways to prevent or treat burnout on the job.

1. Set personal and professional goals and priorities. Use them as a template for how you make decisions about your time and work.  
2. Live a balanced life. Examine your lifestyle. Are you spending enough time on the people and things most important in your life? Consider taking up a new hobby or take a non-work-related class at a nearby community college.  
3. Determine what you can and cannot control. And the best place to start is with yourself. Exercise, eat healthy foods, avoid self-medicating, and get plenty of sleep.  
4. Learn to set boundaries. This can include limiting work hours or making sure you take time off for lunch. It can also mean taking all your vacation or not taking work-related calls or checking your e-mail during nights or weekends.  
5. It's okay to say no. If the requests on your time don't match your goals and priorities, politely turn them down.  
6. Talk to your supervisor. Express your concerns, frustrations or suggestions in a constructive way to your supervisor. Share ideas and explore "win-win" opportunities.  
7. Revitalize your job. Find ways to break the monotony and make your job more enjoyable. Change your routine or volunteer for challenging projects. Come to work at a different time or redecorate your cube or office.
8. Find a mentor. Mentors can be a valuable sounding board and source of ideas and advice. Find someone you respect, who has been around the block and shares your values.

To help foster resiliency and productive work environments for you and your employees, make sure your employees are aware of the programs available to assist them and their family members, such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which provides no-cost professional counseling. If you don’t have an EAP program included in your group health insurance plan contact us and get more information about the low cost and benefits from the licensed Health Insurance Agents at AMERICAN INSURANCE.

Source:  BPA Health, July 2017 eNewsletter