Avoiding Burnout in the New Year

Did you make a New Year’s resolution? How many years have you told yourself you were going to change something, whether it be diet, exercise, or your overall life, at the beginning of the year? Only to fall short within the first couple of weeks? Well, you are not the only one!

According to Forbes, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail; the most common reason for failure is burnout. Meaning, people make New Year’s resolutions expecting to complete them by year’s end but because of too many things on their plate they are unable to keep up. Burnout is when a person is feeling a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that leads to a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. The best way to prevent burnout is to notice the symptoms then attack it with a plan. Common symptoms of burnout include stress, fatigue lack of sleep, and feelings of depression, anxiety, lack of creativity and purpose, emotional numbness, and more.

Ways to avoid burnout

Take breaks - When I say take breaks, I don’t mean completely stop what you are doing for a period of time but listen to your body. If you are physically active and attempting to lose some weight in the New Year, your body may not respond the way you want. If you are taking on new tasks adding them to your already packed calendar, take a day off.  Taking a rest day can help regain purpose in pursuing your goals.

Make adjustments - Looking at long-term goals, it is important to set realistic expectations. If you find yourself dragging, feeling lethargic, or anxious, take a step back, reflect on the progress you have made and make the proper adjustments.

Take a social media break - Completing your New Year’s resolution may be harder when you are comparing your successes to others. This may leave a negative perception of your own progress leading to burnout. Focus on competing against yourself to reach your end-of year goal!

Utilize your support network - Often times when drowning in multiple obligations, we don’t reach out to others. Our support system is a good tool to use to get back on track if you are feeling burned out.

Practice mindfulness - Feeling stressed from your everyday life can take its toll but taking a deep breath and remembering the reasons for your goals can help.  Remembering the reasons can help you refocus to continue down the path of achieving your goals. There are a lot of applications that can be used to practice mindfulness and help you re-center yourself to achieving your goals.

Understanding the symptoms and catching them before they affect your daily life will help you accomplish your New Year’s resolutions. Using these tips, you can be part of the other 20% that set a goal and achieve it!

Sources:  

https://hechingerreport.org/burnout-symptoms-increasing-among-college-students/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642#:~:text=Job%20burnout%20is%20a%20special,as%20depression%2C%20are%20behind%20burnout.

https://hbr.org/2016/11/beating-burnout

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2019/12/21/the-top-3-reasons-new-years-resolutions-fail-and-how-yours-can-succeed/?sh=213520296992