3 Ways to Prevent Yourself From Burning Out at Work
Ever wake up exhausted and just dread going to work? Do you feel like that most days? Every day?, And we've all seen others who have suffered the death spiral of burnout and become shambling zombies at the office. They're not "The Walking Dead", they're "The Working Dead.", Well, maybe you're just tired. But tired isn't burnout. Tired is tired. Get more sleep and you're not tired anymore. So what does real burnout feel like?, From The Truth About Burnout How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do About It, Ah, must be time for a vacation. Vacations fix burnout, right?, Wrong. Research shows that's like taking painkillers to treat a brain tumor. You feel better for a while but then the problem comes roaring back, So what gives? What is burnout really? Where does it come from? And what do we have to do to avoid it? Time for some real answers. Let's get to it, Burnout isn't being overworked or not getting enough rest. Burnout is job-induced depression. From Barking Up the Wrong Tree The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is Mostly Wrong, When work just gets too frustrating and pursuing your career goals feels futile, you become pessimistic. And University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman explains that "depression is pessimism writ large.", Seligman's work also shows optimism promotes persistence. When we expect good things to happen, it's rational to be more resilient. So burnout is actually the flip side of grit. From Barking Up the Wrong Tree The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is Mostly Wrong, To learn more about the science of a successful life, check out my new book here., So how do you make sure you never end up as one of "The Working Dead"? Well, if the root cause of depression is pessimism, Optimism and pessimism all come down to the story you tell yourself about what happens to you. Researchers call this "explanatory style.", There are three important elements here. Let's call them the 3 P's permanence, pervasiveness and whether it's personal. Pessimists tell themselves that bad events, Optimists, well, they see it the exact opposite, Seligman explains, Pay attention to the voice in your head. When it starts describing negative events as permanent, pervasive or personal, correct yourself. By remembering the 3 P's and flipping the script, Seligman says you can make yourself more optimistic over time. To learn more about how to be optimistic, click here., So you're looking on the bright side. Good. But is there anything that can make you downright immune to burnout? Yup, When you find true meaning in your work  when it's not a job, it's a calling  you don't burn out. From Barking Up the Wrong Tree The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is Mostly Wrong, When jobs are meaningful, long stressful hours don't have to be the path to an early grave. In fact, the exact opposite can be the case, The Terman Study followed a group of people across their entire lives, from childhood to old age. What did they find?, To learn how to make your current job feel meaningful, click here., Rose-colored glasses? Check. Feel your work is meaningful? Check. But when the stress hits hard what's the emotional EpiPen you need to inject yourself with to prevent burnout?, When you get busy at work, you often make less time for friends and family. Bad idea. That's the emotional equivalent of being so overworked you stop eating and starve yourself to death. Who handles stress the best? Those who increase their social activity when things get hard. From Barking Up the Wrong Tree The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is Mostly Wrong, But does this theory really help you avoid burnout in the real world? Yes. From Barking Up the Wrong Tree The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is Mostly Wrong, To learn how to make friends as an adult, click here., Alright, we've covered a lot. Time to round it up and learn the most important idea underlying all of this, This is how to avoid burnout, What's really interesting here?, None of these fixes actually changes what you're doing. Optimism and meaning only change your interpretation of what's going on. And time with friends happens when work is done. Working less doesn't make your job less frustrating. It makes it less frequently frustrating. You can still be quite pessimistic about things you don't do as much. People have jobs far worse than yours and don't get burned out. It's about perspective. You decide whether the glass is half-empty or half-full. But make sure to drink with close friends. Join over 290,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email here. This article originally appeared on Barking Up The Wrong Tree, Buy Barker's book Barking Up The Wrong Tree here