How to Beat Burnout: 4 Steps To Recovery & Prevention

Photo Credit: EveryDayHealth
Our latest workshop is a fun and powerful "shot in the arm" about what's important to help reset the batteries.  We also throw in a few luxurious "wellness" and pampering surprises for attendees to bring the point home.  

The special event and hospitality industry is intense.  Whether you are on the front line with customer interface and interaction or in an executive level position, these industries' very essences involve a dedication of day-to-day life in service to others as well as managing revenue and staying relevant with the competition, all of which are fickle and fluctuate tremendously when working with the public.  Because of the human element in these industries, the day-to-day "unknown" factors can cause industry individuals to have triple the intensity and stress of many others professions.   Because of this, there can tend to be a higher rate of burnout in the special event and hospitality industries than in any other.  


The three most commonly-associated characteristics with burnout include:  Exhaustion (physical, cognitive, and emotional fatigue that undermines people’s ability to work effectively and feel positive about what they’re doing);  Cynicism (distancing yourself mentally from work; instead of feeling connected to projects, colleagues and customers, you feel detached, negative, even bitter);   Inefficacy (feelings of incompetence and a lack of being able to achieve or produce). 

1.  Make Radical Self Care The Priority  |  Practice activities that encourage equanimity such as good sleep habits, nutrition, exercise, healthy and healthy social connection.  Many find meditating, journaling and enjoying nature a great way to get balanced.  These are not "luxury" activities. This is important "medicine", and just as you would take medicine for a life-threatening disease if you knew it would save your life, these activities are not "after-thoughts" in your schedule.  They are the priority to your day and everything needs to be scheduled around them.  You are the boss of yourself.  Make a daily appointment with yourself.  Bosses don't cancel.  Having a hard time making room for this?  Our workshop will walk you through a fun and relevant exercise that will give you take-home value to start implementing radical self care the moment you get back to work and life. 

2.  Change Your Perspective  |  While self-care is important, it does not get to the root cause of burnout.  Citing the top 3 characteristics of burnout above:  If you are exhausted, are there ways you can alter your job in order to spend more time on fulfilling tasks? Can you delegate the items that are making you feel exhausted?    If you are cynical, can you block yourself from the elements of your work or the organization that frustrate you?  If you you are feeling ineffective, what training or development might you seek to make yourself stand out? 

3.   Reducing Job Stressors  |  This is all about cutting out activities and relationships that trigger the unhealthy stress.  You may need to reset the expectations of colleagues, clients, and even those closest to you at home for what and how much you are willing to take on (otherwise known as "boundaries") as the basis for working together.  It may not be well-received by some, and that's ok.  Anyone questioning (or even expressing legitimate concern on their end) must know that you're making these changes to improve your long-term productivity and protect your health.

4.    Seek Out Meaningful Connections   |  It is more important than ever to find mentors and personal connections which inspire, enrich you and foster growth.  Spend time with these connections. Volunteering to mentor others in your strengths is also considered a healthy way to recharge and beat burnout.  It reminds you of your value and forces you to get outside yourself.  

And finally, don't forget : you do not have to go to every industry networking event just because it's expected from a social or professional peer-pressure standpoint.  It is important to say "no" to make room for the things that really matter than to just say "yes" to everything for the sake of saving face or for fear of missing out. 

Want to learn more about this topic or any other subject discussed on our BLOG?  Our workshop on Beating Burnout can be a great recharger for any industry group.  Contact us for more information. 
Photo Credit:  PunToGeekDotCom
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Engaging Inspiration provides sparkling training, marketing, social media and event consultation for the thinking special event and hospitality professional designed to engage and inspire. 


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