Avoid Burnout and Have a Good Work-life Balance | Sarina Russo

Avoid Burnout and Have a Good Work-life Balance
By Sarina Russo Editorial Team
Individuals smiling and enjoying the outdoors

The term 'burnout' was coined in the 1970s by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger. It's the emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by relentless, continual stress.

If you have experienced burnout in the last year, you're not alone. According to a study conducted by Indeed, a worldwide employment website, 52% of respondents reported they felt burned out in the last year, with 67% of respondents noting they felt it worsened throughout the pandemic. ¹

For millennials and Gen Z, burnout is becoming more prevalent with the rise of hustle culture.

Hustle culture breeds burnout

You may have seen the following quotes plastered over your social media in the past decade; 'work all day, every day', '24/7 hustle' and 'rise and grind'. These quotes sum up hustle culture.

Hustle culture is the social pressure to constantly work, never switch off and prioritise your career over everything else. If you’re not continually trying to reach new milestones and achieve even greater success, hustle culture gets in your head and tells you that you’re not doing enough.

📖 Related Story: How to be Successful Working from Home

It's a social trend that has caused millennials to burn out and become the 'burnout generation', as journalist Anne Helen Peterson said. ²

With no work-life balance, hustle culture breeds burnout, unhealthy competition and poor mental health.

In an interview with Grazia, Celebrity Hairstylist Jen Atkin spoke about the reality of hustle culture and said,

"I love to be busy, but I was to the point that I wasn't taking care of myself. I want to share my journey to realising that that is not sustainable. For me, it did not give me back what I thought I was going to get from it." ³

How to avoid burnout?

Resisting hustle culture and prioritising your mental health is vital. When everything is done and dusted, no one is going to remember your late-night work cram sessions or your working overtime 24/7. They will remember the memories they made with you and the person you were outside of work.

To have a good mental health mindset, it's crucial to implement an excellent work-life balance. This means letting go of perfectionism, leaving work at work, prioritising your mental and physical health and establishing boundaries.

Meeting your deadlines at work is just as important as making time for yourself, your friends and your hobbies. Setting realistic goals instead of believing you can do it all is key to avoiding burnout and leading a happy and fulfilling life.

Avoid Burnout and Have a Good Work-life Balance

Want to speak to a professional?

All Sarina Russo Job Access job seekers can access our team of Allied Health Professionals at VOICE for free.

To access VOICE services, simply talk to a Sarina Russo Consultant and request a referral. VOICE is a free service to Sarina Russo Job Access job seekers.

If you’re depressed and thinking of harming yourself, please call Lifeline’s 24/7 Crisis Support Hotline immediately at: 13 11 14

 

[1] Employee Burnout Report: COVID-19's Impact and 3 Strategies to Curb It. Retrieved on 11 October 2021. From: https://www.indeed.com/lead/preventing-employee-burnout-report
[2] How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation. Retrieved on 12 October 2021. From: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/millennials-burnout-generation-debt-work
[3] Jen Atkin on 'Blowing My Way to the Top' and Authenticity. Retrieved on 11 October 2021. From: https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/jen-atkin-blowing-my-way-to-the-top/

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