Avoid burnout by having work-life balance

By Michael Kanaabi

Many an employee seem to experience workplace burnout on a regular basis these days. The complaint is often heavy workload, something Janet Kimbowa, a nurse at a leading hospital in Kampala, attributes to poor work planning.

"Many of these burnout complaints arise from bosses giving employees unrealistic deadlines and too many assignments to complete in a short time. Employees with burnout usually present with signs and symptoms such as back pain, insomnia, reduced immunity and muscle aches." In many cases from a health perspective, we just give some painkillers to relieve body aches and recommend adequate sleep, time away from work to recuperate, enough consumption of water and a healthy diet with fruits to relieve the symptoms, Kimbowa says.

Beyond the health perspective though, career coach Joshua Ssenyange says the major causes of burnout usually include working in a high-pressure environment, feeling unappreciated at work, a continuously monotonous work routine and unrealistic expectations from supervisors.

On a personal level, Ssenyange says burnout can emanate from spending most of one's time at work and having no time to relax or socialise, lack of close supportive personal relationships and taking on too many responsibilities both at work and outside work without help from others.

James Opio, a recruitment consultant, adds that type A high achiever personalities tend to suffer burnout because they push the limits. Perfectionists and managers who always want to remain in control are also susceptible to this setback.

Common signs include change in feeding and sleeping habits, frequent headaches, lowered immunity, isolation from others, abandoning one's responsibilities suddenly, outbursts of anger and consuming a lot of alcohol or taking on drugs as an escape from work stress.

How to get out of it

Find social support to ease up on stress. This may come from interacting more with workmates, finding a close friend to talk to or even a counsellor to help you deal with the deep seated issues, Ssenyange suggests.

Indulging in physical exercises to improve your body shape, image and get fit will not only get you healthier, but also help you put your thoughts on to other activities besides your hectic work schedule that is causing your burnout.

Exercising for at least 30 minutes daily is recommended for relief. Ssenyange suggests a change in attitude towards the work you do as one of the remedies to burnout. You can do this by focusing on the parts of your job you enjoy, for example, if it is customer interaction, you could request to take that up for better personal satisfaction.

It is advisable to find balance in life to deal with burnout effectively. This means giving family, friends and your hobbies more time to take the focus off your hectic work, Ssenyange adds. In some cases you have to take time off work completely, according to Opio.

He says this may include taking out all your sick leave days and asking for a complete leave of absence, so that you can disengage from the stressing work situation and recharge. If that does not help you get moving, then it is recommended you quit the job and find a more satisfying, balanced, less demanding job or career.