6 Ways to Cope when Anxiety and Burnout Have a Relationship
The other day, I found myself not wanting to get out of bed. But this isn’t your “ugh I don’t want to deal with people” kind of day. It was more like I didn’t have the energy or motivation to do anything. I didn’t want to leave the bed, brush my teeth, watch my comfort show, or listen to anything. I just wanted the day to be over with to move on to the next one. More specifically, I had a “burnout” day.
What is Burnout?
So, burnout is scientifically defined as feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. You might also feel like you’ve accomplished nothing in your day or like you’re not really “succeeding.” Excuse me while I lecture myself in this blog. So, you might be saying, “okay, cool. Isn’t that normal?” I would say that yeah, it can be seen that way, but that doesn’t mean it should be. Why should it be seen as “normal” for us to work and work and work until we come home exhausted? Why do students receive praise for pulling all-nighters for an assignment? Why do jobs give us tiny, little breaks while expecting us to provide our hundred percent? Why not prioritize our mental wellbeing so giving one hundred percent doesn’t break us down? Personally, I felt utterly exhausted at the end of every day at my old job. It felt like there was never an end to my work. There was very little time between the end of my shift and the start of my classes. I felt like my energy had been sucked dry. The other thing is, burnout is so much more than exhaustion. You can feel irritated, unmotivated, pessimistic, and isolated. Did I forget to mention that it can also be behind sleeping issues, headaches, and how often you get sick? Yeah, it sucks!
Okay, so what does this have to do with anxiety? Well, some scientists decided that they would look into an association between anxiety and burnout. Now, remember, they’re not saying that anxiety causes burnout or that burnout causes anxiety. They just looked into whether or not there was anything important going on between the two. And guess what? It turns out that anxiety and burnout have a pretty decent relationship! So, in a study published in 2019 by Georganta et al., they found that prolonged anxiety could lead to issues in our daily lives. Go figure, right? They also found that another study showed that those identified with higher stress levels also identified with higher burnout scores. Another study they found also showed that the most potent common link between anxiety and burnout was emotional exhaustion! How interesting that a psychological condition that causes the brain to be pulling overtime in “fight-or-flight” would be emotionally tiring. Now for the bad news. Even though these brilliant scientists found that anxiety and burnout have a strong relationship, they’re still not exactly sure what their relationship is like. I’ll leave that to the trained professionals. What I can do is give you guys some tips on dealing with burnout!
Tips for Burnout
1) Reach out to people.
It doesn’t matter if you only have one close friend or a whole circle of friends! Reaching out to others that you trust can be helpful by having a support system.
2) Set boundaries.
As weird as it might sound, setting boundaries with yourself can also help with the level of burnout you experience. If you tell yourself that you’ll start prioritizing your mental health, then make sure you stick to that! Setting boundaries with people in your social circle is also essential. It can help reduce your stress and emotional exhaustion.
3) Develop a “Self-Care” Schedule.
It doesn’t matter if you’re male, female, nonbinary, or if you identify as genderfluid. Self-care is a must! If playing video games or watching trash TV helps you relax, then go for it! Try to find some time every day to dedicate to just taking care of yourself. Your needs are important!
4) Move your body.
Note how I didn’t say “exercise”? Moving your body can be as simple as going for a walk or just stepping away from your work and walking over to your pet (if you have one). Moving your body can also mean doing some stretches or working out if you’re into that.
5) Change of scenery.
You’d be surprised what a simple change of scenery can do! Now, I know that this easier said than done especially considering the current situation. However! More places are opening up more now that people are getting vaccinated, and cases have gone down. You don’t necessarily need to go outside for a change of scenery. Do you usually work in your bedroom? Go to the living room! Or the kitchen. Can’t really leave your bedroom? Try to see what you can add to your walls! Taping or pinning some inspiration, motivation, or aesthetics can also help with feeling exhausted or unmotivated.
6) Accept.
Again, another tip that’s easier said than done. Acceptance can be challenging but also very rewarding. We’re human beings. We’re not meant to run on 3 cups of coffee and 4 hours of sleep (and I fear those who can). We’re going to have days where we don’t have the energy for a full day of productivity, and that’s totally okay. Take the rest day if you need. Hell, take two or three! Take as much time as you need and accept that there will be a day or two where you just need to take a break. Remember: your needs are essential.
That’s all for today’s blog post! Let me know what you guys think and if you have anything else you’d like to see me cover! See you guys in the next post!
