TULSA, Okla. — An alarming rate of workplace burnout is happening all over the country, including here in Oklahoma.
But it’s not just emotional exhaustion. Burnout is a state of mental and physical exhaustion caused by a person’s professional life.
With the holidays approaching, now is the best time to take a break and reflect on what’s important.
So how do you recognize burnout?
Dr. Seulki Rachel Jang, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma-Norman, tells us there are three dimensions to pay attention to:
- Emotional exhaustion
- Depersonalization, which means a person having negative responses toward other people
- Having a declined feeling of personal accomplishments
Burnout can be caused by your workplace environment. Two of the main factors are high job demand and low job resources.
The good news is there’s a way you can increase your job resources on a personal level.
“You can be more proactive about reaching out to your supervisor or your organizations. So if you think some tasks are not really the best given your knowledge, skill sets, ability, and other experiences, then you can ask for different tasks," says Dr. Jang.
If you are experiencing burnout, there are a few things you can do.
“An easy solution you can do as an individual is to take multiple micro-breaks during the work. It can be snacking. It can be watching a short clip on youtube, but try to take many breaks during your work hours so that it can help you reduce burnout and emotional exhaustion," Dr. Jang explains.
Dr. Jang also says you can overcome it through physical activity and detaching from work when you are at home.
If someone doesn’t take action to overcome burnout — what are some of the consequences? A person can experience depression, anxiety, weight gain, back and neck pain, increased infections, Type 2 diabetes, alcoholism and more.
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