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Tips for recognising overwhelm and preventing burnout

When life pressures pile up, can you tell when you’re getting overwhelmed — and do you know what to do about it?

Staying productive and avoiding burnout is a skill. Here’s how you practice it.

It’s normal to go through ups and downs and have periods of being stressed or anxious about trying to ‘get it all done’. Working to the point of exhaustion, however, should never be normalised. The danger of burning out, and the lasting repercussions, can be devastating to your mental and physical health.

Giovanna Hammond, an Immediate Response Consultant from the Critical Incident and Trauma team at Assure, speaks to people every day facing the challenges of work and life pressures. She believes, no matter what curveballs life throws at us, it’s the way we respond that makes the difference.

“It’s not really the problem that matters, because there’s always going to be problems that come and go through life. It’s how you get through it that matters”.

To help you avoid potential burnout we’re sharing some of Giovanna’s insights here. For more expert advice, or further information, you can always get in touch with our qualified clinicians at Wellbeing Gateway.

Know the signs
Recognising the signs of when you might be heading towards burnout is key to coping with difficult circumstances. Learning strategies to prevent burnout will improve your capacity to stay focused and healthy. Below are some tips to help keep things on track, without spiralling into damaging behaviours.

Signs you might be heading towards burnout

When we’re busy and focused on tasks, we sometimes miss the bigger picture by not taking time to focus on ourselves and how we might be coping. Here are a few warning signs to look out for.

Feeling different — you don’t feel quite right, but don’t know why
Changing habits — eating and sleeping patterns become disrupted/irregular
Mood swings — trouble regulating your behaviour, being more argumentative
Social changes — becoming more isolated, or overly clingy
Diminished coping ability — normal tasks start to feel overwhelming
Memory and concentration issues — struggling to recall information or conversations

Actions to help prevent burnout

Everybody’s different in how we process and manage tasks, and cope with stressful or challenging circumstances — some of the tips below might work better than others — so it’s important to find out what works best for you. Here are some general tips that may help you avoid becoming burnt out.

Eat well — to function properly we need energy, and for that, our body needs nutrition
Stay hydrated — help your body work the way it needs to
Exercise — gives you the natural ‘happy’ hormone and decreases cortisol levels
Stay connected — meet with (or talk to) loved ones who can support you through tough times
Hobbies — do things that bring you joy, soothe your soul and relax your mind
Nature bathing — spend time with the sounds, colours and smells of nature to help you stay grounded

Be aware of what you can and can’t control

It’s helpful to remember there are some things you cannot change. One technique to keep perspective, is to visualise the difference — like having two columns of what you can and can’t control. It’s a good way to organise your brain and help you prioritise. For example:

Scenario	What I can control	What I can’t control
A work project	Create a list and tick it off.	How many hours in a day.
Saying ‘NO’	Practice how to politely say no to extra tasks when I don’t have time to do them.	People asking for help with extra tasks. Other people’s emotions.
Meeting with a manager	Note what is working well for me and what isn’t. Asking for advice on how to complete the work due.	How quickly the manager gets back to me, or manager’s responses.