How to Avoid Burn Out
To all my stylist friends out there, we need to talk about something serious: burn out. We hear about burn out a lot, but do you really know what that is and how to avoid it? How do you know if you’re heading toward burn out? Most importantly, do you understand how detrimental burn out can be to your career and your income?
If you don’t think burn out is real or serious, here are just a few of the risks related to job burn out from Mayo Clinic: insomnia, alcohol or substance misuse, heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and poor immunity. If that doesn’t convince to keep reading, I don’t know what will!
What is Burn Out?
You’ve probably felt burn out coming or even experienced it full-on, but do you know what it truly means to burn out? According to Mayo Clinic, “Job burnout is a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”
I don’t know about you guys, but I have FELT THAT. Deeply. In my soul. A few years ago, I found myself dreading going into the salon. Every morning before leaving for work, I was thinking, “I don’t want to go, I don’t want go.” I felt no motivation to book new clients or post on social media. I also wasn’t feeling the usual JOY I felt when one of my clients loved her hair. To feel that way about work that I knew I truly LOVED and felt proud of was a huge wake up call, so I decided to start making changes.
The Symptoms of Burn Out
Before we talk about how to avoid burn out, let’s talk about how to tell it’s coming on. My friends at Mayo Clinic recommend asking yourself these questions:
Have you become cynical or critical at work?
Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
Do you find it hard to concentrate?
Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
Have your sleep habits changed?
Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical
complaints?
If you answered YES to any of these, you might be heading toward burn out, and you should consider reaching out to a doctor or mental health provider as these symptoms can also be related to serious health conditions like depression.
I know what you might be thinking: “Jessie, these are ‘symptoms’ of just being tired or having a bad week or even a tough client.” Trust me — I thought that, too, friend. But now I know better! It’s not normal to feel that way about a job you once loved, so let’s talk about how we can make positive changes to avoid burn out.
How to Avoid Burn Out
I believe that we can protect ourselves from this state of depression and exhaustion by setting firm boundaries and always prioritizing our mental health. Here a few ways to help yourself avoid burn out:
Learn to Say No
Psychology Today says, “When you have too many conflicting responsibilities, simply saying ‘no’ to new tasks is an important way to reduce your workload. Scheduling regular breaks, starting and stopping at set times, and minimizing multi-tasking can all help maintain boundaries and reduce feelings of burnout.”
I’ve never read anything MORE difficult for stylists! We’re always multi-tasking, and most of us absolutely hate saying no to our clients! But hear me out — if you don’t start saying no to SOME clients, you won’t be well enough to serve ANY of your clients!
Practice Daily Recovery
I believe that two full days off a week is life-changing, but Positive Psychology says, “Overwhelmingly, research suggests that daily recovery efforts are more important than waiting for the weekend or a vacation. In other words, more frequent breaks are better than one long annual vacation and daily recovery periods are more important and effective than weekly, or less frequent, recovery periods.”
So, how can you practice self-care and reset each day?
Put your phone away! Taking a break from all of that information and screen time is crucial for relaxation, especially right before bed!
Spend time with friends and family. Positive Psychology mentioned a study that found that socializing with people you love made the biggest improvements on how people felt.
Meditate. Pray. Practice Gratitude. Anything that connects you with a higher power is a great reminder that we are more than our work and productivity!
Go to bed. I know, it’s revolutionary! But I think we often forget how CRUCIAL getting enough sleep is to our health and mental state! So stop scrolling TikTok and go to bed!
Enjoy a hobby outside of work. This could be yoga, crafting, home projects, reading, hiking, cooking, or ANYTHING that you truly enjoy doing.
Get outside. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of people say that exercise is great for stress reduction, but did you know that the simple act of walking outside barefoot or lying in the grass promotes stress relief and health?! According to an article in the Washington Post, “Research has shown barefoot contact with the earth can produce nearly instant changes in a variety of physiological measures, helping improve sleep, reduce pain, decrease muscle tension and lower stress.” So take off those shoes and get outside, friends! Just watch where you step. ;)
Alright guys, those are just a FEW of the ways I relieve stress and avoid burn out. But I’m dying to know about how you’ve experienced burn out and how you’ve recovered! Please, get in my DMs and leave comments with your story!