The new normal of work-from-home during the COVID-19 pandemic has been exhausting, both mentally and physically. The work pressure has doubled up, and the thought of giving ourselves a break doesn’t even cross our minds. And the pressure to meet constant demands is real. In short, there’s no end to the work hours, which leads to burnout. You are cynical, become less efficient, give negative responses, and feel emotionally detached from everything. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it’s an occupational phenomenon and not a medical condition. It states, it is a mental health issue, but not a mental illness.
Image Credits: Piku, N.P. Singh; Ronnie Lahiri
We got in touch with Dr Sayantani Mukherjee, Psychiatrist, Columbia Asia hospital, Pune to help you with easy ways to deal with the work-from-home burnout during the pandemic.
What does a person feel?
Image Credits: Piku, N.P. Singh; Ronnie Lahiri
Fatigue, frequent headaches, body aches, irritability, mood swings, anxiety, loss of concentration and memory, change in sleep pattern, eating disorders, unable to let go of negative thoughts, feeling checked out and a chronic feeling of dissatisfaction–all of this can progress to mental and physical health issues.
Image Credits: Piku, N.P. Singh; Ronnie Lahiri
Five easy ways that will help you deal with the burnout
1. Stimulate dopamine
Internal bursts of dopamine (neurotransmitters) are what gives you a sense of achievement and make it boost your self-esteem. Small incremental challenges daily help boost that.
The goal is to do a little better than yesterday. Don’t compare yourself to your best, compare yourself to your worst, and say I will do a little better than my worst. Also, creative activities like art, sculpting, singing, playing an instrument, writing, etc are known to give good dopamine boosts.
2. Stimulate serotonin
Mindful meditation internally cultivates a sense of calmness and positivity. Have an internal dialogue recognizing your anxieties. Then question their validity and let them go. Maintain a log if you have to. Speak calmly, behave calmly, and walk away from escalating tensions till you can come back and give a neutral or positive response. Remember, it is important to retain your calm. Only then the serotonin will get boosted and start flowing in healthy patterns.
3. Give it time
It takes time to heal. Even if you start today to cultivate these behaviors, it will take at least six months to make significant and lasting progress. The brain is an extremely slow organ in terms of making these changes. Consistency is key.
4. Give yourself a break
Image Credits: Piku, N.P. Singh; Ronnie Lahiri
Your body and brain need a reduced demand to recharge more effectively. Whenever your system feels overwhelmed, cut down your schedule. More importantly, reduce your expectation of how perfect your life should be. Say no to workplace obligations whenever feasible and insist on fixed hours. Don’t feel shy or embarrassed to do nothing once in a while or pamper yourself. Self-care is imperative to beat burnout. Don’t stigmatize yourself by expecting to be a superwoman or superman and falling short of your own expectations.
5. Say no to negative self-evaluation
Image Credits: Piku, N.P. Singh; Ronnie Lahiri
Close your mind to unnecessary criticism and external negativity because you are doing what you can and it is enough. This kind of continued negative self-evaluation can build and perpetuate unnecessary stress.
Lead Image Credits: Piku, N.P. Singh; Ronnie Lahiri
