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| Roy Prevost News - June 2010 |
As entrepreneurs, we tend to be racing day to day, with barely time
to catch our breath. We tend to think we are invincible and that
"burnout" only happens to other corporate types.
Burnout is insidious and can creep up on us without us realizing it.
In my experience, many well meaning, hard working, compassionate
entrepreneurs have burned out simply because they did not identify
the symptoms.
Hopefully, this information will be helpful as you continue your
successful journey.
11 Signs of Burnout
- Do you wake up tired first thing in the morning?
- Have you lost the feelings of satisfaction, accomplishment and
enjoyment that originally inspired you to choose your present job?
- Are you more irritable and impatient than usual?
- Do you often feel that you are not yourself?
- Do your co-workers frequently ask if you are all right or inquire
whether something is wrong?
- Does taking a vacation give you a temporary sense of relief, but as
soon as you return to work you feel tired and have no energy or
enthusiasm for work?
- Do you take longer lunches and breaks than you used to and is it
hard to make yourself go back to work after them?
- Does life seem like all work and no play?
- Do you often feel overwhelmed and too tired to work?
- Do you look for excuses to stop what you are doing and welcome
interruptions?
- Do you daydream about quitting?
If you answered "yes" to three or more of these questions, you should
consider action to reduce stress.
If you've answered "yes" for four to seven questions, this means your
attitude is suffering and serious burnout is on the horizon. Act now.
If you've answered "yes" to eight or more questions, you are experiencing
acute burnout. Seek help immediately.
Five Ways to Battle Burnout
1. Prevention is Key
"Tend to your spirit, stay physically fit, have a life outside of work,
get plenty of rest and avoid alcohol and drugs. If you are in good
health, work doesn't overwhelm your life," says Dr. Alan Shelton, a
burnout veteran. "People probably get tired of hearing [they should]
exercise", says mental health counselor Wallace Goelzer, "but it's
for a reason. Exercise helps ease tension and keeps the body and mind
happier."
2. Meditate, Do Yoga or Relax Daily
Shelton starts his day by meditating. The important thing, he says, is
to feed your spirit frequently. Goetzer say research has shown that
meditation leads to a more productive day. Make it a priority, and you
will begin to feel more balanced.
3. Priorities
There are more demands on our time now, from constant email to instant
messaging to a greater workload, Goelzer says. To avoid getting
overwhelmed, he recommends prioritizing your workload at the beginning
of the day, then reassessing later if necessary. By creating priorities,
you can better judge, for example, if you should be replying to a
friend's email while you are on deadline. (The answer is no.)
4. Breathe
When Shelton is put in a particularly taxing situation, he has a simple
exercise. "It is really important to just pause, take a breath and
think about your breath. That centers you", he says. Then meditate.
When he is calm, he tries to "respond to whatever it is out of a place
of wisdom and love, rather than out of a place of reactivity."
5. Consider the Root of the Problem
If you have tried everything and you are still feeling anxiety over
work, maybe your job really is the problem. Goelzer stresses the
importance of using your support network of family and friends to help
develop an action plan.
I do hope you have found these points helpful. Please pass this
information along to your friends and colleagues.
The attached
testimonial
from Peavey Mart in Alberta gives you an idea of the value I can bring to your
organization through my inspirational messages. Feel free to contact me at
roy@royprevost.com and let me turbocharge your team.
Some Tips from Roy
If you or a friend are contemplating creating a website that sells and
has excellent support, I recommend
SBI.
I am currently building a new website with their technology, which
will be launched this summer.
If you are not backing up your computer, you are putting yourself at
risk. I use a FREE
service that backs up my computer daily. I recommend it and you
will thank me later.
If you are looking for a translator from English to French documents,
I recommend Denise Chartrand. I use her services regularly and she has
an excellent grasp of the Quebecois French. She can be reached at
ddchartrand@hotmail.com.
Hope this helps.
To your success!
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