You South Africa – 08 August 2019

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thepressuretomakeupfora lackof

progress in the first half of the year

can suddenly feel overwhelming.

“Midyear can be the most ex­

hausting time: looking back at what

you’ve achieved and looking for­

ward to what you’ve planned.

“This can cause some people to

work even harder in the second part

of the year to make up for time they

they may have lost, or to achieve things

they haven’t.”

And while the Guardian’s mostly Brit­

ishreadershipis currentlysufferingfrom

suffocatingsummerheat,localexperts

warnthatwinter’sicygripcanmake

SouthAfricans’midyearburnoutfeel

evenmorebrutal.

“Winterisa timetohibernate,take

stock,regenerateandslowdown,but

modernlifesimplydoesn’tgiveustheop­

portunitytodothat,”Niehaussays.

Sosaexplainsthecoldplaysa rolein

keepingpeopleindoorsforlongerand

engaginginintrospection.

“Thiscanleadtopeopleoverthinking

situationsandbecomingoverwhelmed.”

IT’SNOTTOOLATETO

TURNTHINGSAROUND

Feelingasif you’rerunningonempty

withanotherfivemonthsbeforethatbig

Decemberbreakmaybeexhausting,

Sosasays,butit canalsobeanopportu­

nitytore­evaluateandfine­tune your

goals.

“Ask yourself what is it you want to

achieve and who or what will you have

to prioritise in order to achieve this? This

may mean putting up boundaries and

prioritisingself­care.

“Check in with yourself to determine

if you’re feeling numb or going through

life on autopilot. If you feel overwhelmed,

get support and perspective and realign

with your goals.”

Niehausexplainsmanysufferersfeelas

iftheydesperatelyneeda breakbut

eithercan’taffordoneorsimplydon’t

havethetime.

“Peoplethinkthatonlybytakinga

completebreakfromtheirliveswillthey

beabletorestoreequilibrium.Butthere

aresimplelifehacksthatarewithin

reachformostofus.”

Sherecommendstakinga littletime

out.“Thisdoesn’thavetomeana holiday,

butrathershort,frequentinterludes,

suchasa walkaloneorwithyourdog,

a familymemberora friend,preferably

innaturebutevenaroundtheblock.”

Anotherusefultoolisengagingin

mindfulness,Niehausadds.

“It’sbecomea new­age buzzword but

practising it is as simple as immersing

TravisBradberry,authorofseveralbest-

sellingself-helpbooksanda leading

expert in emotional intelligence, has

these tips.

SPEND TIME WITH PEOPLE

WHO CARE ABOUT YOU

It’s tempting to withdraw from people

when you’re feeling stressed but they can

be powerful allies in the war against burn-

out, he says. “Spending time with people

whocareaboutyouhelpsyoutoremove

yourselffromstressfulsituationsand

reminds you to live a little and have fun.”

DISCONNECT

It might not be feasible to take an entire

evening or weekend off work so try to

designate specific times to check work

emails and messages. “For example,

on weekday evenings, allow yourself to

check emails after dinner and on week-

ends you may check your messages on

Saturday afternoon only. Scheduling such

short blocks of time alleviates stress

without sacrificing availability.”

FACTOR IN RELAXATION

It’s just as important to plan your down-

time. “Even scheduling something as

simple as ‘read for 30 minutes’ benefits

you greatly. This ensures relaxation hap-

pens and gives you something to look

forward to.”

GETORGANISED

Muchofthestressyouexperienceevery

daydoesn’tstemfromhavingtoomuch

workbutfrombeingdisorganised.Taking

thetimetogetorganisedwillhelpyour

loadfeelmoremanageable.

ourselfinthemoment.Whether

ou’re cooking a meal or doing

household chore, allow yourself to

come fully absorbed in the task.

“Or put away your phone and have

digital detox, even just for an hour.

actised often enough, mindfulness

n help you switch off from your

sy mind and offer you a bit of

a c e .”

It’salsoimportanttosetrealistic

expectations, she says.

“Put boundaries in place and acknowl­

edge you can achieve only so much in

a day. Rather complete a manageable

number of tasks and responsibilities well

in a reasonable timeframe. Don’t take on

too much as you’ll just be setting yourself

up for failure and increased stress.” S

SOURCE: FORBES.COM

RECHARGE

YOUR BATTERIES

Practise mindfulness by allowing yourself

to become fully absorbed in whatever

you’re doing. Focus on the task at hand

as a means to train your brain to stop

overthinking.

Resist the urge to with-

draw from society. Spend

time with people you care

about to counter stress.

you.co.za 8 AUGUST 2019 | (^23)
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