Drum – 08 August 2019

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thepressuretomakeupfora lacko

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

feel they may have lost, or to achieve

things they haven’t.”

And while the Guardian’s mostly Brit­

ishreadershipiscurrentlysuffering

fromsuffocatingsummerheat,localex­

pertswarnthatwinter’sicygripcan

makeSouthAfricans’midyearburnout

feelevenmorebrutal.

“Winterisa timetohibernate,take

stock,regenerateandslowdown,but

modernlifesimplydoesnotgiveusthe

opportunitytodothat,”Niehaussays.

Sosaexplainsthecoldplaysa rolein

keepingpeopleindoorsforlongerand

engaginginintrospection.

“Thiscanleadtopeopleoverthinking

situationsandbecomingoverwhelmed.”

IT’SNOTTOOLATETOTURN

THINGSAROUND

Feelinglikeyou’rerunningonempty

withanotherf ivemonthsbeforethat

bigDecemberbreakmaybeexhausting,

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

andprioritisingself­care.

“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.”

Niehausexplainsmanysufferersfeel

asif theydesperatelyneeda breakbut

eithercan’taffordoneorsimplydon’t

havethetime.

“Peoplethinkthatonlybytakinga

completebreakfromtheirliveswill

theybeabletorestoreequilibrium.But

thereare simplelifehacksthatare

withinreachformostofus.”

Sherecommendstakinga littletime

out.“Thisdoesn’thavetomeana holiday,

butrathershort,frequentinterludes,

suchasa walkaloneorwithyourdog,

a familymemberora friend,preferably

innaturebutevenaroundtheblock.”

Anotherusefultool,Niehausadds,is

engaginginmindfulness.

“It’sbecomea new­age buzzword but

practising it is as simple as immersing

TravisBradberry,authorofseveralbest-

sellingself-helpbooksanda leading

expert in emotional intelligence, has the

following 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

imple as ‘read for 30 minutes’ benefits

you greatly. This ensures relaxation

happens 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 a

ousehold chore, allow yourself to

ecome fully absorbed in the task.

“Or put away your phone and have

digital detox, even just for an hour.

ractised often enough, mindfulness

n help you switch off from your

usy mind and offer you a bit of

a c e .”

It’salsoimportanttosetrealistic

expectations, she advises.

“Put boundaries in place and acknow­

ledge you can only achieve so much in

a day. Rather complete a manageable

number of tasks and responsibilities

well in a reasonable timeframe. Don’t

takeontoomuch as you’ll just be setting

yourselfupforfailure and increased

stress.”

SOURCE:FORBES.COM

RECHARGING 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 withdraw

from society. Spend time

with people you care about

to counter stress.

http://www.drum.co.za 8 AUGUST 2019 | (^19)
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