Coping With Job Burnout: Three Ways to Recover

We all work to live, but sometimes it feels as if we live to work, and for many, that can cause serious job burnout, regardless of one's work ethic or position. We’re here to discuss coping with job burnout and strategies for recovery.

When confronting work burnout, it’s easy to place the blame squarely on your job and responsibilities. You may think to yourself: I have too much on my plate, my boss asks too much of me, why do my co-workers have it so much easier? Knowing how you work and what your strengths and weaknesses are will help assess whether your work burnout is manageable or a sign that you need to find a new opportunity. 

When confronting burnout head-on, consider these three questions: Am I organizing my time effectively? Is this an issue at my job that is beyond my control? What is my life like outside of the office? When you start to feel dread and anxiety about coming into work, a mental health day may be necessary to see if these fixes can be made, or your future with the company is no longer ideal.

1 | Work Ethic Versus Workload

A major cause of burnout can be the feeling of having too much on your plate and not enough time to do it all. 

While it’s perfectly reasonable to feel overwhelmed with your tasks, are you taking the time to complete them effectively? Focusing on your time management and organizational skills can help with this. If you’re in a managerial position, you can also try delegating within your team (if they also have the capacity, of course!) If you work on your skills and prioritize tasks, and this doesn’t help, it might be time to confront that your workload is too high.

2 | Changing Roles Means Changing Goals 

We don’t pick our family, and the same can be said for our co-workers and our managers. 

Acclimating to a work environment or dealing with a sudden change, such as an employee being fired or a new manager, can drastically affect the environment you are used to working in. 

You could have a new boss that you don’t get along with, your favorite co-worker may have left, or the culture you once enjoyed isn’t what you want anymore; every new change is different for better or worse. When analyzing these changes, you can decide whether this is something outside of your control or if you can make a change to your work life to accommodate it. 

There will always be factors out of our control, and no job will ever be perfect; it just comes down to what is reasonable for you. At the same time, you need to be reasonable with your expectations. 

3 | What Happens Off-The-Job, Affects The Job 

As much as staying on top of what happens in the office, you need to organize your time and life outside the office in your day-to-day life. 

Not having a good night’s sleep will completely affect your day more than you know. You will be too tired to tackle projects, get more irritated at little things, and the time will feel as if it’s dragging.

Taking care of your health and well-being is a 24-hour job, so take the time to eat and sleep so you can perform to the best of your ability. You may be eating well, working out every day, and be in the best shape of your life, yet still feel a sense of dread; maybe it’s time to reevaluate your career and do what energizes and excites you. Maybe that’s a hospitality job with Westgate - there are loads of hospitality jobs, some you might not even have considered. 

Solving For Real Burnout

While feeling burnt out from a job is completely natural, knowing the hows and whys behind that feeling can help you decide what the true cause is. 

Are you taking control of your time and taking care of yourself, or is the job too demanding and your boss being unrealistic? Let’s be honest, work is not supposed to be a rollercoaster of fun. There will be good, bad and ugly days for every one of us. 

You also need to set your expectations and be reasonable with them. It’s eight hours of your day; is it something you can power through or is every day a struggle? 

By pinpointing your feelings and being realistic with your expectations, burnout could be a simple fix or a major life change in the making. At the end of the day, listen to your body; no one knows you better than you.

Looking For A New Career Path?

We’re always excited to meet inspired, hard-working people who want to make a mark on the hospitality landscape. 

Explore our open hotel job positions here at Westgate Careers and discover the Westgate difference today!