How to cope with burnout?
A third approach to combating stress and burnout is developing emotional intelligence, working with your perception of yourself, of others and the world around you.
Sometimes, to calm down, you need to realise that what triggers your negative emotions is beyond your control. Why worry about what you cannot change? It is equally important to ask yourself: why are you reacting this way and will your reaction improve the situation or only cause harm?
It is human nature to compare achieved results with expectations. Whether they match (or differ) also affects your emotional state. Therefore, it is important to avoid overestimating your abilities, as burnout is inevitable. You should set goals wisely, based on what is entirely within your control and avoid placing too much hope on others. Furthermore, experts recommend seeking meaning in your work: even if a project is not your passion, perhaps it will benefit others or nature and recognizing this will help you to complete tasks with greater commitment.
Saving yourself from burnout can lie in striving for growth: this does not necessarily mean career advancement but rather mastering a new skill, improving a particular ability or expanding your competencies. This helps shift your focus from routine tasks to the prospect of self-development. And even if you do not succeed in a specific endeavor, it is more important that you avoid stagnation.
It is better to move toward your goal in small steps: this way you can track your progress, rejoice in your victories and gradually change your lifestyle. Finally, it is important to turn off the perfectionist in you and stop comparing yourself to others, as this can lead to a loss of direction and motivation, leading to disappointment.
For a believer, the way out of this impasse is to turn to the Almighty, accepting His will and predestination. Hope for mercy and sincere gratitude for what the Creator has prescribed, with the understanding that only He has the power to change the situation and improve our position, and that the path He has chosen is the only true one for us. It is precisely this recognition of one’s weakness before the Almighty that becomes the key to a person’s strength in the face of any circumstances.
