Burnout and mental fatigue reports have risen steadily over recent years with more people seeking help to better manage the chronic stress in their lives.

The World Health Organization defines burnout as a feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, resulting in increased disengagement in daily life requirements - be it job related or personal. This stress induced response can be triggered by numerous factors but is most often associated with the lack of work life balance and societal changes.

Symptoms of burnout include, but are not limited to: cynicism, increased irritability, difficulty concentrating, feelings of apathy and changes in sleeping patterns amongst others.

Whatever the cause, taking responsibility for your own mental health now, when you first became aware of the need for change, can work to prevent a crisis later. You shouldn’t wait until your breaking point to do something about the stress level in your life.

Personal strategies to nurture your mental well-being include:

Stress Management

Regardless of the source of the stressor, the body reacts in a fight-or-flight response - where it prepares itself to be confronted by the perceived threat. The response triggered in the mind, results in an increased heart rate, respiration and blood pressure. Continual stress, if not properly managed, can deteriorate your health over time. You must implement relaxation techniques to allow your body to properly dispose of the heightened stress response. Techniques to manage your stress and increase relaxation could include: releasing the tension in your muscles, deep breathing, taking breaks, etc. You may feel that you are bombarded with more than you can handle at a given time - reduce your stress by handling what you can, one at a time until the entire task is complete.

Self-care

Make sure your needs make your to-do list. The most important task you have daily is ensuring your own mental and physical health are taken care of - ahead of anything else. Prioritizing your self care could look like ensuring you get enough sleep, setting the appropriate boundaries around your availability, learning to disconnect periodically for real downtime and rest - just to name a few. Implementing these much needed self care practices can aid in preventing burnout and leave you better prepared to handle any adversity that comes your way.

Routines

Routines provide predictably in your day, offering you , as much as you can, the ability to structure your day in a way that is most beneficial. No longer do you have to worry if your are forgetting to complete that task or the next, if you have a plan to work toward each day. This could look like each Sunday creating a plan for all the things you will need to accomplish for the week - of course there will be the occasional fire drill but for the most part you have a plan. Planning out your day can reduce your stress levels and allow for better mental downtime because you are not thinking about whether you’ll get it all done.

Some people find that they sleep better because they are not up worrying about the day to come. Maybe you are also able to work in time to be physically active, further reducing your stress levels and doing something both good for your physical and mental well-being.

It is important that you treat yourself with kindness and concern when you are experiencing negative events. Numerous research studies highlight the importance of developing self care tactics and routines to help you cope with stressors. Nurture yourself, by ensuring that you create balance between the daily requirements of life and caring for yourself.