Avoid Burnout While Working From Home

By: Denise Servin, M. Ed., LPC Associate

Working from home has quickly gone from being a rare luxury that most of us didn’t have the opportunity to try, to becoming an almost expected way of life. There will always be some kind of work that doesn’t easily lend themselves to the system of working from home. But, in many cases, working from home has meant the difference between staying employed and attempting to change jobs or even careers in the middle of a pandemic. At first, it was a strange idea to get used to. Also, it wasn’t an idea you could simply relax into as a new normal. There was no real end date that could be confirmed. Maybe you still don’t have a firm date for when you will be 100% back to working in-person. You may find yourself facing the reality that home is no longer the place you can go to escape from the stress and anxiety of work. The need to find ways to separate home life from work like has become stronger. It has also become even harder to achieve. How do you get back to a place where you can separate the two?

Here Are Some Easy Ways To Avoid Burnout While Working From Home

Keep a Schedule

There are some things you can’t control. Emergencies and surprises happen. But, try your best to keep a schedule that (mostly) works for you every day. When you have a clear picture in your mind of how the day should go, you are much less likely to feel stress and anxiety around how the day will turn out. When you’re feeling less stressed, it’s a little easier for you to handle any surprises that come up. 

Dress the Part

Yes, one of the best things about working from home is the relaxed dress code! But, don’t fall into this trap. Dressing as you normally would for work sends a signal to your brain that it is time to work. This helps to clear up some of the confusion your body might be feeling about separating work and home. You don’t have to get all dressed up if it isn’t really necessary for your work day. The idea here is that you want to be able to clearly identify and separate work time while still taking advantage of the comfort that working from home provides. 

Create a Space That Works For You

It’s perfectly fine if you don’t have a completely separate home office space. Maybe you have some space that meets your requirements for work, but you’re also using it for other things. Don’t go out of your way to create more stress! Just do what you can to separate that space. Again, this sends the signal that you are only focused on work when you are in this space. This can be as simple as having something like a small piece of wall art or a foldable desk that is only in that space when you are working. 

Create a Ritual or a Habit That Signal The End of Your Work Day

Do you have an activity that works like a charm to put you in a relaxed space? This could be mediation, working out, having a cup of tea, or even doing the dishes. The point is that you choose something you can consistently do every day at the end of your work day. This will not only serve to reduce your work-related stress, but it will also be your daily reminder to physical and emotionally let go of your work day. 

Learn How to Balance Working From Home

Working from home offers many benefits. But, there is a strong pull to make the most of your time at home. When will you get this opportunity again? Shouldn’t you be getting so much more done? It can be so easy to get caught up in the idea of trying to make good use of your time at home by fitting home-related projects into your day. But, it is best for your mental health to try to create as much separation between home and work as much as you realistically can.  If you have tried these options (or something similar) but you are still experiencing burnout, you may want to explore your current coping skills and how to improve them. In therapy, you can examine what you have tried to achieve a better balance while working from home. You can explore patterns, what has worked for you, and what hasn’t worked so well for you. Your therapist can also suggest and teach coping skills that might work better for you. It is possible to overcome burnout and get closer to balance with therapy and support. 

Learn Coping Skills with Therapy in Katy, TX

If you are ready to avoid burnout and reduce the stress in your life, the therapists at The Counseling Center at Cinco Ranch can help! We provide treatment for stress management as well as cater to specific needs for adults, teens, and children. To begin counseling in Katy, TX follow these three steps:

1. Contact our office to set up an appointment or to get more information about work burnout
2. Meet with one of our compassionate therapists
3. Find ways to create a more stress-free life with counseling!

Other Therapy Services We Offer

Here at The Counseling Center at Cinco Ranch we offer counseling services for people of all ages including: depression treatment, women’s issues, couples and marriage counseling, eating disorder treatment, counseling for kids, counseling for young adults, teen counseling,  men’s issues, trauma counseling, anxiety therapy, and group counseling. Our therapists strive to regularly post blogs with helpful information on a variety of mental health topics. To learn more about our therapists and our counseling services, please reach out to the Counseling Center today!