In
this hectic world we live in today it is really easy to get over
stressed and burned out. This especially includes getting burned out on
the job.
I for one know how easy
it is to get burned out working in a job you don't like. Just like so
many other people I have worked at jobs I didn't particularly like
because I needed the money. One job in particular that was really
stressful for me was when I worked for a life insurance company. I
worked as a sales assistant and my job involved collecting overdue
payments. The job was so stressful because my boss put a lot of pressure
on the sales team to collect as much money as possible. I can remember
working a lot of 50 and 60 hour weeks. It was during this time that I
developed my own personal strategy for reducing stress which helped me
not get burned out.
The first thing I did was
tell my boss that I could no longer work 50 and 60 hour weeks. I told
him that I was willing to work through my lunch hour one or two days a
week during crunch time, but that was it. Before going into his office I
wasn't sure how he would respond to what I had to say. However to my
surprise he was very understanding. I think this was mainly due to the
fact that three sales employees had quit earlier in the week. They all
quit because they were stressed and totally burned out.
At that point my
boss realized that if I quit he basically would not have any sales
assistants left. This was something he could not afford. Even if he
hired other people to replace us, there would be no one left to train
them. Once I started working normal 40 hour weeks again, I immediately
felt my stress level go way down. I also noticed that I had a lot more
patience and I was not as uptight as I had been over the past few
months. All this
made me feel like a new person with a new outlook on life.
Other tips I have
developed for preventing stress and job burnout include going out for
lunch at least once a week and treating myself to something I really
like. This might be a chocolate covered cupcake or a cup of frozen
strawberry gelato. Or, if I am feeling really stressed I will walk
around the block a few times or I will do a little shopping. It really
helps me feel better when I get out of the office, get some fresh air
and do something I really enjoy.
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