‘Tis the season for holiday shopping, parties, and indulging in delicious food. ‘Tis also the season for burnout, especially for PR and communications professionals. If you are reading this there’s a good chance you are like me and you don’t know when to give yourself a break. This article will hopefully provide helpful tips and insight on how to prevent burnout and keep your health on track during the holiday season.
General tips everyone can benefit from
Burnout happens to everyone and sometimes there is no way to avoid it. However, many PR professionals are no strangers to burnout. This is likely because we are known for taking on too much and being the “jack of all trades.”
Some general tips to help with burnout:
· Get enough sleep
· Exercise a few times a week
· Eat a balanced diet with lots of vegetables
· Set time aside every day to do things you enjoy
· Shut off your emails and phone after work hours
These tips can help anyone prevent burnout especially as we head into a busier time of year.
How to strategically prevent burnout as a PR professional
As PR professionals if you love what you do or if you are trying to make a positive impression on a co-op, taking a break might sound out of the question. However, knowing when to take a break may impress your employer and reframe your thinking.
If you find yourself stressed out, with little patience, or feeling emotionally drained it may be time to rewind a bit and take a breather. Ask yourself when can I fit in some downtime? Reframe the idea of “taking a break” as lazy and instead think of it as strategic planning to be more productive. After all, downtime helps us to perform our best both in school and at work.
Another way to prevent burnout is to create a pre-emptive strategy. This may be hard for students who are on a co-op and have less autonomy over their jobs. However, plan to have one day a week or even just a few hours to relax. As PR professionals if we plan it into our week we are more likely going to do it. One suggestion is to plan downtime as if you are trying to prevent a crisis communication situation. This will flag it in your mind as important.
If possible, delegate the low-priority tasks or remove them from your schedule. This will allow you to focus on high-level tasks and the things you like most about your job. This will help prevent burnout as it often brings the dread of doing things we don’t like to do. If you are focused on the best and most important parts of the job from time to time this can prevent avoidable burnout. Don’t forget to take breaks and leave work on time.
Another way to prevent burnout is to build a schedule that serves you and fits your energy levels. If you are most productive in the morning, schedule the important and heavy stuff in the morning and answer emails in the afternoon when your energy is lower.
Talk to your boss or supervisor when you feel overwhelmed or burnout. As communicators, we need to set an example of good communication. This can be a transparency exercise and show your leadership skills by expressing your struggles.
Think about how you can prevent burnout. Different stressors can put different strains on us. This will allow you to remind yourself you can’t be “on” all the time. This will help you to set boundaries with clients, peers, and colleagues but also with yourself. Many of us continuously expect more from ourselves and when we set boundaries, we can take a mental break.
How to recover once you are burnt out
If it’s too late and you find yourself already burnout don’t worry there are things you can do that can help you get back on track. What better time to enter a recovery mode than at the end of a busy year?
First, take the time to think about what is causing you to burn out. Is it school, friends, family, work, or a combination of all the above? Are you taking time for yourself? Is it in your control or are external factors causing you undue stress?
After you identify the stressor(s) reduce the trigger. This could mean working from home if possible, taking a personal day, focusing on the stuff you enjoy, or going for a much-needed walk after work. I love going to the movie theater alone to de-stress, not only is it relaxing it can help you forget about what is going on even if it’s only for a few hours.
Above all else, it is important to listen to your needs and practice self-compassion. Not only is it a busy time of year it is also normal to feel overworked and overwhelmed. The important thing is to find ways to recover and re-group. For everyone that might look a little different. Regardless as 2022 comes to end, find ways to strategically plan downtime to prevent future burnouts.
Article By: Emily Brown
Edited by: Logan Oderkirk
