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To a certain extent, burn out happens because you refuse to have a conversation. As stress builds and pressures mount, you avoid talking to the one person who can truly help: your boss. That’s a mistake. Rather than risking your health and undermining your productivity, learn how to approach your boss when you’re feeling burnt out.

Remember: you’re not alone. Millions of workers experience the sense of reaching their limit. In fact, a study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 41% of workers reported that they feel burnt out at work.

Improving your mental health involves changing your long-term circumstances. Your boss represents the perfect partner in this process. They can help rearrange your schedule and update your list of daily tasks. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you approach your boss about feeling burnt out:

Don’t Wait for an Outburst

Burnout develops over time. But the process can often come to the surface suddenly, in the form of an uncontrolled outpouring of frustration and exasperation. Don’t wait for that outburst to open a dialog with your boss.

If you let things go too long, you can lose control of the situation. Better to approach your supervisor in a calm, controlled manner. Otherwise, your emotions could fester to the point where you can no longer maintain a rational conversation.

Talk to Your Support System

Before approaching your boss, check in with those around you. This includes your friends and family. In addition, you should seek out advice from coworkers.

You get a couple of benefits from this strategy. These opinions can help shape how you approach your boss. At the same time, you can draw direct emotional support from these conversations.

Describe Your Specific Issues

Everyone knows what “burnout” means in a general sense. However, the specifics become extremely important if you expect your boss to take particular actions to fix the situation.

As such, you should go beyond declaring “I’m burned out.” You should detail the conditions that weigh on your mental health and be ready to describe your symptoms. This will let you create a workable plan to de-stress your work life.

Follow Up and Stay Discipled

The conversation with your boss shouldn’t take place as a one-off meeting. Instead, it should develop over time and unfold over a string of discussions. Think of your initial talk as a starting point, not as the conclusive word on the matter.

If you do negotiate a reduced workload, you need to stay disciplined. You’ll be tempted to retreat to old habits, picking up responsibilities until you reach the brink of burnout once again. Resist that temptation.

Fill your spare hours with more pleasant activities, like hobbies or time with your family. You’ll end up being more productive over the long haul. Your improved mental health with give you more stamina and open the door to more innovative thinking.

Burnout becomes less likely when you love your job. Finding the right position will guard your mental health over the long term. A strong staffing agency, like PrideStaff, can help you find that perfect situation.

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more.

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