Work Burnout - Why it's Important to Take Breaks

For me, this lockdown seems to go one of two ways. Some days I wake up wanting to do absolutely nothing, sit in my PJs and watch a bit of telly. However, on other days (largely due to regret for previous lazy days) I decide to work. Hard.

I have a full-time job and I'm a key worker, so I still go to work during lockdown. However, on my days off, I can't seem to relax and feel I must still work from home, e.g. through my blog, doing the housework, checking up on neighbours and family, etc. and can't seem to take a break without feeling guilty about it.

Storytime for you here - During my school years, I suffered from burnout which then lead onto depression. The stress of school, exams and unsuccessful friendships led me down a dangerous route that I've still not fully recovered from. Taking breaks is SO important and helps to prevent work burnout and work-related stress. Here's a few more reasons why:

1. Your Mental Wellbeing As mentioned above, your mental health can suffer as a result of burnout. It's important to know your limits and to not push them, if you know that it'll harm you.

2. Your Physical Wellbeing When we're stressed or in a rush due to oncoming deadlines, we may turn towards takeaways or quick unhealthy foods. Taking breaks from working allows us to cook healthy foods, that our bodies will thank us for.

3. Your Relationships You can't (virtually) see your friends and family because you're too busy, so eventually they may start to think you're not interested in spending time with them. It's important that we keep in touch with our loved ones and don't miss out on these moments.

4. Stress/Boredom If you push yourself too hard, and continuously work on something - you soon lose the love and passion that you had when it first started. For me, this blog is such a positive part of my life that I adore, yet if I worked at it for 8+ hours a day (as well as working full-time) then it would eventually lose its touch and I'd lose that passion. I know it's important to step away when I can feel the stress building. I do sometimes skip posting if my mental health isn't in the right place, and I'm open and honest about this on social media.

5. Exercise We need to ensure we're keeping up with exercise, even if it's just walking around the block, doing a quick yoga session or muscle workout. Staring at a computer screen or working continuously in any format isn't healthy.

I hope you all have a wonderful stress-free week!

Take care, Sophie x

Working From Home. This image belongs to Wix.