By Emily Roach, Paws in Work guest blogger.

What is burn out?

Burn out or feeling ‘burnt out’ depicts someone who is physically and mentally drained of energy. This can be from working extremely hard without enough time to recoup and look after yourself in any spare time you have. This subsequently can lead to physical illness and poor mental health if you do not take the time to address this and remove yourself temporarily from any situations that have caused or added to your stress.

How to recognise it.

An important factor is to be able to recognise when you’re feeling burnt out; here are some of the key signs to look out for:

• loss of motivation
• lack of energy
• feeling helpless and defeated
• decreased morale and satisfaction from achievement
• procrastinating
• trouble concentrating
• reverting to habits such as drinking or drugs to help with the stress
• change in sleeping habits
• changes in physical health
• feeling overwhelmed

Causes of burnout.

There are many factors that can lead to you feeling burnt out, it’s important to acknowledge what some of the potential causes can be. This can vary between individuals, here are some of the key causes to be aware of:

• feeling a lack of control or certainty over your job
• poor work-life balance
• conflict in the workplace
• lack of consistency at work

How can it be prevented?

The good thing about being able to recognise symptoms of burnout means that you can use different tools to try and stop it in its tracks. When you start to feel your physical or mental wellbeing depleting due to long term work-related stress, it’s time to start incorporating some lifestyle changes to help break the cycle. Here are some simple yet effective techniques you can use to try and diminish the impact of burnout and stop it from affecting you further:

• prioritise your free time, do not fall into the trap of working overtime
• evaluate your diet, are you eating enough fresh food, drinking enough, in need of some immune-boosting vitamins?
• set yourself a list of small tasks to accomplish to reduce overwhelm and prove yourself that you are able to achieve despite how you’re feeling
• be kind to yourself, understand that you are only human, you are allowed to feel this way and your feelings are valid
• try and find activities that make you feel good, make sure you implement them on your days off to give you things to look forward to
• take regular breaks from your workstation throughout the day, go for a relaxing stroll and breathe in some fresh air to clear your mind
• talk to your manager or colleagues if you start to feel run-down, let them know how you are feeling so you can work out some solutions to prevent things from spiralling

If not preventable, how can it be dealt with?

If you feel it is difficult to prevent yourself from feeling burnt out, there are further steps you can take to seek the best guidance and support. Many forms of therapy will allow you to express your feelings in a confidential setting if you feel more comfortable speaking to someone neutral. Alternatively, you could confide in someone at work; this is why training employees to become mental health first aiders is just as important as teaching first aid in the workplace. Having resources available for mental health in the workplace can make employees feel more secure knowing that on-site help is available.

Book puppy therapy with us.

Incorporating bonding activities just like puppy therapy can help strengthen the relationship of the team and show that mental health at work is taken very seriously. Regular mental health exercises at work will encourage colleagues to be more open about their feelings within the work setting. This diminishes the expectation that the workplace is simply made for churning out results for the company rather than taking into account the wellbeing of employees.

Would you like to treat your team to a fantastic therapy session in the form of being smothered by adorable, fun, and loving pups? Contact us today to discuss the variety of puppy therapy sessions we have. You can also browse the range of MHFA England accredited courses we offer for mental health both in and outside of the workplace. We can’t wait to work with you and give your team the mental boost they deserve, just in time for Christmas!