Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Staff Paper

Introduction to Burnout
This is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion resulting from excessive stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed and unable to do certain tasks. As the stress continues, you start losing interest that led you to take on a certain role in the first place. The effects of burnout include reduced productivity and consumption of energy and feeling of helplessness, cynical, resentful and hopeless. It makes one feel like he has nothing more to give. This article is a personal response to burnout and work related stress.
Factors that cause Burnout
I am likely to experience burnout when I work overtime. Office work is also likely to cause this condition owing to long periods of working without a vacation. If I was a mother the responsibility of staying at home such as taking care of kids, the housework and aging father is also likely to result in burnout
The major causes of burnout at work place include feeling like I have little or no control of my work, little appreciation of my work, overly demanding job expectations, doing monotonous work and working in a chaotic, high-pressure environment.
I would contribute personally to burnout by working too much without dedicating time for socializing and relaxing, being expected to do too many things for too many people, taking too many responsibilities without asking for help from others and not getting enough sleep.
Some of my personality traits that may result into burnout include perfectionist tendencies by not believing that everything good is not perfect, pessimistic view of myself and the world and unwillingness to delegate work as well as having high aims.
Prevention of burnout at individual and organizational levels
In case I discover symptoms of burnout in myself at work, I should note that it will only get worse if I do not do something about it. However, if I take action to get my life back into balance, I can prevent burnout from developing further to my disadvantage.
Some of the ways of preventing burnout are as listed below:
I would start the day with a relaxing ritual. Instead of jumping out of bed and starting my chores, I would spend at least a half an hour meditating, writing a journal and reading something inspiring to me.
In addition, I would be required to adopt a healthy eating, exercising and sleeping habits. This involves eating right, having regular physical activity and having plenty of rest. This gives me the energy and resilience to deal with life’s hassles and demands.
Furthermore, I am required to set boundaries. I am expected to learn to say ‘no’ to requests on my time. If I find difficulties in saying this, I need to remind myself that this is a way that allows me to say ‘yes’ when I am given the tasks that I want to perform.
In addition, I need to take a daily break...