Nowadays, studies have shown that more people are dealing with chronic stress which can lead to burnout.
It has gotten so bad that the World Health Organization (WHO) has added burnout to its list of globally recognized diseases.
WHO describes it as a syndrome of “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” which “includes feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, results in increased mental distance from one's job and reduced professional efficacy.”
This specifically applies to people working in urban cities like Lagos state, Nigeria where you have to deal with crazy traffic, workloads and other stressful factors.
When you get burnout, your productivity reduces, you feel helpless, overwhelmed, and eventually, you are left emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted.
Science shows that being burnout can put you at a higher risk for a potentially fatal heart flutter called Atrial fibrillation or AFib.
This silent killer is a common heart rhythm disorder that is responsible for strokes, hospitalisations and in some causes deaths all over the world.
"We've known that stress can cause other types of heart disease, but this is the first study to really link exhaustion to potentially increasing your risk for a cardiac arrhythmia," said study author Dr. Parveen Garg, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.
"We're drawing a link between exhaustion and atrial fibrillation which really hasn't been described before," he added.
Being burnout can also lead to headaches, insomnia, depression and anxiety. It also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and even death before age 45.
Knowing the dangerous health effects of being burnout, Business Insider sub-Saharan Africa has compiled this list for you. Here are five great tips to help you have a stress-free year:
Going to bed early increases your chances of getting a full night’s rest, nothing less than 7-8 hours of sleep. Doing this means you get up early, well-rested and ready for the day's work.
Picking up your phone first thing in the morning and diving straight into work emails, and social media is the worst way to start your day.
When you do this, you end up anxious and stressed before you get to the office and it sets a bad tone for the rest of the day.
The best thing to do is to take the first moments of your day to do something relaxing like meditating, praying, putting together your to-do-list,e.t.c. Do things that put you in a positive mood.
Exercising does not just make you look good, it also makes you feel good. When you exercise, your body releases about five different brain-boosting hormones and chemicals; Serotonin, Norepinephrine, BDNF, Dopamine and Endorphins - the ultimate “feel good” chemicals.
Together, the combination of these hormones and chemicals lift your energy level, boosts your memory, make you motivated, more alert and focused.
Multitasking may seem like a great idea to get a lot of things done at the same time. However, what ends up happening is that your productivity and the quality of your work goes down.
You end up feeling more stressed because of all the work you still have left. The solution is to avoid distractions and put all of your energy into one task, finish it before moving on to the next one on your to-do list.
Stepping away from work every other hour gives you time to refresh your mind and destress before continuing the day's task.
It also gives you time to move around and stretch your legs, which is a habit that can save your life.
P.S: It does not hurt to take a break from work now and then. Go on leave, have some fun and go back refreshed.
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