When we lack healthy work boundaries, we can end up creating burnout quickly. Boundaries can be more complicated for those who work from home or work a hybrid role. It is important to have balance in your life and this can be difficult with work.
Setting healthy work boundaries will help you to reduce stress and burnout, as well as maintaining work/life balance. Burnout from work can affect our goals and what our careers look like long-term. Without boundaries we can also lack motivation.
Burnout can leave us feeling tired with no drive and have us questioning our identity and goals. What do you do currently to address your work/life balance? Do you have any healthy work boundaries set in place to protect your mental and physical well-being?
Signs of burnout at work:
- Physical exhaustion
- Emotional exhaustion
- Low work performance
- Lack of motivation
- Feeling unsatisfied or unhappy
- Increased stress/anxiety
- Lack of ambition
- Lack of goals
Steps to start setting work boundaries:
- Understand your priorities
Yes, you may need to make money to pay pills or support a family, but what else is important? Are you wanting to spend more time at work or on school or even with your family? Be mindful of what your priorities are to set the right work boundaries for you.
For us people-pleasers, saying no can be very hard. If you work from home, this can be even more difficult. Try not to work outside of your designated work hours.
- Take mental health days
Taking time off is crucial to not experience burnout. Keeping yourself mentally healthy will increase your work ethic and motivation. Do not feel guilty for needing to rest and spend time on yourself.
We must know how to communicate our boundaries at work. Be able to tell colleagues when your hours are and when you may need a break. Know that others cannot respect your boundaries if you do not communicate them with others.
- Let your colleagues know what you are uncomfortable with
Sometimes your personal life may come up in topic at work. Let them know what you are okay with talking about and what you are not okay with. If you prefer not to discuss politics or religion, let them know this.
- Schedule breaks
Work can be easier when you set and stick to a schedule. To make sure you are not going to overwhelm yourself, schedule times for breaks so that you can hold yourself accountable to this boundary.
Examples of boundaries to set:
- Set times for breaks
- Do not work past designated hours
- Say no to overtime when needed
- Do not participate in work gossip
- Take mental health days
- Turn off work notifications when not at work
Since the pandemic, many people work from home or work a hybrid role. When working outside of an office, it can be hard to stick to your scheduled hours and want to constantly work to get things done. This can be as simple as answering a work email on the weekends. Try to stick to a schedule and create boundaries around work to help create work/life balance.
Take time off to have mental health days to help combat burnout. Burnout can happen easily and can cause us to be drained and unmotivated. Know when something needs to be done to decrease the chances of burnout.
Be willing to create boundaries about what is shared throughout the office, if you do not want your personal life brought up at work, let your colleagues know this. It can be difficult to say no and to create healthy boundaries, but they are healthy boundaries for a reason. Be kind to yourself and create a balance that works for you.
