Five Signs You Are Burned Out and What To Do About It

Whether you work in an office, are a freelancer or are a stay-at-home parent, the signs of burnout are often the same. Regardless of our career choices, we ignore the symptoms of burnout because change is scary. This is understandable, as no one wants to leave their comfort zone. Fear of changing what we've been successful at can lead to being stuck in a state of denial.  However, not acknowledging burnout will only prevent you from taking action and being happier in the long run.

Some signs you may be burned out are:

• It takes you more energy to perform tasks that you once did with ease
• You feel exhausted before you even start to work
• You find yourself thinking negative thoughts
• You are impatient with management, colleagues or family (or all three). You used to get along with these people, but now everything they say seems to grate on your nerves
• You feel like a weight is lifted when you are away from work 

If you feel this way, you should check with your doctor to make sure there isn't a physical cause for your exhaustion and lack of energy. If you have a clean bill of health, then you need to admit you are likely burned out.  Sure, you can run away on vacation for a few days but that won’t fix your problem. The thing about burnout is that it won't get better on its own. Take steps now to re-ignite your career.

 

What You Can Do About Burnout

 

Working through burnout is a process. First, talk to someone about it: a friend, colleague, family member, therapist or career counselor. Get the support you need to help you move forward. Talking to other people who have been in your shoes can help.

 

You may end up changing jobs or pursuing another line of work, but the cure for burnout doesn’t need to be drastic. Try one of these options to break the burnout cycle:

• Study mindfulness. You don't need to meditate (although you could), but being more mindful of your daily actions can make them more interesting and help you control your negative thoughts and feelings
• Take a college class. Freshen or advance your skills to make yourself available for new projects and promotions
• Offer to do a task at work you have never done before, or create a social opportunity that everyone can join in outside of work
• Sign up to volunteer for a local organization
• Find or create a support group for workplace burnout
• Take a class in something completely unrelated to your work. Try something creative or challenging, in a subject that appeals to you
• Join an organization and attend conferences. Meet up with like-minded people and break up your daily routine
• If you work from home, join a work co-op or other group to change up your schedule, and your work environment

It's About Accepting Change

 

The hardest thing about admitting and working through burnout is fear that things will change. Don’t fear change, embrace it! By making a change now, you will find a new appreciation for your job, career and maybe even your coworkers!

Five Professional Development Observations from 2015

As we leap over the threshold from 2015 to 2016, we enter into a new year of possibilities; these opportunities are revealed from our accomplishments of 2015. Here are our top five and what they reveal for 2016. 

1. UNF Continuing Education served over 6,000 individuals in 2015, seeing the greatest training growth in healthcare, logistics, Lean Six Sigma, quality improvement and project management. Jacksonville stays on track with the nation, representing growth in these industries as business growth in general surges ahead for 2016.


2. Professional development skills training saw an increase from last year. Professional development includes software, supervisory, time management, negotiating and other soft skills training which provide solid results. When businesses provide effective and affordable training solutions, they see the benefits and invest in their employees. For 2016, we are keeping training solutions affordable, expanding our online programs and building on our business partnerships for customized training solutions.


3. The trend for certifications continues to grow. Our students earned the following certifications: Transportation & Logistics, Health & Wellness Coach, Instructional Systems Design, Paralegal, Lean Six Sigma and Warehouse Associate. Companies are seeking out individuals with high-level specialty knowledge. Niche-knowledge experts are relied upon to give companies a competitive edge over competitors slow to evolve to the individual-driven culture we see today. 


4. Leadership development training increased in 2015. The economic downturn and the slow recovery were a harsh wake up calls for many businesses. Our Leadership Development Program provided the perfect mix of traditional and proven leadership practices with progressive, idea-generating innovation for providing real solutions to business’ biggest challenges.


5. We strive to better serve those who have served us – our veterans. Funding is available for qualifying veterans for many of our programs. To help veterans take full advantage of the education benefits they have earned, UNF Continuing Education has a Veteran Education benefit specialist. Lori Frederick has been approved by the Veterans Administration to help veterans complete the required paperwork to certify their course enrollments. We have seen how our certification programs have helped ease the transition from military to civilian life. Contact Lori to learn more.

We look forward to assisting you with your 2016 training and consulting needs. Let’s get started. 

Visit us online, www.unf.edu/ce, select Course by Subject from the Quick Links on the right or view the information-packed pages using the menu on the left. Call our fantastic Customer Care Team at (904) 620-4200 or e-mail us at unfce@unf.edu. 

Refocus this Fall

Feel-good ways to get your head back in the game.

By Sonja Rocha

After a summer of trips, kids and time spent with family and friends you may find yourself struggling to get your head back in the game - and we're not talking about your fantasy football league. There are still three months left in 2015, Don't blow 25 percent of your year. Stop online researching next summer’s vacation, close Facebook, turn off the TV and put these refocus strategies to work.

Set VERY attainable goals.

The best way to get back on track is to start with a success. What do you need to do to finish 2015 strong? Set goals. Make them easy.

For example, walk a little more this week and start thinking about healthy habits again by parking on the far side of the parking lot. It’s an easy goal to achieve and you can accomplish it tomorrow. Park far away. Walk in to work. Done! Put a check in the “I’ve accomplished something good for my health” box! Keep it up all week. Any type of exercise will help refocus your mind.

To get your work and career back on the right track, take 15 minutes to review everything you have accomplished so far this year and pat yourself on the back. You deserve it! The feeling of accomplishment feels good, and feeling good is where you need to be when you start thinking about what you still want to accomplish this year. Make a plan to achieve your remaining 2015 goals. Keep each step toward the goal small and simple. Keep building on your successes. Always remember the work you do is important. Reviewing your accomplishments and revisiting your goals will provide the adrenaline boost you need to finish 2015 strong.

Regain focus and avoid distractions.

Focus is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. If you have been in a brain fog for a while, you’re not going to wake up tomorrow and put in eight solid, productive hours. You’ll need to rebuild your focus stamina one day at a time. One effective method is to plan every minute of every day. Fill in your day scheduler in 15-minute blocks and stick to it! Start each morning with tasks that can be completed quickly. Build on your momentum. Move on to harder projects and the items you’ve been avoiding. Be sure to include scheduled time for e-mail, co-workers and planning.

When distractions come up and you get off track, don’t beat yourself up. Try to note why it happened. Was it a talkative co-worker? Was it checking e-mails? Keep a list of the alluring distractions so you can revisit them the next day at a scheduled time. You're likely to forget what that all-important distraction was about. You just took back 15-30 minutes of your life. When it’s a co-worker stealing away your time, try this line: ”I’m on a deadline now, but I’m available tomorrow at 11 a.m. Will that work for you?”

Next week, divide your focused time into 20-minute blocks and so on. Grow each work block to 45 minutes. The more you practice this technique the longer your focus stamina will become. Greater focus will improve your work quality while you get more done in less time.

Still can’t break Internet surfing? Then use the time productively. Update your LinkedIn profile. Then take time to write three recommendations for three co-workers or clients on their LinkedIn accounts. Doing something kind for others is a great way to break negative patterns and start new positive ones.

UNF Continuing Education offers numerous opportunities for both personal and professional development. View our online catalog here. Request more information here. Call our friendly Customer Care Team (904) 620-4200. They're always ready and willing to help you find the program(s) to fit your need.

Is it Time to Take the Next Step?

Congratulations! You did it. You took that first step toward your goal. You were motivated, excited, determined. Step one is firmly behind you and now it’s time for that next step. This one is a bit harder. You may be asking yourself, ‘What should I do?’ ‘Where should go?’ or ‘How can I get motivated?’ If these questions sound familiar, we have good news: we’ll be sharing the answers to these – and many other questions – during the next few weeks.

Expert Content: We've assembled our team of UNF Continuing Education (UNFCE) experts to give you practical, useful information. Information that will help you take the next step – and put you firmly on the road to success – whether you are marching toward a more enriching lifestyle or a more rewarding career. Follow us on our blog as we bring the best information to you from our LEARN JACKSONVILLE and Professional Development instructors. Learn how to improve your personal pursuits, including how to overcome procrastination, successful investing, selling that script to Hollywood or living a healthier lifestyle. Do you want to know how to take the next step better leadership, continuous quality improvement, prepare for professional certification exam, or public speaking? We’ll bring that to you, too! Let us know if you have a topic of interest and we will ask one of our experts to bring you the best information.

We Want to Hear from You: Are you a past or current UNF Continuing Education student? How has UNFCE helped you Take the Next Step? Please comment or e-mail us at unfce@unf.edu. We would love to share your success story!

Follow the Hashtag: All articles in the Take the Next Step posts will be tagged with #TakeTheNextStep. You can follow that hashtag on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and here on Blogger to quickly find all of the fantastic content.

As always, we welcome your feedback!

--Your Friends at UNF Continuing Education

#WellnessU: Let's Get Started!

Were you one of the millions of Americans that made a New Year's resolution to be healthier? According to the University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology, the top two resolutions made in January 2014 were to (1) lose weight and (2) get fit and healthy. That's great news!

UNF Continuing Education would like to do our part in helping our community keep those resolutions and become fit and healthier. Today we are kicking off our month-long #WellnessU campaign on social media, and we couldn't be more excited! We are having a hard time restraining ourselves from sharing all of the great content at once! Here is an overview of what to expect:

Your Mountain is Waiting!

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

-Dr. Seuss

 

Summer and travel are natural companions. The long anticipated family vacation or adventure with friends is close at hand. We seem to successfully navigate the packing, the driving, the budget, the unexpected calamity with ease and return home exhausted but somehow refreshed.

Somehow, though, our professional journeys don’t always go as well. Sometimes we just stop moving forward in our careers. According to a recent Forbes magazine article, the top two reasons that people stay stuck in their careers are (1) they are afraid of change, and (2) they resist growth and maturity i.e. new skills and capabilities. The article suggests asking yourself the questions, “Have I worked smart enough to improve myself significantly over the past month?”  “Am I getting trained in skills and competencies that will advance me?”