Know when you need a break from work
Subconsciously we all know that overworking ourselves can do harm to us in both our personal and professional lives. Yet, for some reason, we continue to work ourselves to death.
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It may be tough to walk away even if it is just for a day or two but it will definitely be in your best interest in the long-run.
Here are some few signs to know that it is time to take a break from work.
Getting out of bed feeling dreadful or nauseous
Always listen to what your body is trying to tell you because your body is really good at giving you a heads-up.
If you keep bottling up your emotions and pushing your feelings down, you may notice physical symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, aches and pains and headaches more frequently, especially when you wake up in the morning.
Remember, the mind has a great deal of influence over the body and the chronic stress of burnout can really take a toll on your physical health.
Careless mistakes
At first it appears that you are having a productive day. Then out of nowhere you realise you just made more mistakes in a couple of minutes than you would normally have in an entire workday.
While in some instances these errors are minor and simply require a couple of minutes of repair such as making grammatical errors when writing a blog post. Other times, these mistakes could have serious implications. For instance; making an accounting error in your tax returns or injuring someone if you are running heavy machinery.
Unable to stay focused
Are you spending most of your days daydreaming, checking-in with friends on Facebook or playing the latest game on your smartphone?
Those are all red flags that you are not focused on your work and need to get away from the workplace for a bit. If not, this lack of focus will come back to haunt you since this is going to decrease your productivity.
Deteriorating health
The state of your health is one of the most obvious signs that you are in need of a much-deserved break. Pay attention to health concerns such as insomnia, an increase in your resting heartbeat, headaches, weight loss or gain or constantly feeling under the weather.
They may be insignificant for now, but they can lead to more serious health conditions in the future.
Even if you take one day off, you may be surprised at how much better you feel after getting significant sleep, eating healthy and enjoying the things that make you happy.
Isolation
The average person spends around 47 hours per week working. That totals up to 109,980 hours at work during a person’s lifetime. In other words, your work is a big part of your life. This also means that you are going to spend a lot of time with your colleagues.
When you are burnt out, you stop socialising by bailing out on lunches, meetings, office parties and retreats. And that is definitely not a good thing.
Missing events
There is actually more to life than just work. It is important that you do not neglect your friends and family and take the time to enjoy your hobbies and interests. It helps you clear your head and gets you more excited about your work.
If you find yourself missing out on life, then that is another revealing sign that you need to give yourself a break from work.
Messy work area
Believe it or not, there are actually benefits for both messy and clean work environments. For example, cluttered areas can promote creativity, while organised workspaces can help you focus. This is because our work areas symbolise the spaces in our minds, as well as how we sort and process information.
If you do not have the spare time to organise your work area or you have suddenly gone from being messy to possessing, it is a sign that you need to step away from work.