The glory of the ‘hustle culture,’ and pressure to do it all has fuelled the burnout epidemic that doesn’t discriminate. 

So how do you protect yourself and your mental health? 

Recent research points to building your resilience as an effective way to lessen your chances of burning out from the demands of your professional and personal lives. 

Expand your resilience toolbox

When stress strikes, maybe you like to grab take-out and zone out to Netflix or you book it for the gym to sweat it out. Whatever your go-to choice may be – what happens if your WiFi is acting up or you’ve strained a muscle?

Resilience is the ability to adapt to challenging circumstances and recover from setbacks. And, having only one strategy for staying resilient can be troublesome if it is no longer available. The best way to tackle life’s unavoidable stress is to have a variety of tools to choose from depending on the situation. 

5 ways to start strengthening your resilience 

1. Connect and talk 

Bottling up emotions can be harmful. A catch-up chat with a friend or loved one is an opportunity to talk through your feelings without fear of being judged. 

2. Get more sleep

When you’re facing a challenging day or week, rest is even more important. But, it can be challenging to get enough sleep with all the other demands competing for your time. Resist the pressure to have a perfect sleep schedule – instead, aim for a power nap or an early bedtime, twice a week. 

3. Take a breather

Working long stretches at a time doesn’t always result in more productive output. Set a timer on your phone or create a calendar alert to remind you to take a much-needed break from your work i.e. a short walk, or a phone chat with a friend. This not only helps clear your mind but will give you a recharge to better manage your daily demands. 

4. Do more of what helps you restore

Make time to practice the activities that help ground and restore you. Enjoying moments to read, journal, doodle, dance, sing, meditate, walk in nature, could all be the healing balm you need and deserve to help build and develop mental resilience. Check-in with yourself regularly and gauge which practices are having the best impact on your positive outlook.  

5. Seek professional mental health support

As you learn to build resilience, a valuable resource is accessing therapy and therapeutic tools like CBT. A licensed therapist can listen to you objectively, identify your thoughts, spot the behaviour patterns that may be holding you back, and guide you through the right tools to help reframe your negative thinking.

Prioritize your resilience

Resilience is a muscle that can be developed and strengthened. It requires you to adopt a growth mindset and be receptive to change that in the long-run can be your best defence against burnout.

Download Snapclarity to complete your free mental health check-up.