Burnout is a kind of job depression and robs you of motivation. When you’re struggling with burnout you are demotivated, dispirited, depressed - DOWN. The burnout cycle is a trap where you dread going to work and find it harder and harder to perform.

Burnout is caused by feeling you have no control. A sense of powerlessness pervades your work life with an over-riding feeling of damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t.

The only way out of this situation is to develop feelings of control over the job - and there are simple and practical ways you can start to build these positive feelings.

I have worked with groups of women on my workshops and once they realised that just making a number of small changes fundamentally affected their work day outlook their sense of burnout melted away.

Here are some of the ideas one group came up with.

Don’t join in the negative gossip and chatter. It’s all too easy to believe the rumour mill and join in on the company or boss bashing chatter. Decide today to stop taking part, instead notice and look for the positive in your job and company. It may be hard at first but it will pay dividends.

Have a Laugh. When you laugh you set off feel good chemicals in your body that lift your mood and improve your brain power! The group I mentioned decided to get everyone to bring a picture of themselves as a baby. The pictures where put up on a board and the fun was in guessing who was who.

Get Some Fresh Air. Working hard all the time and doing our best makes for a dull life and a dull brain. Our bodies where designed for movement and our minds appreciate fresh air and a change of scenery. So make it a habit to walk out doors. The group set up a lunch time activity that was either a half hour walk or a half hour of stretches and deep breathing.

Have Something To Look Forward To. Arrange activities outside of work that you like doing and particularly if it’s with friends. One of the results of burnout is isolation and shunning opportunities to socialise. We are naturally, most of us, sociable and seek company. Include small pleasures like buying flowers and keeping them on your desk or making time to share a coffee and a chat.

You might not be able to control everything about your job or company but creating and developing your sense of personal power will beat burnout. And who knows, once you start feeling more power you might decide to make some bigger changes. Maybe a new job or instigating some other changes to your work role.

I’d love to hear your ideas or strategies on developing personal power - so please comment and share.