Have you ever felt so exhausted by work that you couldn't keep going? If so, you're not alone. A 2023 report from Simply Business revealed that 56% of small business owners in the UK have experienced poor mental health over the past twelve months. In addition, The Hustle's survey of more than 300 entrepreneurs found that a staggering 63% of them reported experiencing burnout. With these kinds of stats, it's easy to see that modern life significantly contributes to increased stress and burnout among working adults, which affects productivity and wellbeing.
But what if we could transform our mindset to prevent job burnout before it happens? By changing our perspective, we can manage overwhelming stress and prevent burnout from developing all together. Adopting a proactive approach to mental health is the key to maintaining positive wellbeing.
This week, guest writer Angela Rose explores distinct mindsets and their influence on stress management. Here, she examines the benefits of maintaining a positive frame of mind and provide helpful tips on shifting away from negative thoughts to enhance wellbeing and reduce the risk of burnout.
Understanding fixed and growth mindsets
To effectively prevent job burnout, we first need to understand mindset, which consists of beliefs and values that influence how we perceive and respond to different situations. Stanford University's renowned psychologist Carol Dweck identifies two main types of mindset, fixed and growth, which can transform how we handle stress and burnout.
A fixed mindset believes that our skills and talents are static and unchangeable, often leading to avoiding challenges for fear of failure. On the other hand, a growth mindset believes that we can develop ourselves through hard work, embracing challenges, learning from criticism, and seeing failures as opportunities.
Why do some of us experience one of growth, and others a fixed mindset? Various factors, such as professional experience and workplace culture, shape our frame of mind. For example, positive experiences at work can boost our confidence and promote a growth-oriented outlook on life, while repeated setbacks without constructive feedback can lead to a fixed outlook. Similarly, a supportive, collaborative work environment nurtures a growth mindset, whereas a critical or competitive environment may reinforce a fixed one.
How a fixed mindset can fuel burnout
A fixed, negative mindset can elevate stress levels and reduce resilience, both psychologically and physiologically, potentially leading to burnout. Those experiencing this mindset can perceive challenges as threats, which can create feelings of powerlessness. This perception then triggers a stress response, releasing cortisol, the primary stress hormone. Over an extended period, raised cortisol levels can lead to chronic stress and eventual burnout.
Additionally, a fixed outlook limits coping mechanisms and reduces belief in one's ability to succeed, increasing vulnerability to chronic stress and burnout.
Preventing burnout with a growth mindset
The good news is that we can move from one mind's view to another. Working to shift from a fixed to a growth mindset is crucial for our health, wellbeing, and happiness, as it can help us better cope with change and constructively deal with tough situations.
Here are a few techniques to build a growth-orientated approach to life:
Embrace challenges: Seeing challenges as opportunities to develop ourselves helps reduce the stress associated with them. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, we become motivated to learn and improve, which can reduce the risk of burnout.
Learn from failure: An optimistic viewpoint encourages us to see failure simply as a learning experience. This perspective helps us bounce back more quickly and reduces the impact of stress on our mental health.
Positive feedback: Cultivating a growth mentality involves recognising and celebrating our progress regularly. This boosts our confidence and helps sustain motivation and energy levels.
Changing our mindset is a critical factor in protecting ourselves against burnout. It enables us to build resilience, enhance our coping mechanisms, and create a healthier, more sustainable approach to professional growth and wellbeing.
Positive thinking boosts health and productivity
Studies consistently show that a growth mindset significantly enhances mental, emotional, and physical health by prompting positive thinking. Mentally, it helps reduce stress and anxiety by promoting a more optimistic outlook. Emotionally, positivity drives resilience and emotional stability, enabling us to recover quickly from knock-backs and maintain a balanced emotional state, even in tough times. Physically, a positive outlook can reduce stress levels, resulting in lower blood pressure, better sleep patterns, and decreased risk of chronic diseases and other health problems, ultimately improving overall vitality.
Positive thinking also brings many benefits to the workplace. Believing in our ability to succeed increases motivation and drive, making us more productive and efficient. Positive leaders inspire and motivate their teams, adapt confidently to changing circumstances, and create a positive culture, resulting in a more fulfilling and productive work environment.
Tackling negativity to reduce burnout risk
Negative thinking over time can increase stress levels, which, when left unchecked, can lead to burnout. Here are some practical tips that can help reduce negative thought patterns and nip early burnout symptoms in the bud:
Mindfulness: Adding mindfulness practice to a busy work routine can significantly improve mental health, especially when we feel drained. Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment and incorporating it into our daily lives to enhance our mental wellbeing. It allows us to step back from our thoughts and observe them without overthinking, which is particularly beneficial in high-pressure professional roles.
Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (CBT): These methods help us identify and challenge negative thoughts, making thinking differently and handling challenges easier. Try noticing when you have negative thoughts like "I can't do this" or "I'm not good enough." Jotting them down can be a fantastic way to track when they happen and what triggers them. Consider challenging these thoughts by asking if they are based on facts or assumptions and looking at the evidence for and against them. This can reduce feeling overwhelmed and help develop a more balanced thinking.
Goal setting and visualisation: Creating goals can be powerful for maintaining a cheerful outlook as they provide direction and motivation. Setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals can be helpful. It can also be beneficial to break larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks, regularly review them, track progress, and adjust as needed. Spending a few minutes daily imagining achieving our goals and enjoying the results they bring can also be very motivating.
Implementing these strategies can significantly help manage negative thinking and reduce the risk of burnout.
Building a brighter future
We have highlighted the importance of understanding mindset and how a positive outlook significantly impacts our personal and professional health. We have also explored practical tips to reduce negative thoughts and mitigate the symptoms of burnout.
By including these practices in our daily routines, we can better connect with ourselves and improve self-education. As a community, we can support each other in adopting these mindset shifts and share our successes to benefit everyone.
These approaches increase resilience and self-reliance, enable us to manage stress more effectively, and ultimately create a sense of harmonious wellbeing in our lives.
Anje Rosindale, from Angela Rose Writer, is a freelance writer passionate about mental health, self-help, and personal development. She crafts content for entrepreneurs and business owners that enhances their brand's authority, connects deeply with their audience, and promotes wellness within their organisations. Her mission is to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing and share valuable knowledge which supports people on their journey to a healthier mind.