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You may have read that burn out is becoming increasingly common in Singapore.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) burnout is defined as “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. In WHO’s latest catalogue of diseases and injuries, burnout is characterised by feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job and reduced professional efficacy. It is currently defined as a “state of vital exhaustion”.
How do we prevent burn-out? There are 12 tips from professional teachers/ coaches/ counselors.
1) “Don’t do any work during meal times, set aside a day or 2 (such as the weekends) where you don’t do any work but do activities with friends or family as well as hobbies.” – Melissa Fann, Founder, The Wellness Insider
Website: www.thewellnessinsider.sg
2) “Staying focused always and having a positive mindset and not letting your guard down helps.
ii) Embracing a work life balance all equates to a healthier lifestyle.
iii) Practising Mindfulness all helps to keep burnout at bay.
iv) Having strong resilience and embracing spirituality helps.” – C. Joshi., CMSAC, MSPS, MACA, Consultant Counsellor, WHP Pvt Ltd
3) “Do
something active and cathartic such as physical activities in order to release the pent up stress, pressure and pain. Try ecstatic dance, Osho movement meditation, shaking, EFT (emotional freedom technique aka Tapping) and TRE (tension & trauma release exercises).” – Luke Elijah, Spiritual & Holistic Wellness Coach, Heaven on Earth
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lukelijahspirit
4) “Reaching out to friends, be silly, laugh and make the alphabet with your body (get connected with your body)!”- Ms. Lauryn Huang, CEO, Grouvly. Website: www.grouvly.com
5) “Plan for at least 1 day of “me time” a month.” – Maxine Teo, Business owner, Global Max Academy. Website: www.maxacademy.com.sg
6) “Take regular time totally away from all the pressures of work, family and even friends. Make time to be by 
yourself or spend time with someone doing something not related to those pressures.” – Mr. Lionel Koh, Director, Clearer, Trainer and Coach, Maven Communications Pte Ltd. Website: www.mavencomms.com
7)”Take a rest whenever you can, don’t wait for the holidays to do so. Plan one “Do Nothing Day” per week and feel good about it.” – Sanaa Lundgren, Therapist, Mediator and Collaborative Family Practitioner, SACAC Counselling Pte Ltd. Website: www.sacac.sg
8) “Have clear boundaries drawn in terms of when you are available for work and anything work related. I commit to that and when I am outside of those boundaries, I relax, I take a holiday, I leave my work at the ‘office’ and I don’t look back.” – Mdm Angelyn Seet, Doula & Childbirth Educator, Tree of Life Birth. Website: Treeoflifebirth.com.sg
9) “1. Share your feelings with someone – My husband is my greatest anti-burn out asset. Having someone to share how I feel the anger, the frustration, disappointment and the feeling of being muddled and unfocused helps me express these internal emotions and when he duplicates these feeling it somehow offloads the stress and gives me a clearer head space.
2. Step away and do something small that nourishes you
When things start to get intense, I like to give myself a timeout. I walk away from it sit in a nice cafe and sip on a nice cup of coffee. This is a little piece of pleasure for me.
3. Treat yourself right. Allow yourself to have.
Massages every now and again, not the painful one but the real pampering ones.”
Dr. Jessherin Sidhu, Medical. Director, Insync Medical
Website: www.insyncmedical.sg
10) “It is important for me to spend time in nature like Swimming at the beach or walking in a nature reserve. I try to do this every weekend to unwind. There is nothing like being in awe of natural beauty on the mountain top or just enjoying the peace and serenity of nature. I also take regular holidays to mountains and beaches so that I can reset my inner self and find a balance.” – Ms. Evonne Lek, Family Therapist, Reconnect Psychology and Family Therapy. Website: Reconnect.com.sg
11) “A hobby – a space, activity and community where you get to enjoy yourself free of responsibility. For me, I like to dance bachata. It’s social, fun, great exercise and when I’m dancing, nothing else exists.” – Ms. Anita Sadasivan, Director, The Brass Barre. Website: www.thebrassbarre.com
11) “To me, burn out happens when we work too much for too long. To prevent burn out, it is important to make sure we infuse ourselves with joy, fun, and pleasure. Instead of blaming circumstances, it is important that we guard our times, state our boundaries, and schedule down-time, me-time and even play-time with our partner.” – Dr. Martha Tara Lee, D.H.S., M.A., M.A., B.A., Relationship Counselor and Clinical Sexologist of Eros Coaching. Website: www.eroscoaching.com
What about you? Do you have any tips on preventing burn out?
Please share by commenting below!
About Dr. Martha Tara Lee
Surrounded by friends who were sexually inhibited and struck by dire lack of positive conversations around sex and sexuality in Singapore, Dr. Martha Tara Lee set out to make a positive difference in embarking on her doctorate in human sexuality before launching Eros Coaching in 2009. Today, she remains dedicated to working with individuals and couples who wish to lead self-actualised and pleasure-filled lives.
She also holds certificates in counselling, coaching and sex therapy, and her fourth degree – a Masters in Counselling in May 2018. In practice since 2009, she is the only certified sexuality educator and certified sexuality educator supervisor by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) in Singapore. She is also a Red Tent Women’s Circles Facilitator from Star of Ishtar.
Often cited in the local media, Dr. Lee is the appointed sex expert for Men’s Health Singapore, and Men’s Health Malaysia. She was recognised as one of ‘Top 50 Inspiring Women Under 40′ by Her World in July 2010, and one of ‘Top 100 Inspiring Women’ by CozyCot in March 2011. She has published four books: Love, Sex and Everything In-Between, Orgasmic Yoga, From Princess to Queen and {Un}Inhibited.
Martha works with individuals and couples in private coaching sessions, and conducts her own workshops. She takes prides in making sure all her workshops are also fun, educational, and sex-positive. This comes easily to her because even though she is extremely dedicated and serious about her work, she fundamentally believes that sex is meant to be fun, wonderful, amazing and sacred. As such, this serious light-heartedness has shone through again and again. For her full profile, click here. Email her here.
