'Fried' author Joan Borysenko discusses how to avoid burning out

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Unfortunately it's an experience that more and more of us are having and at a younger and younger age.

We’re talking about burn out - or being fried. So what is it and how do I know if I’m just tired or truly burnt out?

The author of the book Fried: why you burn out and how to revive, Dr. Joan Borysenko joined us to discuss.

www.joanborysenko.com

Tips for Revival:

1. Unplug and take stock. Go away for a few days to a quiet place where you can get some perspective. What's burning you out? Are you a square peg in a round hole? Customer service, for example, is a bad choice for the conflict averse. Are you a caregiver who needs respite? Are you a people pleaser who needs to say no to others and yes to yourself? Is your lifestyle so expensive that working enough to fund it is killing you?

2. Purge what's not necessary. Pareto's Law states that 20% of one's actions result in 80% of hoped for results. Identify leverage points and energy drains. What serves you and what wastes your time? When I cut down on radio interviews, reviewing people's manuscripts, and doing favors for just about anyone who asked, I had much more time for what really matters. The fire gave me permission to say no without feeling guilty. But you don't need to wait for an excuse to live your own life.

3. Play both for the sake of fun itself and because play changes your brain state and supports creative thinking. Work smarter by exercising or playing when you feel stale.

4. Pay yourself first. Schedule time for self-care, family, and friends before filling up your calendar with work demands. Waiting for free time to materialize is the same as deciding to save the money that's left at the end of the month.

5. Take a weekly Sabbath. Do absolutely nothing related to work on that day. This is a time-honored strategy for staying sane and enjoying life.

6. Cultivate beginner's mind. The late Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi wrote, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few."

12 Stages of burnout:

Stage 1: Driven by an ideal

Stage 2: Working like a maniac

Stage 3: Putting your own needs last

Stage 4: Miserable and clueless as to why

Stage 5: The death of values

Stage 6: Frustrated, aggressive, and cynical

Stage 7: Emotionally exhausted and disengaged

Stage 8: I've morphed into what?

Stage 9: Get away from me!

Stage 10: Inner emptiness

Stage 11: Who cares and why bother?

Stage 12: Physical and mental collapse