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How to avoid burnout in China!Working in the fast paced

world of China can be exciting and exhausting. What are some tips and tricks to beat burnout?

Why Are Burnouts Common among Foreigners Working in China? Foreigners are hit hard by the long

working hours in China. As a worker, you are expected to work for as long as it takes to get

projects completed, often without pay for overtime or any other form of compensation. The strain

imposed on you by too many responsibilities and a stressful work environment will quickly make you feel

overworked and undervalued, resulting in fatigue.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Fatigue? Typically, burnout develops gradually over an extended period. It

does not occur overnight, but will overwhelm you at some point if you are not paying attention to the warning

signs. In fact, the signs and symptoms of burnout are usually subtle at first, but become worse and worse with

time making it difficult to complete routine tasks. The physical signs and symptoms of burnout include feeling drained and tired most of the time, frequent back pain, muscle aches, and headaches, change in sleep habits or appetite, and diminished immunity (feeling sick often).

How Should You Prevent Burnout? Almost every person has those days when they feel drained, tired, sleepless and

less motivated to go to work. But if you are experiencing this every week, then you have to realize that you are

close to a major breakdown. Burnout is dangerous because it will not just reduce your competence and

productivity at work, but will also contribute to depression, insomnia, high cholesterol, alcohol abuse and

a host of health problems. Here are ways of avoiding burnout at work.

Begin each day with a relaxing ritual: Thinking of how to overcome burnout at work? Then, instead of just jumping out of bed and rushing out to work as soon as you wake up, spend some 10-15 minutes

engaging in a task that can help you relax. Try meditating for 15 minutes, writing a journal, reading a book that inspires you, or doing gentle exercises.

Use these strategies to prevent burnout and you will quickly overcome.

Deal with the underlying problem: If you can identify the cause of your exhaustion, try fixing this. Discuss these issues with your supervisor to change expectations, find solutions or reach a compromise. Scheduling a meeting with your boss to go through your routine tasks can help to reduce the burden of the assignments and

prevent burnout.

Take a break from technology when you are working: Trying to engage in too many things at once can sap your momentum. Often, foreigners working in China think they can be on their laptops, phones, social media and emails

while working. Unfortunately, this interrupts their productive time and makes them take too long to complete simple tasks. Therefore, to reduce unnecessary pressure at

work, you must not let distractions from the internet or technology gadgets get you off your project. They can lead

to more stress if you can’t complete your job in time.

Adopt healthy exercising, eating and sleeping habits: Eating right, exercising well and getting plenty of sound

sleep will give you the resilience and energy you need to deal with the demands and hassles of working in China.

You should also engage in some creative activities to prevent an impending burnout. For example, starting

something new, resuming a favorite hobby or starting a fun project can keep you fresh and energized. However, you should only choose creative activities that are not

related to your work.

Pat yourself on the back and learn to manage stress: One trait of burnout is feeling devastatingly cynical of

your achievements. But if you take some time to recognize the effort you are putting in at work; you

will overcome this feeling. Each day, take a few minutes to list down the things you accomplished at work and those you wish to accomplish the next day.

This way, you can motivate yourself and stay away from burnout even if no one else appreciates you.

Set boundaries: Never overstretch yourself. Learn to say “no” to any requests that encroach on your free time. Doing this will free up more time for you every day and allow you to

engage in things you love to do. Similarly, you should know when to quit. You could be getting burnout because you are in the wrong job or have outgrown your current job and see no

chance of moving up. Therefore, when feeling burnout, assess whether it is time to quit and build an exit strategy from the

current job. Remember, it is easier to find a job in China when you are already working than when unemployed.

BonusClick on the link below to read the full blog post.

https://www.laowaicareer.com/blog/another-one-bites-dust-avoid-fatigue-work

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