Stress Management: Top 7 Success Strategies To Avoid Burnout

Several years ago Lisa Whaley sat in her Mercedes with the garage door closed and turned on the engine ready to end it all. A separation from her husband, managing a pre-teen daughter, a sick father, and a super-demanding job that she dedicated herself to as a workaholic, had all caused her to neglect even her own health--and had driven her nearly to the unthinkable. Today, however, with her life in order, Lisa Whaley documents the very real dangers of corporate burnout in a new book entitled, Reclaiming My Soul From the Lost and Found.

1. Be yourself and don’t try to be someone that you’re not. Success is not dependent on who we are as much as on what we do. As we get older, faking it, or trying to create a different personality, can require an exhausting amount of energy, and inevitably lead to failure. Accept who you are, who you aren't, and who you may never be.
   
   
2. Set realistic goals for yourself that aren’t in conflict with your personal values. Goals can keep us moving forward in the right direction, yet they shouldn't clash with one's individual standards and priorities. Each of us has to define success for ourselves and not allow others or society to dictate success for us. Ensure that your goals are your goals, not the goals of what you think others want or expect from you.
   
   
3. Take charge of, and responsibility for, your own career and your own life. Be proactive, not reactive, on a personal level. Don't let outside actions and events alone dictate your decisions. Measure your progress toward the realistic goals that you have set. When reverses and disappointments occur, adjust your goals accordingly but keep moving toward them.
   
   
4. Develop marketable skills that can be of value both inside and beyond your current workplace. Today’s business environment demands that you continually develop new skills with an eye to their marketability inside your company and elsewhere.
   
   
5. Have a work-life support network and use it. Networking is a powerful tool. Don't be afraid to ask people for help. Have at least two supporters in your personal life and two in your business life. Utilize them. No one can help you if they don't know you need help! Sometimes we don't get what we want in life because when don't take the time to ask for it.
   
   
6. Make time for yourself. Schedule your calendar to make sure you have sufficient hours for your own relaxation. Remember, you are the most important person in your own life. Whether it’s a hobby, exercise, meditation or just reading, take time to enjoy your own company. We can't take care of others if we don't take care of ourselves first. If you don't think you have time for you, then sacrifice something else for yourself.
   
   
7. Enjoy life. Have fun. Tomorrow isn’t promised to you. Do not let work consume your existence. Whatever you want to do in life, do it now. No one ever said on their death bed, "I wish I would have spent more time at work." You are replaceable at work, but are irreplacable to your family and the people who love you.

Lisa J. Whaley is President of Life Work Synergy, LLC, an organization dedicated to energizing and motivating individuals to be the best they can be in all dimensions of their lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Her book is available from her website http://www.lifeworksynergy.com, http://www.amazon.com, or [http://www.bn.com.]