Burnout among health care professionals is a common problem due to long-hours and intense nature of the work. Recent studies show that nearly half of all physicians report symptoms of burnout, and 35% of all physicians report complete burnout.

Burnout is a significant problem and goes far beyond being frustrated with your job or needing a vacation. Physicians have poor work-life balance, they have higher rates of depression and they have a higher divorce rate than the general population.

Learning how to manage job stress and strategies on how to recover from exhaustion. These types of strategies are effective forms of burnout treatment. There are counselors trained in burnout treatment, who can help all professionals but particularly doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Seeking treatment and taking preventative measures consistently can help physicians deal with the stress of their jobs and find balance in their lives.

It is also important for supervisors and employers to be aware of the sign of job burnout and the signs of emotional exhaustion, so intervention can be done before the situation is beyond repair or mistakes are made.

For the employer, there are also steps that can be taken to lessen the burden of a stressful job. Those steps may include offering ample vacation time, breaks throughout shifts, and a reasonable work schedule that allows for plenty of home time. While these types of benefits and scheduling cost money, that consideration needs to be weighed against the cost of turnover due to employee turnout.

There are many different methods to avoid burnout as well many options in burnout treatment. One preventative method that has proven effective is meditation. Learning how to let go of worry and take time to refocus, calm down, and breathe each day can help calm your nerves and keep you focused throughout the day. Likewise, yoga has been found helpful for the same reasons.

Regular exercise also helps tremendously as it helps keep you healthy and on top of your game. The better you personally feel, the better you’ll be able to handle workplace stress. Maintaining a healthy diet will also help. The healthier you are, the better you will be able to physical handle the stress of your job. If you are constantly ill due to poor eating habits and a lack of exercise, it will negatively impact your ability to handle stress.

Finally, recognizing the fact you are displaying symptoms of burnout and seeking help can be the difference between you working through it and you leaving your job or making yourself physically ill. Too often people downplay the symptoms, attribute it to something else, or assume how they feel is normal. However, burnout should not be normal, and you don’t have to just deal with it. There are professionals training in burnout and burnout treatment, who can help you work through what you are feeling. They can make you better equipped to handle your job and function better in other areas of your life as well.