Even when you love what you do, burn out is possible. In fact, when you really love what you do burn out can creep up on you unexpectedly.
This is because it’s easy to throw ourselves wholeheartedly into what we love and work long, crazy hours because it doesn’t feel like work. Despite that, your mind and body need regular breaks to keep you feeling your best and performing your best. Here are three keys to preventing burnouts.
Take Care of Your Body
This can look different to everyone. For our purposes, taking care of your body means eating well, sleeping well, and exercising. At Upstack, we definitely take our food seriously. Whether you are vegan or eat meat, we can all do our best to make sure we are eating regular balanced meals from whole ingredients — it’s a proven fact that what we eat can greatly impact physical and even emotional health.
When your life’s work consists of sitting in front of a computer for hours on end, staying active is a must! Our founder love running and bike rides as his form of exercise; our HR Manager loves yoga, no matter the form — get those endorphins pumping! Exercise is essential to staying healthy and is a great way to manage stress.
Take Care of Your Mind
This is just as important as taking care of your body. Being a developer requires intense focus and giving your mind a chance to breathe will keep it performing at its peak. A lot of our developers use meditation as a way to quiet and calm the mind, but there are many ways to achieve the same results. Taking a 10 minute to walk outside and reconnect with nature or even your loved one does a mind good.
Don’t Forget Your Passion Projects
Remember that great business idea you had? Don’t let that idea fall to the wayside. Carve time out of your day to devote to important, personal projects. Even if you don’t have something, in particular, take time to play and experiment with the technology you already know and love will spark your creativity and keep your love for what you do fresh.
