Mental Health

Avoid Burn Out: Arianna Huffington Reveals How to Boost Productivity; Study Reveals Why Some People Get Burned Out

By Arah TJ | Update Date: Jan 18, 2017 08:20 AM EST

Ex-co-founder of Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington has suggested useful tips to boost productivity of employees and even entrepreneurs. The 66-year-old author, who left the publication in 2016, is now focused on a new health and wellness start-up, Thrive Global. With her experiences, she is no stranger with "the myth of the entrepreneur."

Getting seven to nine hours of sleep for adults is very important after long hours of work. Apparently, Huffington agrees with it and she believes this helps entrepreneurs have "a successful day." "We say that a good day starts the night before," Huffington says to CNBC.

She added that by taking enough time to sleep, people recharge and they become more effective entrepreneurs and leaders. It also improves cognitive performance and make better decisions.

Huffington also mentioned that people should not skip breakfast and they should also take breaks during the day.

Stress and burn out due to loads of work are very common in every industry. Some people can manage stress, but those who are not able to eventually feel burned out. 

This theory is also backed up by the "Leading Through Burnout" study, lead by Kandi Wiens. Her team assessed 35 chief medical officers (CMOs) at 35 large hospitals for their level of stress. The team also tried to determine how they deal with burn out.

The result shows that participants were not burned out according to the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The result is surprising as the data shows 69 percent of the CMOs described their current stress level as severe, very severe, or worst possible.

According to the study, in order to avoid burn out, one should never be a source of stress or create own stress. People also need to recognize their limitations and take deep breaths when they feel tension and anxiety.

It is also necessary to reevaluate the perspective of the situation and have empathy by putting yourself in the other person's shoes, and compassion. Having an empathy also helps fight stress as you understand the other person, while compassion can counter the physiological effects of stress.

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics