People in the architecture industry know the extreme working conditions of it. Starting from pulling all-nighters in school as it is an inevitable part of the architecture students experience to only talking to the near and dear ones sparsely. It takes a couple of clicks on Google to know that architecture is one of the hardest majors to study, spending the most hours per week on coursework. The pain doesn't just end with graduation.
Naturally, this lifestyle affects the workplace too. The client-based system, almost ubiquitous in architecture makes us vow to get the work done at all costs. This may result in our workforce falling behind. This stage is called burnout which is essentially the result of long-term stress built up over time, ultimately overwhelming the person who experiences it. That said, burnout is NOT the same as stress. Stress is acute, while Burnout is chronic. Nearly all architects (96.9%) experienced burnout in 2021, so it is a problem we all face.
Here are 5 Methods that can Help you Avoid Burnout in the Profession
1. Exercise
2. Eat a Balanced Diet
3. Practice Healthy Sleeping Habits
4. Ask for Help
5. It's Ok to Take a Break
1. Exercise
Exercise isn't only to keep your body healthy but also has research supporting that it helps to improve your emotions. An office worker, like most architects, forgets to get an adequate amount of exercise into their routine.
It is indeed hard to get time to do such activities when you have a tight schedule but lack of physical activity could be detrimental. So get your 1-2 hours of exercise per week, which is the recommended amount of exercise for adults. You don’t really need to spend hours at the gym to reap these benefits. Mini-workouts and short walks are convenient ways to make exercise a daily habit.
2. Eat a Balanced Diet
Even though some takeout and on-the-go Starbucks seem like the most convenient way to keep the hunger at bay, it won't do you any good in the long run. Your body needs nourishment. Eating a healthy diet filled with omega-3 fatty acids can be a natural antidepressant. Adding foods rich in omega-3s like flaxseed oil, walnuts, and fish may help give your mood a boost.
Try to get some trail mix and quick to assemble meals with veggies, nuts, and all the good stuff. Even though it might take a couple of minutes more to run out the door, trust me, your body will thank you.
3. Practice Healthy Sleeping Habits
Our bodies need time to rest and reset, which we completely deny to them because somebody's gotta finish the work! However, healthy sleep habits are truly essential for our well-being. Try to build a work routine where your work is done before your bedtime or understand that balance does mean that you will have to make a couple of sacrifices.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, avoiding caffeine before bedtime, establishing a relaxing bedtime ritual, and banning smartphones from the bedroom can help promote sound sleep hygiene. Let's be real, nobody wants a cranky Karen at 9 am in the office. So yeah, sleep!
4. Ask for Help
During stressful times, it’s important to reach out for help. If asking for assistance feels difficult, consider developing a self-care “check-in” with close friends and family members so that you can take care of each other during trying times.
Try to socialize at least once a week and if you are able to keep a therapist appointment handy at all times with weekly sessions, that can be greatly helpful as well. Try to journal too, if it's not easy to ask for help. 10 minutes of journaling at the end of the day has shown significant improvement in the moods of individuals.
5. It's Ok to Take a Break
Take a breather. Delegate your work to somebody else for a week and take a vacation, enjoy time with your family, or overall just spend it with yourself. In many ways, everyone is busy and the "Hustle" culture that permeates our society zeitgeist is incapable of being healthy. To "do more", one has to first start somewhere and build themselves up methodically.
One of the best ways to excel in this profession is to have a healthy work-life balance. It's a very demanding profession and it gets the best of all of us and to give our best, we need to be happy, healthy, balanced, and rational and a break can help us do it all.
--
Built by Architects for the Architecture, Landscape, Interior, and Urban planning industry, Archslate is proud to create the largest talent marketplace that understands the needs of every firm while removing recruiters, third-party agencies, and percentage cuts. See how Archslate can help your firm by requesting a demo with us.
Read Related
Architecture Firm Spotlight #06: Sharlene Young of Symbiotic Living
Aeon - The Newest Project from noa*
Introducing our first Design Partner cohort