And what can you do about it? 

We live in an age where almost any information that we need or are curious about is one click away. This helps us be more informed, more agile, and keep up with the fast pacing of the society that we live in.

But when it comes to searching for information about managing anxiety, depression, or burnout on the internet, we often come up short-handed. And not because there is little information out there. On the contrary. 

So, why is it so hard to actually feel better after googling ‘managing burnout’? And what can you do about it?

• There is too much info with contradictory advice

If 15 years ago dealing with mental health problems was a subject for the softies, fortunately, the past years have seen a massive awareness of the importance of emotional health in all areas of our lives. There are currently almost 30 million results in Google on ‘managing burnout’. This shows the massive interest put on the subject of exhaustion. 

So the information on this started to pile. 

This is great, as we have lots of sources to verify the information. It is also confusing as you will find much contradictory information as research evolves and experts start becoming more visible. For example, some years ago goal setting was the gold standard in time management, now intention setting seems more important. 

Apart from trends (which are important, but you should mostly rely on evidence-based research), what should you choose?

The answer: there is no one-size-fits-all in personal development and one reason why you might get confused and frustrated when trying to choose a source is that you don’t know which would be a good fit for you. So my suggestion is to choose one – expert, one category, and one platform to follow. Make sure that their information is evidence-based (you can easily check that by the credentials of the specialist or in the description) and monitor your emotions, and your behavior. Just start. 

• You believe that that advice does not apply to you. What you are dealing with is much worse.

As a therapist I get this lots of times: ‘I am sure that what I’m dealing with is worse than anyone else’s. This is rarely the case. Of course that we are all different and our particular challenges might be overwhelming. 

But, when you think that the information does not apply to you, that what you are dealing with is worse, then you will be more reluctant to try any small action that might bring some improvement or a change in perspective and therefore you see no change. 

The answer: pick an action from the information that you are reading and try it for 7 days. Try to choose an action that seems simple enough to do, but brings a small change in your routine.  Then take some time to reflect on what changes, if something changes, and be mindful of your own beliefs and emotions during that time. 

• You expect to get results in a short timeframe

Even if it takes 10 minutes to read through the suggestions from an article or post, it rarely takes the same to see results when working on your emotions & behaviors. 

The Answer: as it’s the case with achieving any goal, any personal development goal needs planning, formulating, evaluation, and follow-up. And this takes some time. The very good news is that, as with any skill, consistency is key. You don’t need to do much to see improvements, just a bit every day. 

• You believe that you need to solve other things in your life before starting to work on your emotional state. 

“I need to find more time to reflect on my problems. I need some money to go to therapy. I need to finish this project and then I will find the time to think about this.” We’ve all said this at least once in our lives. When you do this, you are missing one important cue: working on your personal dev will help you manage the other areas of your life. 

The answer: start sooner rather than later. You wouldn’t wait until going to the dentist to start brushing your teeth every day, right? In the same way, don’t wait until you have finished everything on your mental plate to start focusing on yourself. Because the show does go on and chances are that there will always be stuff that needs your attention. So small actions every day. 

We built the Acertivo with this idea in mind: small actions every day make for a better and smoother emotional life. And this is good for you not only in some long and distant future when you will have everything sorted out, but right now, today, in this situation that affects you. 

So start. Today!