Business coach shares unique ‘AMI’ method to identify workplace stress and cure burnout

Burnout at work is becoming alarmingly common, especially in today's world of poor workplace boundaries and constant pressure. According to burnout expert and life coach Toni Robinson, taking a break from it all might be just what you need to regain control. Robinson offers her ‘AMI’ method—a three-step strategy designed to help tackle burnout and bring some balance back into your life.

The expert, who advocates for the need to have work-life balance, recently uploaded a YouTube video, sharing details of her method to help workers stressed with their jobs. The video begins with the business coach listing potential reasons for an employee to feel exhausted from what they do, including people-pleasing, fear of failure and overworking. The “burnout prevention strategist” named her method ‘AMI,’ based on a three-step guide to feeling relaxed with what one does professionally. In this method, ‘A’ stands for acknowledgment, ‘M’ for making a plan of action, and ‘I’ is for implementing this strategy every day along with other nourishment tactics.

Robinson warns that ignoring burnout only makes it harder to overcome. The burnout could possibly be an outcome of subdued feelings as well, she indicated in her 17-minute-long video. “Sometimes it can be self-inflicted, sometimes it’s workplace-related, and sometimes it’s a combination of the two. But you need to know exactly what the underlying issue is that’s causing your burnout,” explained Robinson.

Once you’ve acknowledged the burnout, Robinson says the next step is creating a plan to address it. “Depending on the cause of your burnout, you’ll need to come up with a plan to overcome your people-pleasing, heal from the savior complex, or make an exit plan from the toxic workplace,” remarked Robinson. The plan needs to be followed consistently to regain vigor and excitement, the business coach explained. It could be anything from taking a vacation, not chasing validation from one’s employer, or even cutting extra work hours. Moreover, a burned-out employee needs to prioritize their life over their work.

All this reportedly could go a long way with a positive impact on overall personality development. Robinson says to get rid of feeling tired at work, implementing a method daily could well provide “nourishment.” Robinson says, “While you are in the process of discovering what is burning you out, discovering that you are a people pleaser, you’re discovering that there is this trauma that you’re holding onto that is burning you out, you’re discovering that maybe your workplace is not so great for your mental health.”

Although getting out of the burnout phase could be challenging for an employee, the business coach explains that people need to take healing time out of their busy schedules to unpack everything that caused it in the first place. This precious time could come in any form—either while having your favorite coffee or going on a hike. Apart from this, she recommended practicing gratitude to keep “your mind in a really positive space” to eventually outlive burnout. The idea is to encourage workers by telling them that it's not the end but a new beginning for them.

You can follow Toni Robinson (@balancedbusinesscoach) on YouTube for lifestyle content.