The Key To Not Burning Out At Work May Be Just Ignoring More Things

You probably first experienced burnout when you were in school.

You know, after the beginning of the semester but before finals came around, during that part in the middle that never seems to end.

And if you know the feeling from school, chances are, you definitely experience it at work.

The American workforce specifically experiences more burnout than other places. A 2013 report by Gallup showed only 30 percent of employees in America feel engaged at work. Meanwhile, the rest of us are drained.

Only 30 percent of employees in America feel engaged at work. Meanwhile, the rest of us are drained.

It may have something to do with the fact that we apparently hate taking time off to travel and don't care about having full weekends.

We're addicted to work, and it's crushing our productivity — and our souls.

Burnout is a state of mental, emotional and physical exhaustion as a result of stress and overwhelming circumstances.

It basically makes you feel like you give absolutely no fucks, causing you to lose motivation and interest in regard to your work.

Sound familiar? I bet it does.

But according to a new study, there's actually a way to beat burnout and mental exhaustion.

It sounds easier said than done, but a study in the journal Health Care Management Review found people who ignore their co-workers' negativity were less burnt out.

The researchers had 596 nurses from Canada complete two surveys via mail over the course of one year. It revealed the nurses who thought they could ignore "workplace incivility," aka disrespect and rudeness, reported feeling less burnt out.

Their mindset of ignoring workplace politics and the like helped them feel more motivated and positive at work.

It almost sounds too easy, doesn't it? I guess this is a good excuse to break out your headphones more often.

Even if you're BFFs with all of your co-workers and love your job because of the special individuals who work there, office drama is still a thing.

Getting involved in it or even hearing gossip — which is inherently negative — could probably contribute to burnout.

OK, so we have to keep in mind this survey required participants to self-report. More research and different types of experiments would need to be done to examine what signs of exhaustion have to do with social dynamics at work.

But at the same time, this is a significant clue that our perspective and mindset can affect a lot.

You don't have to change something about your work environment or day-to-day to beat burnout. It could be as simple as ignoring your co-workers more if they get under your skin.