Day 1 of your new job: “This is the best! I’m so lucky I got this job. I’m going to rock this.”

Day 100 of your not-so-new job: “Please don’t make me go back. Whose idea was this? What am I even doing with my life?”

This, friends, is burnout.

While the timeline and circumstances will be different for everyone, burnout is a phenomenon most people will experience at some point or another. Whether you’re a full-time manager, a part-time employee, self-employed, or even a stay-at-home parent, burnout is likely to creep in at some point and make you question all of your life choices.

While burnout might not be a diagnosable condition (yet), it is widely recognized as a growing problem. Generally, burnout is considered to be the result of prolonged stress, usually related to your job or career. But while burnout is often caused by stress, it’s important to remember that it’s not the same thing as stress. Rather, it’s the accumulation of stress over time, which eventually turns into a different state entirely.

One source describes it this way: stress involves “too much” (too many responsibilities, too much on your calendar, etc.), while burnout involves “not enough” (not enough motivation, care, or energy to keep going). As this source says: “If excessive stress is like drowning in responsibilities, burnout is being all dried up.”¹

Sounds fun, right?

All jokes aside, burnout is not something you want to experience for an extended period of time. This is why it’s so important to know and recognize the signs of burnout, so you can catch burnout and stop it before it becomes a more serious problem.

But burnout isn’t always easy to identify. Some people might chalk it up to stress, a busy time of year, or a personal issue they’re dealing with. Others may struggle to differentiate burnout from a mental health challenge they’re facing.

We’ve nailed down three big signs of burnout that will help you recognize it right away, along with some tips for working through burnout—and preventing it in the future!

1. 1. You feel physically “off.” While burnout really sounds like a mental or emotional state, it can affect you physically as well. Here’s how: You’re tired. All...the….zzzz….Sorry, drifted off there. If you’re feeling the same way these days (sleepy at all the wrong times), you might want to check yourself for burnout. This could mean that you have a hard time getting up in the morning (#snoozebutton), that you struggle to stay awake during the day, and/or that you have a hard time falling asleep at night (even as tired as you are). This fatigue also brings with it a sense of hopelessness, like you couldn’t possibly summon the energy to face another day at work.
      
      Your body feels or acts differently. Things like headaches, stomach pains/problems, muscle pain, and more can also signal burnout. Though it might be difficult to know if these problems are caused by burnout or something else entirely (and you should talk to your doctor about all of these things), it’s just another data point that may help you realize you’re burned out.
      
      You get sick. Again. The fatigue mentioned above could make your immune system sluggish as well, which might make you more susceptible to viruses. That cold that you just can’t shake could be a sign of something more.These physical signs of burnout will manifest themselves differently in everyone, but one or more of these symptoms could indicate a problem.
   2. You become cynical, pessimistic, and/or detached. Are you rolling your eyes at every joke your boss tries to make? Do you not feel like socializing with your coworkers (or maybe at all)? Are you unsure if you’re making a difference, or if anyone even cares that you’re there?As much as we hope you didn’t answer “yes” to any of those questions (at least try to laugh at those bad jokes, would ya?), if you are having feelings similar to these, it may be a sign of burnout.Of course, we all have bad days. We all get overwhelmed by deadlines, demands, and a neverending list of to-dos. But if those days are becoming more and more frequent, while your good days seem fewer and farther between, it’s likely that burnout is the culprit, rather than a case of the Mondays.

       

   3. Your work performance is suffering. People that experience burnout often find it difficult to bring their “A” game to work with them. Even tasks that you once excelled at can become tiresome, monotonous, or even difficult if you’re going through burnout. Your performance drops, and for some reason, your job seems harder than ever before.This symptom of burnout can even work its way into your personal life. You might start feeling like any and all tasks are overwhelming or impossible (we’re looking at you, laundry). This can make it feel like you can “never get ahead” or like you’re failing in all aspects of life.Part of the real puzzle of this is that burnout is often the cause of excessive work or long hours. So basically, you could be working harder than ever, and still struggling to accomplish daily tasks and meet your goals. You may even find it hard to gain any traction on the tasks you do try to perform, leaving you with a “spinning your wheels” feeling that probably won’t help you out of your burnout.

Which brings us to the next big question: what will help you out of your burnout? If you’re recognizing any or all of the above symptoms in yourself, it’s time to turn things around, preferably pretty quickly, so you can get back on track and start loving your work again.

These tips will help pull yourself out of burnout, and might even help you prevent it in the future.

Take a step back. Once you suspect that burnout has worked its way into your life, the best first step you can take is a step back. By that, we mean slowing down, stepping back, and taking a good look at your life. Ask yourself questions like:

• What responsibilities do I currently have?
• Which responsibilities cause the most stress or sadness?
• Why did I start down this career path in the first place?
• What are my ultimate career-related goals?
• Will my current responsibilities help me achieve those goals?

These questions may help you identify and break down problems with your work life (and remember, “work” includes what you do with most of your time, including stay-at-home parenting or homemaking). But your lifestyle or general life choices may also be contributing to your burnout. This means you should try to identify problems with your personal life as well. These kinds of questions might help you with this:

• How much time do I have to myself?
• How much time do I have to spend with my family?
• What are my hobbies? Do I really enjoy them?
• What would I do if I had all the time in the world?
• When do I feel most relaxed?
• Do I enjoy my home environment?
• What tasks at home do I enjoy? Which ones do I not enjoy?
• Am I taking care of myself?

When asking yourself these questions, give brutally honest answers. Your burnout may never go away if you aren’t able to be honest with yourself about the problems you’re having and how your life is going. Once you have the answers to these questions, you’ll be able to move on to other burnout-busting strategies.

Prioritize. Take a closer look at the responsibilities you have (the lists you’ve made above should make this easy). Then try to divide these responsibilities into major categories:

• Things that are important and must be done by you
• Things that are important and could (or should) be done by someone else
• Things that are not important (or not as important as you once thought they were)

It’s very easy to feel like the world is sitting on your shoulders, but the truth is, it’s very unlikely that everything you have on your plate absolutely has to be done, and done by you. Think about things you could potentially delegate (small work tasks, household chores) and about what would need to happen for them to be delegated. If there are things that are taking up a lot of your time and adding to your burden, but you realize they aren’t even that important, now’s the time to cut them out or trim them down.

By prioritizing the things on your plate, you’ll be able to focus on the things that are most important, which will help you feel more fulfilled and purposeful.

Set yourself up for success. A lot of burnout is caused by pushing ourselves too hard. We want to be able to do everything, and we want to do it well. When we fail at that, we feel bad about ourselves. Rinse and repeat, and burnout is coming your way.

Instead of trying to take on the world (“I’m going to wake up at 4 am, every day!” “I’m going to work through my lunch hour!” “I’m never going to make that mistake ever again!”) be a little more realistic. Establish a basic schedule that gives you plenty of time to tackle your top priorities, while also building in time for rest and self care. Take your personality and preferences into account. Are you a morning person, or a night person? How much time do you need to unwind at the end of the day? What sorts of things are “non-negotiable” for you?

Something else you should schedule is vacation time. It’s important, every once in a while, to get away completely and allow yourself time to rest, physically and mentally. Plan vacations well in advance, so you’re able to get the time off work. Another benefit of this is that it will give you something to look forward to and work towards.

By setting up a schedule like this—one that accounts for your specific needs—you’ll feel like you have a little more control over your life, which will go a long way in reversing and preventing burnout.

C’mon, get healthy. Our bodies and minds are connected. Most people find that when they are physically healthy, they are happier and more energetic. If you want to pull yourself out of burnout (and overcome that horrible fatigue that comes with it) make sure you’re taking care of your physical needs.

Eat healthful foods. Exercise regularly. Use supplements to help fill in nutritional gaps and help you reach your fitness goals. Make sleep a priority. Meditate. As you take better care of yourself, you’ll find that you have more energy and motivation to handle those fastballs life keeps throwing at you.

Find your people. Remember that “world is sitting on your shoulders” feeling? Wouldn’t it be nice to share the burden a bit? Humans, by nature, are social creatures. We need each other to be at our best.⁵

As much as burnout makes you want to crawl into a hole with a bag of Doritos and binge watch Netflix, you need to do your best to let other people into your life (or at least share your Doritos with them). Reach out to friends and family. Make time for socializing. Share your worries and concerns with those closest to you. Go on a vacation with your spouse. Go to happy hour with your coworkers. Whatever the method, spend time with people. You won’t feel so alone, and you’ll be better equipped to tackle the challenges you’re facing.

Burnout, literally, means that the fire’s been stamped out of you. You don’t feel like yourself. You don’t feel like slogging your way through another day in your job and in your life. And burnout is becoming more and more pervasive as our lives seem to get more and more hectic. But by being aware of the symptoms and deliberate about taking steps to fix it, you can ditch the burnout and start living a happier, healthier life. Now get out there and light that fire!

 

References/Sources:

1. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm#difference
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/high-octane-women/201311/the-tell-tale-signs-burnout-do-you-have-them
3. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm#what
4. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642
5. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-nourishment/201612/why-we-need-each-other