Burnout accumulates slowly over time, manifesting itself not just in our work lives but also in our personal lives. It can develop and grow without us noticing until we are entirely disengaged from work life, personal relationships and even ourselves.
Individuals who report burnout speak of feeling ‘empty, drained, numb or sluggish’.
Signs of Burnout in Your Behaviour:
Forgetfulness – losing things or trouble keeping routines
Procrastinating or ‘being lazy’ – taking longer or unable to complete tasks
Avoiding work – unable to keep regular work hours, coming in late or leaving early
Unsustainable coping techniques – using food, smoking, drugs, alcohol etc as coping or distraction techniques
Isolating yourself – not replying to texts or emails from friends and family and opting out of social activities
Signs of Burnout in Your Emotions:
Worthlessness – lack of feeling you have worth, either with yourself or with your work
Detachment – feeling disconnected from work, friends or family, almost like you’re looking at the world from the bottom of the sea
Lack of motivation – lack of desire to start or finish tasks
Helplessness – feeling like you are stuck and unable to get out of your situation, both practically and emotionally
Everything feels negative – an increasing sense of negativity and pointlessness about work or personal life
Signs of Burnout in Your Body:
Drained of Energy – feeling tired and like you want to stay in bed all day
Constantly unwell – more frequently ill or feeling under the weather
Aching in the body – muscle pain, joint tension, headaches, brain fog
Irregular sleep patterns – sleeping too much, not getting enough sleep or being unable to sustain regular sleep patterns
Irregular eating – anything from loss of appetite to regularly seeking comfort food
Actions to Take:
- Identify your points of stress & evaluate your options
- What area of your life is causing you the most stress?
- Where can you perhaps give yourself a break?
- What flexibility do you have with your work?
- Can you compromise on your workload?
- Take breaks in your routine
- Allow yourself more time to rest
- Schedule in breaks during your day
- Prioritise these breaks as you would an important work meeting or Doctors appointment
- This could include regular small breaks or a longer lunch break – whatever works best for you and your schedule
- Seek support from family, friends or co-workers
- Ask for support from people around you
- People often want to help, so let them
- See if you can work with them to manage or change any points of stress
- Set boundaries
- Find the boundaries that work FOR YOU – whether that means deciding on a time to stop looking at emails, allowing yourself a long weekend break from time to time or turning off your phone after a certain time
- Downtime and distraction
- Engaging in sports, going on walks or doing physical activity can be a welcome tonic as can binging on box sets and playing games
- Don’t feel guilty for taking time out to do these things