Recognizing Burnout

Recognizing Burnout

If you’re emotionally exhausted or feel that you’re unappreciated and overwhelmed even though you continue to work hard, you may be approaching or in burnout.

Burnout can look a lot like early stages of mental health decline, but not yet mental illness. It often creeps up on you without you really noticing until you feel ill. Unaddressed burnout can increase your chance of developing clinical depression or other serious conditions.

The ways to address burnout are similar to addressing chronic stress. They may just take a little longer for burnout. Don’t wait until you experience it before learning to prevent and address it.

Nature

Burnout is more likely to affect those who:

    • Expect too much of themselves
    • Never feel their work is good enough
    • Feel inadequate or incompetent
    • Feel unappreciated
    • Are in a job that’s just not a good fit
    • Have unreasonable demands (either because they accept them or they’re placed on them)
Speaking

Burnout is described as physical, mental and emotional exhaustion and you may notice that you are:

    • Less motivated
    • Irritated by little things
    • More cynical
    • Less productive
    • Making more mistakes
    • Not laughing anymore
    • Feel unwell often
    • Not sleeping well
    • Have no energy
Look Up

Detect the signs early and take action

    • List what burnout looks like for you (anger, frustration, exhaustion, etc.) so you can identify it early and take steps to prevent a downward spiral
    • Ask for help If you’re feeling overwhelmed, delegate tasks or reset priorities
    • Connect with people who care about you
    • Ask people you trust for support
    • Learn to verbalize your feelings to prevent future episodes of burnout
    • Minimize or eliminate exposure to negative and toxic people in your life
    • Practice good self-care – diet, sleep, reduce intake of alcohol or caffeine
    • Utilize relaxation techniques such as mindfulness or spending time in nature
    • Participate in physical activities whenever you can: hiking, biking, sports, dancing
Mobile

Learn about burnout before you experience it

The ways to address burnout are similar to addressing chronic stress. They may just take a little longer for burnout. Don’t wait until you experience it before learning to prevent and address it.

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