What Is Burnout & How To Treat It

What is burnout?

Burnout is a state of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion caused by excessive and extended stress.

Feeling emotionally drained and overwhelmed can lead to burnout. It can reduce productivity and consume all of your energy; physical and mental. The feelings associated with burnout are helplessness, hopelessness, feeling resentful, and having a cynical attitude. Suffering from burnout can affect your performance at work, your life at home, and your social life. You can also become more susceptible to becoming sick with the cold or flu.

How to determine if you have burnout

1. Being constantly stressed can lead to fatigue.
2. You don’t feel appreciated or what you’re doing in life is good enough.
3. You spend an ample amount of your time doing tasks that are either dull or overwhelming.

Signs & Symptoms of Burnout

If it takes a good amount of effort just to get out of bed in the morning, you’re burned out.

Emotional signs of burnout

1. Loss of motivation
2. Cynicism
3. Detachment
4. Sense of self-doubt & failure
5. Feeling trapped, defeated and helpless
6. Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment

Physical signs of burnout

Your body will always tell you how you’re feeling when you’re overworked and incredibly stressed.

1. Fatigue
2. A shift in sleep habits and appetite
3. Muscle pain and frequent headaches
4. Getting sick more often than usual

Behavioral Signs of Burnout

The symptoms of burnout don’t just affect an individual's mental and physical state but their behavior as well. If you fall into this behavioral pattern, you’re most likely experiencing burnout.

1. Self-isolation
2. Procrastinating
3. Using alcohol, food, or drugs as a coping mechanism
4. Taking your frustration out on others

Work-related causes of burnout

If aren’t content with your place of work, it can be a contributing factor in burnout.

1. Overworking yourself without making time for relaxation and socialization
2. Not having enough close or supportive relationships
3. Not getting a good amount of sleep

You can also tell if you’re burned out by particular personality traits.

The way you behave tells you more than you think.

1. Pessimism
2. The tendency to be a perfectionist
3. The need to be in control constantly

Now that you know all the symptoms of burnout, here are ways to treat it.

1. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people you trust. Having someone to talk to that only offers their ear and undivided attention can put you at ease. It’s important to talk to someone who won’t judge you and listen attentively. Reaching out to family, close friends or a significant other can help you deal with burnout.
2. Reconsider how you view your place of work. If you’re experiencing burnout in the workplace, it’ll be beneficial to socialize with your coworkers. This can make the shift go by a lot quicker. You’ll look forward to going to work. If you feel overworked, it’s a sign to take some time off. This will give you time to decompress and recharge.
3. Make your physical health a priority. Get the body moving to combat stress and burnout. Try to become more mindful when moving your body as well. Great exercises are walking, running, yoga, and swimming. It’s also helpful to meditate and deep breathe. By doing this, you can relax your mind and body.
4. Remove yourself from the negative people in your life. Having a negative-minded person in your space can diminish your mood and weigh you down. Try to be in the space of more positive people.
5. Find ways to relax. Adding yoga, meditation, and deep breathing to your routine can help you decompress. This way, you’re relaxing your mind and body.

Gaining control of your life is possible. By following these steps, you’ll be able to treat and prevent burnout.