How to know if I’m burned out at work?

a stressed man at work

Burnout is a condition that results from continuous working stress that has not been effectively controlled. It occurs when someone is exhausted from completing the work at hand, and the expectations placed on you surpass your capabilities.

Burnout is far more than a bad day or a terrible week since everyone has those in their jobs. Burnout occurs when you don’t have any days to rejoice for an extended length of time. You should be able to quickly grasp the situation when it’s something that has lasted more than a week or two. However, it might be difficult to shine the flashlight on yourself and notice when you are on the verge of becoming burned out at work.

Let’s look at a couple of the most prominent burnout symptoms to see if we can make things clearer for you.

Insomnia

Prolonged stress, according to research, disrupts the complex neurological and hormonal mechanism that controls sleep. It’s a downward spiral, because not sleeping causes the system to get even more out of balance. If you’ve discovered that you can’t snooze easily at night, you may be suffering from burnout.

Impatience

Perhaps you used to be a patient person who could participate in complex conversations with others. However, you’ve noticed that you’re growing increasingly annoyed with even the smallest request from your coworkers. In other words, your capacity to solve problems and interact productively with people has dramatically deteriorated.

Exhaustion
woman lying on bed

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Burnout is typically identified by weariness and a general sensation of depletion. You may experience not just physical tiredness, but also an emotional emptiness and exhaustion. So, if waking up in the morning and heading to the workplace each day is becoming more of a challenging task than usual, you might be on the verge of burnout.

Reduced professionalism

It may show itself as a refusal to speak with coworkers, tardiness in completing urgent duties, engaging in other tasks during work hours, or a lack of enthusiasm in professional development and upgrading current expertise. It could also be a sense of being misplaced or detached in work meetings and conferences.

Changes in eating habits

Burnout might also manifest itself in eating more or less than normal. People may eat less as a result of being too busy or fixated, or they may constantly need comfort foods that we all crave when we need something to lift our spirits. Hormonal changes may also impact appetite, making individuals feel fuller than normal while they’re under a huge amount of pressure and more famished than usual when the stress subsides.

Some of these subtler indications might be hard to detect, so consider the habits that are affecting your day-to-day life. Personal awareness is critical to keeping track of your health. Consider consulting a mental health expert if you’re suffering prolonged physical symptoms that might be signs of burnout to check if they’re caused by situational stress or anchored in other physical illnesses. Help is readily accessible; don’t dismiss the signs and symptoms as unimportant.

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How To Recognize And Beat Work-Related Burnout

The national values instilled as a society coupled by the relatively high cost of living in Singapore led to the “hardworking” culture that is embedded in almost everyone’s veins. With the amount of commitment that most people have towards their jobs, they can occasionally experience an unpleasant consequence called Burnout.

Coined in the ’70s by the American Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, Burnout refers to the outcomes of relentless work stress and high ideals. Work-related burnout and its co-morbid problems commonly lead to absenteeism due to sickness. For instance, you have been spending more time at the office to get more things done but ended up being physically and mentally unwell. Going beyond the limits of your body is just counterproductive to your well being and finances. This is why you must recognize the telltale signs of work-related burnout. Here are some of them…

4 SIGNS OF BURNOUT

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

1. LACK OF MOTIVATION

Have you been fantasizing about swimming on the beautiful Bondi Beach? Or are you wishing that tomorrow is a “newly proclaimed” non-working holiday? Well, wanting to run away from your work is a common sign of burnout.

2. COGNITIVE PROBLEMS

Burnout can cause cognitive problems in memory and attention. You can experience slip-ups such as messing up on normally easy tasks, forgetting to remember simple things, and having a hard time focusing.

3. FATIGUE

You are always tired. Need I say more?

4. NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

If you are wondering about whether what your doing is appropriately compensated and if it has any significance, you are experiencing “reduced accomplishment”. It is a common symptom of burnout that can affect anyone who has been working too hard including elite athletes and renowned surgeons.

4 WAYS TO HANDLE STRESS

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

1. SEE YOUR FRIENDS

Sometimes, changes in the working environment and tangible support from others can help with the problems brought by the workplace stress. Consider spending some time with your friends or the people who make you smile. You may be putting off some of your tasks (for the meantime) by doing so but is it not the whole point of destressing?

2. HAVE A “ME” TIME

Since burnout is influenced by mental clutter, learning to relax and removing the distractions for an ample period of time can ease your negative feelings. Put your work assignments or projects down and do something you really enjoy. Set aside at least 10 minutes of the day to yourself.

Listen to your favorite love song, book a spa appointment, eat your favorite dessert, purchase new video games or try on different shades of lipsticks. You deserve it!

3. EXERCISE MORE

Exercise has physical and psychological benefits such as reducing stress, anxiety and depression. It can also improve one’s quality of life, self-concept and self-efficacy. So get pumping! Run outside the house or gather a group of friends to start a regular exercise routine.

4. GET QUALITY SLEEP

When you are tired and sleep deprived, you are less patient, less concentrated and easily irritated. As sleep deprivation can increase your stress, it is advisable to get quality sleep.

Nothing beats the feeling of waking up refreshed and rejuvenated after a good night’s rest. It does give you the boost you need to deal with the hurdles that the new day can bring. Give your body the restorative rest craves for. At least 6-8 hrs of sleep is ideal for working adults.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, & 4

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