Your body cannot heal without play. Your mind cannot heal without laughter. Your soul cannot heal without joy.” — Catherine Rippenger Fenwick
Do you think you can spot a BURNOUT when it’s happening to you? Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion which is caused by an extended state of stress. Knowing what it means doesn’t make it easy for you to know when you are going to reach burnout or even going through it! To be honest, you are most likely to attribute the signs and symptoms to “stress”, shove it under the rug and move on with your life, because you have other things to worry about, right?!
Burnout isn’t something which happens overnight, it’s a gradual process, the signs can be subtle at first but it can easily get worse if left untreated. The key to preventing a burnout from happening is to tackle it before it even happens…and for that you should be able to recognize the signs of a burnout early on and address it before it takes over.
So keep reading to find out what they are…
6 Signs of a Burnout
- FATIGUE
Okay, I know this is a vague one! Everyone feels tired here and there, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s burnout. Feeling exhausted and fatigue after having a long day or strenuous activity probably isn’t a cause to worry. BUT if you feel more and more drained and exhausted accompanied by physical symptoms; muscle pain and headache, and you are not sure why…it’s probably best to dig deeper.
- NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
One of the hardest parts of a burnout are the negative emotions that rise within you. If you begin to feel defeated, helpless, a sense of failure and self doubt, it’s time to check in with yourself and understand where it’s coming from. It’s important you address these emotions as soon as you feel them coming before it takes over leaving you feeling overwhelmed and resentful.
- IRRITABILITY
Going through a burnout not only impacts you physically but also mentally which in turn affects your behaviour. You will find yourself feeling easily annoyed, triggered and angry. This will affect the way you respond to people and situations by taking out your frustrations on other people and not being able to handle challenges or life in general effectively. So if you notice yourself being easily triggered by anything and everything, it’s time to self-reflect and see how to address it!
- LACK OF OWN CARE
The physical and mental toll that burnout causes can impact your behaviour and the decisions you make. Sometimes you will feel it’s easier to numb the pain and feelings rather than dealing with them. You may turn to alternate ways; such as alcohol or drugs and even food to numb the issue. This will eventually lead to a lack of care for yourself and for those around you. Before your mind wanders into destructive ways of dealing with the burnout…choose better for yourself and ask for help.
- LACK OF MOTIVATION
You may find yourself losing interest in the things you once enjoyed. Even the things that brought you happiness at one point seem insignificant. You can’t seem to find anything that brings you joy and the feeling of numbness creeps in with everything around you. Soon you find yourself wanting to be alone, distancing yourself emotionally from others making it difficult to make an effort to interact with others, leading to self-isolation. Once you notice these behavioural changes within yourself, then you know there is a root cause behind it.
- COGNITIVE ISSUE
When you are going through a burnout, you will find it harder to concentrate, reducing your productivity and performance in your daily routine. Even the smallest task seems to be burdensome and exhausting. You will find yourself mentally and physically worn out without having to do anything. This leads into further self-despair and resentment for not being able to do anything, creating a vicious cycle that you cannot get out of.
Burnout arises from your work or your lifestyle, the key is to know when it’s about to happen or happening. There are many signs of burnout, individually they may seem trivial but when they are accompanied together, it can create a downward spiral. Ignoring them will only make it worse overtime impacting many aspects of your life; home, work, relationships, social life, physical and mental health. Trust your instinct when your body and mind tells you something isn’t right and you don’t feel like your normal self. Get help with the resources around to get yourself back!
It’s the little things that have the greatest impact…
