Burnout has become one of the biggest health issues of our modern society. But how do I know if I’m on the verge of burnout or simply going through a stressful phase of my life?
There are certain personality types which are more prone to burnout than others and oddly enough it is exactly the personality types who think stress doesn’t affect them. High-achievers with a “I can do it all” attitude, who are extremely passionate about what they do often ignore the fact that they are working extremely long hours and/or put enormous pressure on themselves. They are used to stressful environments and because of that rarely see it coming and ignore all the obvious signs.
Insomnia
Insomnia is often an early warning sign. You may have troubles falling asleep or staying asleep, no matter how exhausted you are.
Physical health problems
Physical symptoms may include heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, back pain, gastrointestinal pain, dizziness, fainting, frequent headaches or just getting sick a lot. Because your body is exhausted, your immune system becomes weakened, making you more vulnerable to infections, colds, flu, and other immune-related medical problems.
Cognitive difficulties
Research shows that continued stress affects the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for executive function. This impacts your memory, problem-solving abilities, attention span, emotional control, focus and visual comprehension. Pay attention if you are forgetting important things, make poor decisions, have emotional outbursts more than usual.
Loss of appetite
When you are under a lot of stress it is easy to skip a meal now and then put if you lose your appetite all together and don’t feel hungry anymore your body is trying to tell you something.
Anxiety
Everybody feels anxious when facing a challenging situation, such as a job interview, problems at work, a tough exam or making important decisions in life. But if your worries and fears seem overwhelming and interfere with your daily life, you want to pay attention and seek counseling.
Negativity and Pessimism
Burnout can turn people who are in general very positive towards pessimism and negativity. If you find yourself focusing on the down side of every situation, have trust issues with coworkers and/or friends and family, a feeling that you can’t count on anyone anymore and nothing is going right or nothing matters anymore it’s time for you to do something about it.
Chronic Fatigue
Burnout often leads to a general state of exhaustion and fatigue. You may feel a lack energy and be tired most days, need to drink large amounts of caffeine to get you through the day or have troubles staying awake during the day.
Detachment and Isolation
You may feel disconnected from others and/or from your environment, avoid interactions and experience a general feeling of resistance to socializing. Notice if you are trying to removing yourself emotionally and physically from your job and other responsibilities, if you call in sick more often or without actually being sick, or stop returning call or responding to emails.
If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, take this as a wake-up call. Take some time to honestly assess the amount of stress you are dealing with and for how long you have been in this situation. Find ways to reduce stress and pressure in your life and find someone to talk to and listen to their opinion. Consider to make some changes in your life, burn out isn’t something that goes away after a while or gets better over time, unless you do something about it. Your future you will thank you about it one day.