Burnout is typically mistaken for stress, however, it is the effects of prolonged stress and excessive physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.
Burnout causes a lot of things, some of which can lead to worrying health and mental health concerns like anxiety and depression. Burnout can reduce productivity and can leave you feeling helpless, it can often feel like you've been wrung so much that you don't have anything left to give.
The effects of burnout can stem from different parts of our lives, from work to home and even our social life. It sometimes leaves long-term changes to our body it makes us vulnerable to illnesses like colds and flu due to the lack of care we give ourselves. Burnouts can cause many variations of consequences, Hence it is important to deal with it the right way.
Here are some signs of burnout:
Often feeling tired and drained.
Getting sick frequently. (flu, headaches, muscle tension)
Lack of appetite or unusual sleep habits.
Sense of failure and self-doubt.
Detachment, feeling alone in the world, helpless, and trapped.
Loss of motivation or procrastinating.
A negative outlook on life.
Decreased sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Withdrawing from responsibilities.
Isolating from others.
Taking out your frustrations on others.
Skipping work/ school or coming in late and leaving early.
Causes of burnout can range from many parts of our lives like work, lifestyles choices, or even sometimes parts of our personality traits. It can begin in small does like feeling as if you have no control of your life or work, working too much, without having time for socializing or relaxing. Taking on too many new responsibilities, without enough help from others or even the lack of support around you. Sometimes we unconsciously even cause it ourselves, like when we have perfectionistic tendencies, nothing anyone does is ever good enough so we take on that responsibility ourselves.
Even when we recognize the warning signs of burnout sometimes we are usually past the breaking point and so we try to push through the exhaustion BUT continuing through it will only cause further emotional and physical damage.
This is when you begin to pause and change direction by learning how you can help yourself overcome burnout.
Dealing with burnout requires the “Three R” approach:
Recognize. Look out for warning signs of burnout. It can come in stages and addressing it would be the best way to slowly get ahead of it. When we recognize the signs we can address them before it gets worse.
Reverse. Undo the damage. When you notice these changes it's best to seek help professionally or not. Understanding how to manage stress is vital as you learn what you can handle and your breaking point and getting support can decrease the pressures it causes.
Resilience. Create and build resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health. The little things like eating healthy and exercising can make the biggest difference in managing our health and it can also become an outlet for us to release our stress.
Dealing with burnout can be a challenge, it can be a long process but it is important to note that if we do not assess it will only get worse. Not addressing burnout can lead to critical health concerns that when not addressed can be dangerous and not only will it impact us but those around us as well.
~Lavannia~
NOTE: When dealing with mental health concerns it is best to seek assistance with a licensed mental health professional.
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