5 Signs of Burnout
Sometimes when you find yourself inside the energy-zapping state of burnout, it can be hard to recognize the signs. You know that you don't feel like yourself and that everyday activities seem harder than usual, but you might not realize objectively how deeply you’ve been thrown off balance.
GLEAM wants to provide a quick guide here to perform a self-check, but many of these signs can also be indicative of a larger problem. If your symptoms are severe enough that you cannot function personally or professionally, please seek out a licensed professional therapist or your primary care provider for guidance.
So what is burnout anyway?
According to the World Health Organization:
“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job.”
Like most definitions, the WHO focuses on the symptoms of burnout as it relates to one’s job, but I know that many people can feel these same burnout symptoms as it relates to personal life and relationships as well. You don’t have to have a high-powered stressful job to become susceptible to burnout, so keep that in mind as you reflect on the below signs.
1 . I am often fatigued.
It’s easy to write this one off as “I’m just busy” but deep fatigue can creep up on you and worsen over time. Do you find you need a nap in the middle of the day when you didn’t need one before? Do you dread physical activity because you feel you simply don’t have the energy? Does the idea of cooking dinner (when it was previously an activity that you loved) seem too tall of a task?
The important thing to note here is to compare your current energy levels with where you were a year ago, two years, etc. Often we don’t see trends that manifest themselves over long periods because the changes can be gradual over time.
The key to identifying excessive fatigue is considering activities that used to energize or engage you now feel really difficult or disinteresting. We deserve space in our busy lives for the activities and people that bring us joy and fill our cups.
Consider engaging the objective opinion of a loved one, or better yet, a totally impartial observer, like a life coach to help you explore how your energy levels may have changed over time (and what to do about it).
2. I often feel tense.
This is another easy one to ignore because normal life can lend itself to tense situations. Feeling tense once in a while is just a side effect of living in modern day society, and not a cause for alarm in and of itself.
But do you feel tense more often than you want to, or than you are used to feeling tense? Are there situations that did not previously stress you out that now seem stressful and anxiety-provoking? It could be something as simple as food planning for the week that might send you into a state of overwhelm.
One solution is to identify a variable that has changed over time in your life that lends itself to more tension. It could be stress at work, at home, or with your health that increases your everyday tension. But you won’t know this is the case until you take some time to reflect on the root cause of your most tense moments.
If any of the above feels relatable, it might be time to ask yourself some questions about whether you are experiencing burnout.
3. I feel disconnected from certain areas of my life.
I want to stress here again that work is not the only area of your life where you might be feeling overwhelmed or disconnected. We all place importance on different areas of our lives at different times and there may be one or multiple areas where you feel worn thin.
Sometimes, the mere state of imbalance is enough to create deep dissatisfaction. The first step to identifying this particular symptom in ourselves is to identify what matters most in our lives - your answers won’t be the same as your neighbor’s or your best friend’s, and that is OK. Start by asking who and what in your life brings you joy.
The next step is to identify areas of life we are giving time and attention to that don’t align with the priority list from above. Are you sacrificing quality time with your family consistently to meet a work deadline? Do you feel distant from your spouse because your schedules are too opposite? Devote the most time and energy towards your high priority areas of life, then be intentional about how much time and attention you want to give the lower priority areas.
A quick take away from the questions above is to notice which areas of your life you feel you’re failing at the “shoulds.” We’re often told by society, the media and people in our orbit what we ought to do and be in order to be happy, but these cues are not nearly as important as what your own internal compass is telling you. Working with GLEAM can help you reconnect with your top priorities and create an action plan to bridge the gap.
4. I feel disconnected from loved ones.
Do you feel the absence of important relationships you once held closely? Or, has it been hard to feel connected even when you are with them? It is usually fairly apparent if you feel disconnected from your spouse, child or roommate as those are people you see all the time, everyday. But what about your parents, siblings or friends?
Sometimes relationships finish their purpose in your life and they naturally fade away - there is nothing wrong with people coming into your life for just a season. But if you’re having a hard time connecting with important people in your life , you might consider trading some of the precious time you spend doing other things to cultivate those relationships again.
Try thinking about it this way - when you considered the question above about what really matters most to you, did you include “regular support from family and friends”? Just like a plant, you have to water these relationships and give them the gift of your time in order to see growth and continued satisfaction.
The first step here is identifying those relationships you’d like to cultivate and then working to maintain regular communication with those people. It may take time to get back into a rhythm, so start with small steps like texting once a week or making time to meet up once a month. There may be other activities that have to fall by the wayside to accomplish this, and this is where you really have to be clear on your personal priorities.
5. I often feel a sense of overwhelm.
If you’re having a hard time putting your finger on what might be causing a sense of burnout, it could be a general sense of overwhelm. Sometimes an overarching feeling of “there’s just too much to get done in a day” can be even more intimidating. It can also be taxing to know difficult or complex tasks ahead may demand more energy than you feel you have in the tank right now.
This is really when it’s time to get an outside perspective - you might be unable to view your circumstances clearly from the center of your feelings. Maybe you are also looking for a framework that will guide your mindset to a more positive space. You don’t have to go it alone!
If #5 feels the most relatable to you and you’re ready to talk, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for a life coaching consultation. As a certified life coach, I have a lot of resources and experience at my disposal to help you navigate burnout and find better balance.
Don’t let the “shoulds” steal your joy today!
