Everything You Need To Know About Burnout
Have you ever woken up in the morning feeling like you haven’t slept at all? Or on your way to work you have a sinking feeling in your stomach and a sense of despair? Or maybe you feel exhausted all day every day, and find yourself being less productive. These can all be signs you are experiencing burnout.
Psychologist, Herbert Freudenberger described burnout as a “severe stress condition that leads to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.”
Generally, most people experience burnout at work. For instance, you start to dislike your job and feel less capable in completing tasks. Or you feel burnout because you feel overworked, or you’re not challenged enough in your role. It could even be experienced when you are under recurring pressure to complete tasks. Or maybe you’re having conflicts with colleagues.
In 2020, a global study analysed how white-collar workers managed working from home. The study revealed four out of five Australians suffered from burnout. It also found employees worked nearly twice as many late hours as the year before.
It is worth noting, burnout does not happen overnight, rather a gradual process that occurs over time. Below is a list of possible signs you may have burnout:
Feeling exhausted and tired
Reduced performance at work
Loss of motivation
Headaches and muscle pain
Negative outlook at work
Skipping work or calling in sick
Procrastinating
Feeling trapped and helpless
If we are experiencing burnout, what can you do? Below are four steps to help you.
1. Identifying the problem
We have to take time out to identify the negative feelings and identify what is causing those feelings of burnout. Ask yourself - Is it dissatisfaction with my job? Is it the people I work with? Is it the lack of time I can spend with my family? Whatever it may be the first step is to identify what is causing you to feel burnout.
2. Self-Care
Next we need to look at our own self-care routine whilst recovering from burnout. Exercising and getting adequate sleep is the first step in our own self-care. For more on self-care, see here.
3. Annual Leave
We all have access to leave at work but often do not take it, or do not take an adequate amount of time off. By utilising our annual leave and taking that holiday we always wanted is a great way to distance yourself from the stressors at work and focus on your own wellbeing and self-care.
4. Re-Evaluate Your Goals
While on leave, it is the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate your goals. Such as thinking about if your current situation/work align with your values and goals? If not, then you will need to make a change to ensure you are able to meet your goals.
If you are experiencing signs of burnout, we are here to help you navigate through it.