Recognizing and Dealing with Burnouts

In today's fast-paced and demanding work environment, burnout has become an all-too-common thing. As we juggle the demands of our careers, family life, and personal well-being, it's crucial to recognize the signs of burnout and take proactive steps to address it. Today, we will explore what burnout is, its symptoms, and offer practical strategies for preventing and managing it in the workplace.

Photo by Jacqueline Day

What is a burnout? A burnout is not just a feeling of being stressed or overwhelmed; it is a specific form of chronic workplace stress characterized by emotional exhaustion, reduced performance, and a sense of detachment or doubt towards one's job. It can manifest gradually and often goes unnoticed until it has a significant impact on an individual's physical and mental health. It can make you question your every move at work, second guessing if you've done enough; which can lead to overthinking about a project and actually turning in something sub-par compared to what you normally do.

What causes burnouts? When dealing with burnouts, there are several factors you have to think about. Sometimes, a burnout can occur simply because you have a lot of stress in your personal life, and it has become so stressful that the stress is now affecting every aspect of your daily life. That can, unfortunately, make your burnout even worse because you aren't able to escape the stress anywhere. Both at work and home, you may feel like you are losing control over certain situations which can also lead to burnouts. When you start losing control of things, your stress level goes up because now you are fighting to figure out how to wrestle that control back into your hands.

When you have a workplace-specific burnout, there are several factors that contribute to that. The most common one is the lack of recognition. When you do the best that you have ever done on your phone calls or did a huge chunk of that presentation that the heads just loved, or even just the basic you did above and beyond your job in general; it hurts when we don't get the "You did awesome!" that comes along with it. It's not unusual to want to hear that you've done a good job. We as humans thrive on positivity; it's not ego or being conceited, it's wanting to know that you are doing well. Sometimes, having unclear expectations can have an impact on getting that recognition. If you don't understand what needs to be done, and there are unclear instructions, you can't get it done in a timely manner or may not fulfill the expectations of what needed to be done. It can add extra stress onto you, causing you to overthink literally everything and impact the rest of your work until you just hit the wall and burnout. The last cause I want to look at is taking on a bigger workload then you are used to. When you take on a larger workload without figuring out how to balance it all first, you lead yourself into both a workplace and personal life burnout. There are times that extra workload isn't optional, which can make getting it even worse because you have no chance to try to adjust to handle it. This can lead to having an imbalance in your work and personal lives, as well as the feelings of having lack of control.

How can I recognize that I am heading towards a burnout? There are five general symptoms of burnout. Knowing them can help you catch them early and change the way things are going, which will help your mental health enormously. One of the earliest signs of burnout is a persistent feeling of exhaustion, both mentally and physically. You will start to find it becoming increasingly difficult to do even the simplest of tasks and may even want to stay in bed in the mornings. While this is a common symptom amongst many things, once you recognize later symptoms of burnout it will be easier to know you are having one if you recognize when you started feeling tired more often.

Burnout can lead to a decline in job performance. Tasks that used to be manageable may start to feel overwhelming, and you might struggle to just get through a project or a shift. If someone at work notices, sometimes they're nice enough to say something like, "Hey, are you doing okay?" If you get asked that, you might want to stop and make sure you're not starting to spiral into a burnout. If others are noticing, then you've definitely progressed pretty far. When others notice it means that you're starting to show emotional distress, which is the third symptom. Irritability, mood swings, and a sense of hopelessness are common emotional symptoms of burnout. You might become more cynical or detached from your work and colleagues, and those coworkers that you are close with will notice. Take what they say not quite to heart, but at least to mind. They're not being rude; they care about you.

Another reason your coworkers may say something is because they've noticed the last two symptoms: you've began withdrawing from social interactions, or you may be physically showing your burn out. People experiencing burnout often withdraw from social activities, including spending time with friends and family. They may isolate themselves due to a lack of energy or interest. The physical toll that it takes on your body my not show as much, but if you are not used to experiencing headaches or migraines often you will want to take note if you have a sudden increase in frequency. If you start calling out of work more often with the "stomach bug" you may also want to reevaluate if you are in a burnout.

Photo by Mediamodifier

I'm in a burnout, how do I handle it? The most common thing you will hear people say is "you just need to take a break" which, unfortunately, can't always be done. However, making sure you schedule an hour of self-care every day is an option. It's like taking a mini-break, which is a good option for when you can't take a full-blown one. This also ties in with making sure your time management is on point and be sure to take actual breaks at work as well. Another thing that is very difficult to do but is a must: you have to set healthy boundaries. Let's look at a fantastic movie that showed why boundaries are healthy!

The Devil Wears Prada, 2006, starring the wonderous Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestly) and the amazing Anne Hathaway (Andrea "Andy" Sachs), alongside Stanley Tucci (Nigel Kipling) and Emily Blunt (Emily Charlton). This movie is an exemplary show of needing boundaries at work. While we don't really see what a work burnout looks like until Andy basically takes over Emily's position as Miranda's senior assistant, we do see a lot of unhealthy overworking. Andy, as the junior assistant, is not able to give boundaries as she wants to get through a year of working under Miranda so that she can get her dream job as a writer or reporter. Slowly, after a make-over montage with Nigel, you see Andy grow and change between her wardrobe and how she adapts at being Miranda's assistant. When Andy has to attend a gala to help Emily, who is sick, you see her step up when Emily blanks on a name to give Miranda before she is approached by guests. The next time they show the office is a pivotal moment where instead of setting her jacket on Andy's desk, who actually reaches for it, Miranda looks Andy directly in the eye as she set her jacket on Emily's desk instead. Further, Miranda tells Andy that she is to inform Emily that she is replacing her on the Paris trip. Andy changes, but it's not until Miranda stabs Nigel in the back in Paris that she realizes that she no longer has boundaries between her personal life, and work; so, she sets them. By quitting on the spot. Those boundaries between work and personal lives are so important. It doesn't matter if it's because you are overloaded with work or you want to keep the two lives separate, and the lines are blurring. Boundaries are so important. Once you have them, don't ever be afraid to say no! If you let people cross your boundaries then not only will your own health suffer, but people will believe they can take advantage of you. If that happens, be sure to seek support from higher management, or even going to HR. Many companies have policies that can protect you, even if you have to search a little for them; because let's be honest, not all companies want their employees to know that they can seek higher support. Really, that's not a company you want to work for, but even I have to admit the realities of sometimes you have to take work where you can find it until you can find something better. To tie in with that is making sure you have support at home, too. A good support system for anything and everything will help you when you begin to burnout. You should have someone to talk to, that understands and is willing to be a soundboard. In the past I had an agreement with my significant other that we would talk on the phone before we got home after work; or when we worked together, we would talk in the car and get everything about work out so that when we got home everything was said and done. It gave us time to vent out our work frustrations, but also kept it out of our home life. If you struggle to have a good support system, please reach out and seek professional help. As scary as it can be, sometimes you just need someone to be a soundboard. A good counselor can be that soundboard for you, especially if you already have established mental health problems.

Recognizing and addressing burnout is essential for maintaining a healthy and productive work environment. By being vigilant about the symptoms and taking proactive steps to prevent and manage burnout, both employees and employers can create a workplace that promotes well-being, job satisfaction, and overall success. Remember, taking care of yourself is not a luxury but a necessity in today's fast-paced world. By being vigilant about the symptoms and taking proactive steps to prevent and manage burnout, both employees and employers can create a workplace that promotes well-being, job satisfaction, and overall success. Remember, taking care of yourself is not a luxury but a necessity in today's fast-paced world.

Until next time, friends: stay safe, stay healthy, and stay hydrated!