How to Deal with Burnout
By Stacy Waldron, Phd, LP, Bryan Counseling Center
Do you feel sluggish and exhausted? Can simple tasks seem overwhelming to complete? Have you found yourself so stressed out that you quickly become angry or frustrated? If any of this sounds like you, burnout could be to blame.
Burnout can be caused by – and affect - many aspects of your life: your job, being a parent, a relationship with your significant other, being a caregiver for an elderly parent. Burnout has become even more prevalent amid our society's work-life imbalances. Many of us work too much without taking enough time to socialize or relax. Those who work from home find it hard to pull away and "tune out" after normal work hours. The reasons for burnout are limitless.
Understanding the symptoms of burnout and what you can do about it will help improve your mental health and quality of life.
Recognize Warning Signs
Some of the physical or emotional symptoms of burnout might indicate that you need to address issues in your life and add some balance. Often, we do not recognize these warning signs until we are well on our way toward burnout; however, it's never too late to seek help or help yourself. If you feel that there are no boundaries between your personal and work life or if you sense that you have been going 100 miles per hour and you can’t see a way to slow down, this might be a sign that you should reach out for support.
Symptoms of Burnout
- Feeling tired all the time
- Frequent headaches
- Changes in appetite or sleep habits
- Sense of failure and self-doubt
- Detachment and feeling alone, trapped or defeated
- Loss of motivation
- Decreased feelings of satisfaction or accomplishment
- Withdrawing from responsibilities
- Isolating from others
- Procrastination
- Taking out frustrations on others
- Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early
Reach Out for Support
Sometimes reaching out to a friend to talk about how you are feeling can really improve your outlook. There are other times when it is important to reach out for professional help and seek treatment from a therapist. The nice thing about therapy is that you have a safe place to talk with someone who is not a family member, friend or co-worker. You are talking with someone who is impartial and trained to give feedback that can be life changing.
Many times, focusing on your day-to day activities might give clues to what you need to work on to make substantial changes in your life. For example, let’s say you’re not sleeping or eating well because you are worried about a work or school presentation. This might be the starting point for processing your burnout and improving your work-life balance.
Improve Your Self-Care
There are many ways in which you build an awareness of your physical and emotional needs. One of the best starting points is adding personal check-ins into your daily schedule. Take a step away from the computer or whatever your source of stress is and ask yourself: “How am I doing emotionally? How am I doing physically?” This is a perfect first step.
Adding regular exercise to your routine is known to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. But that doesn’t mean you have to join a gym and start pumping iron. There are many ways to be physically active and release stress or pent-up energy: riding your bike, walking your dog or walking with a work friend at lunch are a few great options.
Establish a Routine
Our work/life boundaries are so blurred, it can be difficult to separate the two. Establishing a daily routine for sleep, diet, movement and non-work time is crucial for your well-being. Remind yourself each day that you have worked hard, and that now it’s time to switch gears and attend to your personal life.
If you think you might be experiencing burnout or would like to talk to a therapist about symptoms you are having, please reach out to Bryan Counseling Center at 402-481-5991. You can also take a free, confidential, mental health screening here.
