What is Burnout? Am I suffering from Burnout?
Excessive and prolonged stress can lead to physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. You will feel helpless and cynical, and you have decreased productivity and energy levels.
Common signs and symptoms of burnout:
– Physical signs: feeling tired and drained, frequent headaches, lowered immunity and frequent illnesses, changes in appetite or sleep habits
– Emotional signs: self-doubt, failure, helplessness, detachment, cynicism, loss of motivation, dissatisfaction, irritability and anger
– Behavioural signs: withdrawing and isolating yourself, procrastination, dip in productivity and performance levels, using food, alcohol or drugs,
1. Feeling exhausted and drained
2. Headache
3. Difficulty falling asleep
4. Rapid anger and closed-mindedness
5. Declining job performance levels
6. Feeling helpless
Burnout Assessment Test (BAT)
5 key areas:
1. Exhaustion: Do you often feel tired and overworked?Reduce this with techniques that improve sleep quality and communicate workload expectations.
2. Psychological distance: When there is a psychological distance between oneself and work and colleagues. This is a result of depletion of mental energy dealing with everyday stress and reluctance to interact with others, answer emails, etc. This can be reduced by sharing thoughts about difficult things/moments shortly after they happen.
3. Cognitive impairment : It is characterised by memory problems, inability to think clearly or to solve problems. This can be reduced with relaxation techniques.
4. Mood disorders : manifested when it is easier to lose control over emotions. This can be resolved by taking more rest and technique to balance your emotions.
5. Secondary symptoms : Include other symptoms that may manifest as physical pain or anxiety and tension. A healthier, more focused lifestyle will help unless you hire a medical professional.
Important tips on Burnout:
– Recognise the signs and symptoms of burnout
– Learn how to cope with and reverse burnout
– Taking care of physical and mental health, building resilience to prevent burnout again
How to deal with Burnout
1. Rediscovering purpose
It is important to find value in work, find balance in life, and taking adequate time off for yourself
2. Social support and contact:
Connect with family and friends, co-workers, connect with communities and your therapist
3. Go to Therapy
Seek help from a therapist! Going to Therapy can really help with Burnout.
4. Re-evaluate priorities
It is important to learn how to set boundaries, take breaks from technology, set aside relaxation time
5. Pay attention to your own needs
Exercise regularly, make sure you get adequate rest, maintain a regular healthy diet
6. Managing stress
Learn relaxation techniques and meditation. Being more mindful will help us cope with stress
