Feeling Burned Out?
Steps to take to regain your balance
Burnout is common in our modern society. People work long hours and work from home while also potentially home-schooling children during the pandemic made “work” a never-ending task for many people.
According to ICD10, burnout is a syndrome (aka a constellation of symptoms) that typically results from workplace stress that is chronic and unsuccessfully managed. It is not a true mental or physical illness, but it does deserve some attention. It has three dimensions:
- Feelings of exhaustion, low energy, or exhaustion
- Feeling negative or cynical about one’s job or having increased mental distance from others
- Reduced professional efficacy
Exhaustion (mental and physical) from long work hours does NOT make you a better employee! Taking time for some self-care is of utmost importance.
Signs of Burnout
Ask yourself:
Have you become cynical or critical at work?
Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
Do you find it hard to concentrate?
Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
Have your sleep habits changed?
Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints?
— Mayo Clinic Staff
If you answered yes to even one of the above questions, it’s possible that you could be suffering from job burnout. It truly is important to take action before this gets worse.
You might think “Why in the world is that turtle in the middle of a story about job burnout?” I’ll tell you — because if you think back to the old fable about the tortoise and the hare, it’s the tortoise that wins the race. It’s not surprising. The entire story is about the rabbit that runs around, gets too cocky to know his own limits, and ends up falling asleep instead of winning the race. Exactly NOT the kind of worker you are likely hoping to be.
Read on for some tips to change this pattern before you, too, are exhausted like the hare.
Steps to take if you are feeling burned out
- Consider talking to a trusted coworker and eliciting support in the workplace. If that is not possible, use your social support network (if you don’t have one from working all those long hours, get one!) Some employers also have employee assistance programs to help you connect with resources that might be available to you.
- Collaborate with your supervisor to identify which of your job tasks are crucial and which can be put off for later. One way of approaching bosses with this is being open and honest about time constraints such as “Yesterday you gave me the task of ______ and now you are asking for this one. I will only have time to complete one of these this week so which is more important to you?”
- Use your off-work hours for off-work activities. Avoid checking emails during non-working hours (and if you do find yourself checking, at least don’t respond unless it is a clear emergency until the next workday). Sometimes we set others up for the expectation of long work hours during what should be off-hours by responding which triggers them to also respond. If you cannot “not work” for yourself, at least do it for your coworkers. Instead of work, try exercise or a relaxing activity (maybe some yoga, mindfulness, diaphragmatic breathing, or meditation).
- Get adequate rest. Sleep is the only remedy for exhaustion and you need 7–8 hours if you are like most adults. Set a regular sleep time and stick to it. (If you are struggling with sleep, try:
If you are struggling from burnout and these suggestions do not help, consider talking to a professional to help get you back on the path to a positive balance in your life.
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