How to Tell if You're About to Burn Out
"Burnout" happens when a person experiences a high level of stress for a prolonged period of time. The World Health Organization says that three things define burnout: feeling very tired, not being happy or interested in your job, and not being as good at your job as usual.
So how can you tell if you're close to burning out, and what should you do about it?
People who are close to burning out usually find it difficult to concentrate at work and often get upset about small problems that normally wouldn't irritate them. They also find it difficult to relax, and get sick more often than they normally would.
When people start to get burned out, their bad habits often increase as well. If you find yourself eating more unhealthy food or drinking too much alcohol, burnout might be the culprit. You might also feel tired a lot of the time, even if you're getting enough sleep.
A simple way to stop burnout is to reduce the things that are causing it. So what are they?
Siobhán Murray, a psychotherapist who wrote a book about burnout, The Burnout Solution, says you should think about what in your life you can let go of to make time to recover. You might also be expecting too much from yourself. Murray says her best advice is to try to be kind to yourself.
Simple things like eating healthy food, making sure you have enough time for exercise and sleep, and finding a hobby you enjoy can also help. Talking with friends and family about what you're going through will also make you feel better.
Having too much work to do, or not enough time to do it, can also cause burnout. So, if you can, talk to your manager or coworkers to see if there are changes that can be made to make things less stressful.
