Whether a person absolutely hates their job or loves it enough to come in on weekends, nearly anyone can suffer from work burnout. Even though this is not a diagnosable medical condition, it’s a state that can severely affect one’s mental health. Thankfully, once you identify work burnout, you can start to deal with it.
What Is Work Burnout?
So, what is work or job burnout? Well, it’s a type of work-induced stress that can affect your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Signs of work burnout include a feeling of reduced accomplishment and joy from your job, as well as a loss of identity. However, while a new job might seem like the solution, look closer. It’s not always the job itself that causes work burnout. It could stem from personal problems, lack of control, or lack of support.
More Signs and Symptoms
Losing Hope – One of the most common work burnout symptoms is feeling hopeless. When someone starts thinking they’ll never advance, or their day-to-day work life will not improve, they start thinking of looking for a new job. However, if job prospects don’t look great, they can lose hope, and get stuck in their current position, becoming more and more unhappy.
Turning Cold-Hearted – Someone experiencing work burnout will most likely start ignoring others and becoming anti-social. With all their energy focused on work, there’s no room left to deal with people. So, they become anti-social and possibly even neglectful or hurtful.
Lack of Energy – Another common sign of job burnout is frequent absent days. If you’re taking many days off from work, even when you’re not sick, you need to ask yourself: why? Those who suffer from burnout can become exhausted just by thinking about their job, resulting in them taking off as many days as they can. While the feelings they feel are real, it doesn’t stop it from affecting others, compounding the problem.
Uncertainty In Work – If someone once took great pride in their work, but now has a very “who cares” attitude, they probably have burnout. As a result, their productivity will decrease, and they will begin to doubt if they can handle their responsibilities. This becomes a vicious circle that goes around and around.
Ways To Handle Work Burnout
Of course, if you’re experiencing work burnout, it might be the job. However, changing a few things about your life will make you see the situation a little more clearly. Soon, you can look at everything and figure out if it’s the job or something else.
Establish A Routine – While many often forget, an established routine is essential for good physical and mental health. Especially sleeping! Try and exercise, eat right, and get a full eight hours every single night. Sure, it can be hard with long work hours and Netflix. However, a little discipline can change everything!
Add In Some Time For Relaxation – There are plenty of free and easy ways to add some relaxing to your life: resting in bed, reading, meditating, yoga, going to the movies, and many, many more. Make sure you’re setting some time for yourself every day to connect with the things you love.
Talk To Your Supervisor – Many forget, they do not have to face work burnout alone. Talk to your boss about the requirements and expectations of your job and about any help you can get.
Find Some Support – Be it a close friend, a family member, or a therapist, it’s always great to seek out a support system. Dealing with work burnout is always better in a company, just like with any other mental issues.
Work burnout is, for sure, not the best thing to feel but don’t let it get the best of you. As always, seek professional help if you feel like simple tips are not enough!
Sources: Finance101, MayoClinic