Burnout is something that you face gradually over a long period of time. When you are out of coping resources and are continuously down with side effects which are rather harmful to your body and mind are the initial signs of burnout.
Other signs that feel like burnout are exhaustion, a lack of purpose, a lack of energy and the inability to perform your work with the same levels of efficiency.
With many employees complaining of burnout in companies whether big or small, this has become a matter of concern for the World Health Organization and it has in fact updated the definition of burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” that arises from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
With anxiety, depression, chronic exhaustion, etc., it is hard to understand where to draw the line between burnout and whether or not you are tired of life.
Keep reading to know more about how burnout affects your life and the things you can do to prevent the same and let’s figure out together if we are actually tired of our life or not (highly improbable!)
What a Burnout Feels Like
Burnout is often a three-fold phenomenon which occurs with emotional exhaustion, mental weariness and physical fatigue. It refers to a condition when you are just devoid of any motivation.
With extreme burnout, the very thought of working could make you feel sick. The root cause of burnout stems from stress. It initially begins with thoughts of exhaustion and weakness and spirals into pessimism.
At this moment, the mind becomes a hub for worst-case scenarios.
What Can You Expect in a Burnout?
When chronic stress is unmanaged for a continuous period of time, burnout could pose a serious threat to your health. At this level, the amount of stress that you could be dealing with can severely damage your digestive system totally shutting down your immune system.
Gastrointestinal issues, type 2 diabetes, respiratory problems, prolonged fatigue, etc. are all signs of the physical consequences of burnout. You may also at frequent intervals witness a spike in your blood pressure and irregular heart rate. Psychologically, you could experience insomnia, symptoms of depression, the need to resort to antidepressants and other ill-health symptoms.
Unsure of a Burnout, Ask Yourself the Following Questions :
- Are you experiencing headaches or bowel problems?
- Has your sleep routine changed?
- Does your job feel more frustrating and less fulfilling than you always thought of it at one point?
- Do your achievements not satisfy you anymore?
- Are you lacking energy or productivity and finding it difficult to focus?
- Have you become more impatient around your coworkers and acquaintances?
Answering these questions could help you navigate to the root of what could have caused burnout and what measures can you take to cope with it.
Make Space for Yourself
Work is not everything. You need to prioritize your health. Leaving a job is a big step and that is not very sound or practical to suggest but you most certainly can take a break and unwind. No answering phone calls, no responding to emails or even texts.
Use a good two-three days to eliminate stress from your routine. Utilize these days to just sleep, relax with activities you truly enjoy, eat well and eat healthily and lastly, be kind to yourself.
Sometimes just relaxing and looking at your problems from a different perspective could really change the nature of what you are facing.
Work on a Non-Work Life
When your life seems to be all about your job and work, take a back seat and find something to do that you enjoy outside the sphere of your work life.
Something that really gets you going whether that is yoga, fitness, anything spiritual, writing, painting, etc. Just be able to “turn off” and engage in non-work activities that bring you peace and solace.
Sleep, Sleep and Sleep
Please remember that if you are going through a phase of burnout, it implies that your body has already been showing signs of chronic pain with your systems screaming the need for recharging.
Therefore, recovering from burnout requires the ability to reject the demand of always being on your toes, attending to matters and replenishing your resources. Sleep helps you recharge and make up for all the lost energy.
Know When It’s an Internal Issue or an Eternal One
Most of the time, burnout is caused by internal factors, however, sometimes it owing to signs from external ones. In either case, you must learn to identify it and draw a line.
In the former case, you recognize where you are falling short in looking after yourself and where the stress is related to and then work on motivating yourself to be your best version. While in the latter case, it is always good to establish boundaries and say “no” to people, things or anything that causes any added stress or negativity in your life.
Conclusion
From the question posed above in this article, i.e., to figure out if you are facing burnout or you are tired of life, we are more inclined to burn out if you are experiencing the above-mentioned symptoms. There is always a solution, always a way to work on things, to make things better. Getting tired of life is not the answer.
The idea is to reflect on what is going wrong and help yourself to rediscover yourself. If that requires you to take off from your job, then you must, and if things don’t improve then maybe finally it’s time for you to quit your job and find a better job that you would happily go to rather than questioning your own life.
Just remember that no matter what the job is or how hard you have to work, you cannot be at your best to perform effectively if you are also draining your energy. Look after yourself.
