Do you ever feel that work or things around you seem like a drag, you’re constantly tired, may not care about the decisions you’re making, mistakes may be being made, you’re losing yourself but you think this is just you, this is life, and maybe it’ll get better. NOPE.These are signs that you need to slow it down, take a break, recognize that your routine isn’t yours anymore and burnout may possibly be around the corner.

Things To Know About Burnout 

People are in positions where they’re overwhelmed with quite a bit and are being pulled in several directions throughout the day and it can get to a point where its too much.

Burnout is not selective, it can happen to anyone in any field and recognizing the signs is essential for you to know when to take that much needed break, because work and other things in your life can truly wait if you aren’t 100% present. There are 3 dimensions of burnout described by Christina Maslach, a leading researcher on this topic.

• Exhaustion measures feelings of being overextended and exhausted by one’s work.
• Cynicism measures an indifference or a distant attitude towards your work.
• Professional Efficacy measures satisfaction with past and present accomplishments, and it explicitly assesses an individual’s expectations of continued effectiveness at work.

Also, noticing the following may mean its time to get some help in some way.

• Not sleeping well
• Lack energy
• Not thinking straight
• Not really care anymore about things
• Feel tired
• Inattentive
• Not being present in work, class, or tasks that you once enjoyed

This Can Contribute To Your Burnout

There are several things that can contribute to burnout, you may feel like you aren’t being used to your full potential, maybe your values aren’t matching up with your current work/school tasks, or maybe you just have too much work and not a great way to organize your time well.

Whatever the reason, recognize when you’re not yourself and identify what you can do to manage your burnout before it gets to a point where its too late.  A few red flags, if your normal routine of doing things is affected, you no longer have any hobbies in your life, if sleep has become less of a routine, and if you’re just going through the motions of life and don’t recognize who you are anymore, ding, ding ding, its times to take a step back, regroup and identify what you need.

Burnout can creep up on us if we’re not ready, so get a system together to identify if that overwhelming feeling of yours needs to be tended to before you take another step.

Things you can Do

• Check-in with yourself daily/weekly
• Take some control over your situations
• Recognize ways to deal with consistent stressors
• Make sure you’re making time for hobbies, vacations, self-care, etc
• Have a therapist on speed dial

This is just a tip of the iceberg on what burnout is and things to look out for. If you really feel like this is a current issue, find a way to get the help you need, this is just a starting point on making you aware of the problem.

Thanks for reading

Alvina