Given this economic downfall, a high level of unemployment rate registered in many countries or extra hours of work for most of employees, reaching an emotional balance, as well as a work/life equilibrium are likely hard to get. Therefore, it is not surprising to hear about an alarming cases of stress among different generation of people, or even worst, the burnout. Too much stress factors in your daily routine? Feeling exhausted and unmotivated at work? Lack of concentration lately? Yes, these may be the first signs you are suffering from burnout.
Burnout usually affects your ability to perform well at work or in the personal life and makes a mess of them, so it’s not the greatest situation you’d like to be, but it’s something common for both men and women. According to a Swedish study, middle age women have different ways to cope with burnout, as it involves exhaustion in all areas: emotional, physical or mental such as insomnia, anxiety, depression or cardiovascular disorders. In order to prevent burnout early and to know exactly how to react, we thought that a list with the most frequent 10 signs you are suffering from burnout could be useful.
1. Constant lack of motivation
It is a common sign that you may experience burnout linked, obviously, with others symptoms. So, if you don’t feel enthusiastic anymore about your work or doing anything at all, chances are you are going through this psychological stress syndrome. Do you find it difficult to get up in the morning and go to your job or working via home as a freelancer? This internal and constant lack of motivation can affect your work performance, as well as your personal problems, so take action and find your inner force to keep going forward.
2. Too much exhaustion
Everyday traffic, meetings, deadlines, work office and other administrative tasks are all signs that can lead to exhaustion. Are you feeling stressed out most of the time? Maybe you feel too much pressure, even in the weekend when you should relax; it means you could need a break. Maybe you should find a way to organize them and disconnect yourself from all these problems. Remember not to take your life too seriously and enjoy every minute of it, cause it’s short…Really short.
3. Insomnia
You probably know that you should sleep at least 7 or 8 hours per night, right? But, does it actually happening? What ‘s keeping you up so late? Worrying about your daily problems after the regular program can be another sign of burnout, as you are inclined to take them at home where you automatically create an imbalance in your family. Moreover, it has been found that 83 percent of Americans have been facing sleeping problems on a daily basis and the cause appears to be related with our modern lifestyle. We actually get to see a lot of people who talk about their insomnia problem and other additionally issues, so take it seriously and do an effort to avoid frequent white nights.
4. Neglecting yourself
When facing burnout, people are inclined to neglect themselves and use unhealthy strategies to be more “capable” at work or to focus intensively on something. For example, some of them tend to smoke more, become sedentary or eating too much junk food coupled with an insomnia issue. This is a sign that someone is losing control and try to find a quick yet unwanted solution, by counterbalancing with more coffee in the morning or energized drinks to feel better.
5. Personal problems at work or at home
The leading causes of your interpersonal problems with your co-workers or family members can have one single factor: burnout and its effects are also extended in other important areas. The person becomes usually antisocial or have more conflicts with his family’s members or co-workers, as well as being completely lost in a conversation or meeting with someone, while physically being there. However, remember that burnout occurs when you are absolutely out of control of your work, personal life and other aspects of your life.
6. Being too much focused on your work
Especially when you are not at work. Yes, you first argument could probably say it’s a normal behavior for someone passionate about what he’s doing, but defining passion is often synonym with finding your element, something you’re good and love it, as well as being happy. It’s out of the question in this case, because your work provides stress for the rest of a day and interferes with your personal plan. Sometimes, you can’t disconnect from the work and your ability to recover is reduced, as you are constantly talking about your job’s problems most of the time.
7. Problems with your job performance
Another sign of burnout is lacking your job performance which is probably one of the main indicator for the employer, mostly for the evaluation period. While it’s probably one of the most common concept used by the human resources department – especially during this period – predicting, evaluating and delivering high job performance is still a great challenge to deal with. However, interpersonal skills do influence job performance, so being affected by burnout and having difficult time to interact and share your thoughts with others may have negative effects for your focus and concentration at work.
8. No social life
As long as you have become antisocial, more absent and refuse to speak with your friends and family, it means your social life is practically reduced to zero. Yes, it is necessary to dedicate your time at work, especially if you are enjoying it, but a work/life balance is more than healthy. Therefore, don’t forget about your friends and family and invest in these relationships.
9. Health problems
Aside from being emotionally damaged, you are also facing health problems due to a long period of chronic stress also known as burnout. A person usually gets to have weight problems, digestion issues or even heart diseases which directly lead to less self-esteem or confidence.
10. You feel generally unsatisfied
A last sign we thought it worth mentioning is a general state of decreased satisfaction about both your home life and career, feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed about not having too many accomplishments in these areas.
If you are coping with some of these signs, try to find activities that make you feel happier like reading, traveling, listening to music or anything else that keep you motivated and positively inspired. Also, feel free to share with us in the comments section whatever it is that gets you through the day – even on those days when you don’t feel like getting much done.