Being tired all the time, losing sleep, feeling as if you are standing at the edge of a clip, or not interested in anything. These are all common signs that you may be headed toward burnout.
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. Burnout can affect anyone, but mostly it is seen in the workplace.
Workplace burnout has become an increasing phenomenon since the beginning of the pandemic and 50-70% of the surveys conducted prove that employees have shown some signs of burnout during the pandemic.
When you are experiencing Workplace burnout, you are likely to feel overwhelmed, cynical, and depleted at the same time.
Once you stop ignoring burnout signs, these slowly but easily start overtaking your life. Thus if you catch these signs early on, you can take steps to minimize the impact they have on your life.
We at The Europe Entrepreneur are back again to share with you a few of the signs that indicate you are headed toward burnout.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is the result of chronic stress and usually, most people go through Burnout at work. If an employee feels overwhelmed, powerless, and underappreciated to make effective changes in their job duties, demands, or workplace culture, then there are high chances of burnout to occur.
Burnout does not just affect your job performance as burnout can extend into every part of your life and drastically increase the likelihood of a variety of serious medical conditions.
People with chronic workplace burnout are much more likely to develop anxiety, depression, or even insomnia. High blood pressure, heart problems, high cholesterol, and diabetes are just a few of the conditions that have been linked to chronic stress.
Signs of workplace burnout that you should not Neglect
Feeling Underappreciated
One of the most common signs of burnout is starting to believe that your company or your employees don’t value you. You may start to believe or assume that your co-workers are being treated better than you are, or you might take offense if your contributions are not appreciated.
There is a general feeling of dissatisfaction and with time anger and resentment can build, which also compromises your desire to work and give of yourself. You start to lose interest in your work and dread going to the office.
Detaching yourself from work
Most of us want to do better at our job and want to excel in the field we continue working in. This energy we have is due to the drive to be better, to get better results, and to stand out from the crowd. However, it becomes problematic when you start to lose your drive.
You are numb to how directionless your career is going, you don’t care about the outcome of things, and you are not invested in the decisions made around you.
You may also have trouble concentrating and be more prone to procrastination.
Decrease in Performance
One of the earliest signs of workplace burnout is decreased performance. You may start to feel as if you are not accomplishing as much as you used to or that your work is not up to your usual standards. You might also struggle to concentrate, start making mistakes frequently, and take long periods of time to complete a task.
Feeling exhausted and isolating yourself
Another sign of burnout is exhaustion, as you may feel tired all the time, even after getting enough sleep. You may also find it difficult to motivate yourself to do anything, which includes activities such as work, exercise, or even hobbies that you used to enjoy the most. This exhaustion can be mental, physical, or both.
As burnout progresses, you may start to withdraw from social situations, feel like you don’t have the energy or desire to interact with others, and avoid activities that you used to enjoy. Such isolation can lead to loneliness and depression, which can make boredom even worse.
Being impatient with others
Another important sign of burnout at work is impatience. You start becoming less tolerant and easily frustrated by others. Employees who previously used to engage with others may feel frustrated to even talk to others, which means the ability of an employee to solve a problem and engage successfully with others decreases.
Physical Symptoms
Burnout can also cause physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach problems, or even in a few cases chest pains. These symptoms can be caused by stress or a lack of self-care, and they can make it even harder to function at work or in daily life.
Closing Thoughts
Burnout at the workplace can happen to anyone. Stress is the only constant in our lives that helps us to grow but sometimes extreme stress can cause burnout in an individual. It is important to make sure you take care of yourself and seek help if there are any early signs of burnout seen in your daily routine. Check out The Europe Entrepreneur where we share more blogs related to technology, leadership, management, and other success stories.