10 signs that show you need to take things easy because you’re too damn close to burnout

Last Updated on 2016-06-23 , 12:27 pm

In this day and age, many of us often cite work as a reason for our tiredness and all the pressure we faced daily in our workplaces.

Workaholism is still a culture that is going strong especially among the high achievers who work crazy long hours, piling on more and more to their already heavy workloads as well as continuously pressuring themselves to succeed.

All these factors will eventually lead to a burnout if you are not careful, and it isn’t a pretty sight when that happens. Burnout has been classified as being exhausted and a general lack of interest in things, which ultimately leads to a drop in your work performance.

Here are some signs to look out for to prevent you from experiencing burnout.

Chronic fatigue/Exhaustion
This is more than just being tired or sleepy, instead, you should be careful if you are feeling tired all the time, even after a good rest. It can include being exhausted physically, mentally or emotionally, when you simply do not have the energy to face each new day.

Insomnia
The feeling of not being able to sleep or not being able to stay asleep is not pleasant at all. In the later stages of burnout, you might even find it hard to actually fall asleep at all, even though you are exhausted beyond belief.

No motivation
Remember the day when you went into work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed each day? These seem like a distant memory as you find that you constantly feel unenthusiastic about anything and there is a lack of motivation for your work, watch out for burnout.

Feeling negative
Feelings of pessimism and disillusionment are now your constant companions. It’s normal to have negative emotions every now and then but do take note when you notice that you seem to be feeling this all the time.

Having problems with relationships
We don’t mean only the relationship between your spouse or partner, in fact, this could translate into your personal relationships with loved ones and also your work colleagues. You could be getting into more conflicts with them or perhaps you will be accused of being withdrawn from them.

Cognitive problems
With chronic stress, you will find that your attention span becomes rather short and narrow. This could lead to making unwise decisions or difficulty in problem-solving. Another way it happens is that you find your memory doesn’t seem to be what it was as you find it harder to remember things.

Harming your health
If you are suffering burnout, you will find yourselves indulging in unhealthy activities such as imbibing alcohol, smoking, not eating healthily and just generally not taking care of your health. Heavily relying on medication to get yourself through the day is also a sign of burnout.

Underperforming at work
If you are still unsure whether you are suffering from burnout, try comparing your job performance now and in the past. Burnout does not happen in the blink of an eye, thus, you can use this to gauge whether are you really experiencing burnout or not.

Health issues
You might think that there are no long-term effects of suffering from burnout. We beg to differ. It has been shown that when a person experiences chronic stress, this can be bad for your body and mind. Often, this might even lead to problems such as heart disease or even depression.

Unsatisfaction
On the surface, you look like you have it all, a house, car, a job and a beautiful family. But underneath it all you feel dissatisfied with your life and your career, often even feeling like you are stuck in the situation.

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