Recognizing the Signs of Burnout and How to Beat It
Feeling burned out and overwhelmed is common, but that doesn’t mean that burnout is insurmountable. Understanding burnout and its causes can help you take steps to deal with it.
What is Burnout?
Essentially, burnout is a state of exhaustion, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, too. Prolonged, constant stress contributes to burnout, leaving you emotionally drained, overwhelmed, and unable to focus enough to take care of work, home, or school tasks.
Burnout saps your energy, making it hard to be productive and motivated to reach personal and professional goals. If you don’t address it, burnout leaves you feeling hopeless and resentful, as though you don’t have anything left to give.
Are You Feeling Burned Out?
Burnout can be difficult to spot, especially if you’re used to feeling busy and strained. If more than a couple of these apply to you, you need to address your causes of burnout and take your life back.
- Taking care of your home or work duties feels like a waste of energy
- You’re constantly exhausted
- Each day is a bad day
- Every task you do feels boring, unimportant, or overwhelming
- You feel unappreciated and that nothing you do makes a difference
Beating Your Burnout
If those feelings above fit your life right now, you’re not alone. Noting when you’re approaching burnout and understanding its causes helps you make choices to reduce your stress and address the challenges in your life. Pause, reflect, and change direction, and the more you make deliberate choices to overcome burnout, the easier it will be to create healthy mental health habits.
- Watch for warning signs of burnout
- Reverse the damage by addressing the causes of stress and seeking support from family, friends, or a professional
- Take care of your physical and emotional health to reduce your risk of burnout
Are you unsure where to start? We also have tips to help get you there!
Build a strong support network
When you’re burned out, your problems seem insurmountable, with no solutions. Everything seems bleak. But, when we’re around others, we can reduce stress. Talk to a trusted friend or loved one about your life. Opening up doesn’t make you a burden, although it may seem that way when you’re burned out.
Simply voicing your troubles may make you feel like you're not alone. Plus, your friend may have a good solution for what’s bothering you.
Reframe how you look at work or school
Your job may leave you stressed, unfulfilled, or like every day is monotonous. Look for another job if you can, although finding a job you love at the snap of your fingers may not happen right away. Until it does, consider taking a different look at the work you do. Try to find value in your job. Can you focus on how what you do improves the lives of others? Are you providing a valued product or service, even if you’re just playing a minor role? Finding ways that you provide value can help you, in turn, see more value in yourself.
Balance your life
Burnout is a clear sign that something in your life isn’t working or is out of whack. Changing how you schedule each day can help you achieve a balance that reduces burnout. Set clear hours that you’re at work, and don’t answer emails after-hours. Set boundaries and learn how to say “no” to requests during your off-hours.
Don’t just unplug from work but unplug completely. Unplugging means stepping away from technology at least once a day. Take a walk outside or read a book. Commit to checking social media only once or twice per day, and stick to it. You’ll feel refreshed and relaxed when you take a break from the screen.
Nourish your hobbies and unleash your creative side. Find something you enjoy and commit to at least a few hours per week to pursue a hobby you love or skill you want to learn.
Let Motivation Depot Help You!
Burnout doesn’t have to take over your life. Self-care means taking care of your needs to help you live your best life. If you need a refresher to help stay motivated, be sure to check out our other blogs, motivational products, courses, podcasts, or Compass Club for monthly motivation!
