Are you feeling overwhelmed at work… deeply fatigued… unable to concentrate… and completely lacking motivation?
You could be dealing with burnout.
It’s an incredibly common condition. And many of us will experience it some time in our lives, particularly here in Australia. In fact, research suggests that 61% of Aussies have reported experiencing burnout, compared to the world average of 48%. But both of these numbers are incredibly high.
So, how can you tell if you’re experiencing burnout? What are the signs? And once you recognise the signs, what are the ways of dealing with burnout.
What is burnout?
The term ‘burnout’ is believed to have been first used clinically by American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in the 1970s. His paper titled ‘Staff Burn-Out’, discussed the impact that long hours and intense work had on people in jobs of service, such as doctors and nurses. This included being exhausted, listless and unable to cope.
Today, we understand burnout can be experienced by people in all lines of work, from banker to business owner, from primary carer to stay-at-home mum. It highlights the dark side of self-sacrifice.
It’s interesting to note that there is no one official definition for burnout. And experts have differing opinions on what burnout actually is. This means that it’s difficult to say how truly common it is and the best way to diagnose it.
However, there are some factors that overarch most of the expert’s definitions. These include four key symptoms: exhaustion, mental distancing, cognitive impairment and emotional impairment.
Recognising the signs of burnout
Like most mental health conditions, burnout looks different for different people. Some of the signs can also overlap with symptoms of other mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety.
In our practice, we’ve seen many different signs of burnout, including feeling:
- Completely overwhelmed and stressed
- Deeply dissatisfied with your current work conditions
- Helpless and unable to cope with the current condition · Unusually frustrated or irritated at work
- A very low level of, or no sense of, achievement in your work
- Empty and numb when you would normally feel content
- Demotivated, disillusioned and deflated
- Exhausted and drained with no energy left to give
Other signs to look out for include:
- An inability to concentrate
- Reduced productivity
- A lack of motivation in all areas of life
- Lower quality of work than usual
- Feeling listless and vague · Procrastinating at work
- A negative mindset around work
- Unable to perform minor tasks
- Physical symptoms, e.g. gastrointestinal issues or headaches
- Withdrawing from colleagues, friends and family
- Work avoidance, e.g. increased sick days, longer lunchbreaks
Of course, many of the signs of burnout are commonly experienced in normal working life. So if you’re feeling some of these, but it’s been for a short period of time, this could be normal work-related feelings. But when they pile up and intensify, you may wish to seek help.
What causes burnout?
Just as the signs of burnout can differ, so too can the causes. You might be overworked, or at least feeling overworked, and working long hours. Maybe you’re facing very high expectations or unrealistic time pressures and feeling that you can’t meet them. Little to no recognition from your boss or managers can increase these feelings, as well as feelings that you are lacking any independence or control in your life.
Burnout can also be caused by a toxic work environment, such as one in which you experience harassment or bullying. It could be caused by feeling like you’re constantly sacrificing your own needs and wants, and lacking any time for self-care or leisure activities. Or that your juggling too many tasks and feeling like there’s just too much to do.
Burnout can also be caused by an overly intense personal commitment to fulfilling your duties either at home or at work. This can be exacerbated by feeling that your unsupported and that your own needs aren’t being met. Or when you feel like all your hard work and sacrifice has little or no real impact.
Finally, burnout could be caused by outside factors, such as relationship issues, other mental health challenges or even suffering from lack of quality sleep.
Dealing with burnout
Whatever the cause, burnout can have serious impacts on a person’s wellbeing. It can also affect the wider community, in terms of damaged relationships, reduced productivity and unemployment levels. The Great Resignation Update: Limeade Employee Care Report found that 40% of the people they polled reported that burnout was the number one reason they quit their previous jobs.
So knowing how to deal with burnout is crucial to not only our personal lives, but also the greater good of society. Here are some things you can do to help deal with burnout.
Consult a professional for advice
Every situation is unique and requires a different plan of attack. Trusted experts like psychologists have a wealth of clinical information at their fingertips, to create an informed strategy for you.
Talk to supportive friends and family
Share how you are feeling with trusted friends and family members. It’s likely some of them have experienced burnout and can share their experiences with you. Connecting with people we care about can help lighten the load.
Consider alternatives
Are you able to identify which aspects of your work or home life are causing issues? Once you can recognise the trigger, you can find a way to weaken it.
For example, can you discuss your current working hours with your supervisor? Can you delegate some tasks to another colleague or a software program? Can you ask your partner or a grandparent to help balance the household/childcare duties?
Set boundaries
If you have no boundaries in your work and personal life, you will never stop self-sacrificing. They don’t need to be huge, drama-inducing ultimatums. Start small, with something like not doing overtime more than two days a week, or not answering work emails on weekends. Strive for a better work-life balance to support your wellbeing.
Focus on self-care
Dealing with burnout also means paying attention to your own needs – which you may not have done in a long time. Self-care is crucial to our wellbeing, not a luxury. Schedule in some time for quality sleep, exercise and leisure activities.
Reflect on what brings you joy and reduces your stress levels. This could be reading, painting, meditation, hiking or simply having a coffee with close friends.
Take time off
Sometimes a change of environment is the best medicine. Whether for you that means changing jobs or simply scheduling in a short holiday – do it. Many Australians are failing to take their annual leave, which can be a huge contributor to burnout.
Need help dealing with burnout?
If you’re tired of dealing with burnout and would like to start feeling like yourself again, get in touch. The Young Minds Network has loads of resources and strategies to help you to avoid, or recover from, burnout.
We’re a team of experienced psychologists and allied health clinicians, and are ready to support you. We even offer some of our services over the phone.