Having trouble starting your day and feeling exhausted stand out.
Your work calls for long hours. There is grocery shopping to be done, your aging parents need help, the kids have evening activities to get to, and someplace in this mix, you’re supposed to begin planning your family’s next fabulous summer vacation. It all seems impossible. No matter how much sleep you get you can’t help but feel tired and lifeless. You get to bed early and wake up exhausted. You haven’t tested positive for COVID-19, and your doctor can’t seem to pinpoint something else.
What’s going on? It could be that you may simply be experiencing burnout. Your battery is refusing to be recharged.
What is burnout?
Burnout is a term that dates back to the 1970s. It was developed by an American psychologist named Herbert Freudenberger who used it to describe the experience of some people in “helping” professions who deal with high levels of stress and their own ideals. (Doctors and nurses may come to mind). Today, “burnout” covers a wider arena, and basically deals with self-sacrifice. Burnout can happen to anyone who overdoes it in some area of their life, be it their career, working with family at home, or even in physical exercise.
The Mayo Clinic has a description of job burnout that includes the following:
- Feeling cynical
- Having trouble getting started
- Becoming irritable
- Lacking energy
- Finding it hard to concentrate
- Diminished satisfaction
- Disillusionment
- Unexplained headaches and other physical ailments
A lot of the time, we blame ourselves when we don’t feel up to the task. In truth, however, burnout can be caused by an accumulation of factors within your environment. When expectations are unclear, you have long hours, there are dysfunctional dynamics at play, you don’t have control over situations, and there’s a lack of social support, burnout can happen. It’s a solid fact that not being able to maintain some semblance of work-life balance can also quickly lead you to feel like you’ve hit your limit.
Related: 7 Reachable Goals for Amazing Intellectual Wellness
What can happen if you’re burnt out?
Running so low on your personal fuel that you can’t bounce back can lead to you into a dangerous zone. You could develop insomnia, chronic fatigue, and more. Some people become depressed. Others turn to alcohol and drugs. Burnout can also lead you to poor health outcomes such as developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
How to take back control
Your life should be your own to live. Sometimes, your responsibilities may call for extra effort and dedication but it’s important to remember that you can also form your own boundaries in order to stay sane and happy.
There are some basics that can help you regain control of your situation. You can:
- Look for support
- Get some exercise
- Do activities for yourself
- Take a break
- Prioritize your sleep
- Ask someone else to do it
- Stick to your boundaries
It could be that your personality is ill-suited to your job. If you think this is the case, get out. Find something else. In cases where a person knows they like their work in normal times but are becoming overloaded, getting more people on board to share the load is advised. Ask for help. Seek support through friends, family, and community groups. Talk to your doctor or a therapist.
In addition, it’s important to remember to take breaks. Don’t skip out on weekends and vacations. They’re there for a reason. No one can work nonstop without suffering the consequences.
And finally, decide where your boundaries are and communicate this to others. Stick to them. Show yourself the respect you deserve by not saying “yes” one too many times. Burnout is real and you aren’t alone in suffering from it. Now is a great time to get help.
photo credits: PEERAWICH PHAISITSAWAN/Shutterstock.com
