Burnout is a serious medical issue that is caused by an extended period of prolonged and excessive stress that results in mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion. Living under these conditions for an extended period of time can mean that your body and mind will start to suffer from the negative effects of that much Cortisol.
Before you’re in full burnout, look for these seven signs that a breakdown is imminent:
You Can't Focus
Do you know the signs of stress and the intense focus it imparts for a brief period of time? Burnout is none of that. Burnout causes you to become unfocused and simple tasks start to take you longer. Your concentration is shot and you’re making mistakes you never would have before. What’s happening here is that your mental energy is too low and your brain just can’t give you what it normally would. Don’t keep pushing yourself when you’re at this point, instead. Take a break. Book a vacation and find some things to do from Vacations Made Easy to give your brain time to cool off.
You can’t let go of Work
Burnout means your stress levels are high, and that’s enough because you’re working longer hours than usual. Even though work might be the last thing you want to focus on, you find that you can’t put it down. Your stress has caused a loophole of more work = more stress, but not checking work seems to stress you out as well.
You’re Fatigued Constantly but Struggle to fall Asleep
Burnout can be a bit like depression in that your need to sleep will suddenly go through the roof. However, you will find yourself struggling to actually shut down and go to sleep when you finally get the chance to go to bed. Your mind will spin and keep you up while, during the day, you will feel like you are always on the edge of falling asleep.
You’ve lost Consistency
When you’re on the verge of or suffering from burnout, you may find that your consistency will start to wane. You’ll struggle to find a good rhythm in your work and any small mistakes will start to feel overwhelming. To avoid the crushing feeling of disappointment or dread, you’ll start to ignore your to-do list, which – of course – will only make it worse.
You Forget Self-Care
Maybe it’s the gym, meditation, reading, or cooking healthy meals, but burnout will suck all the joy out of these small tasks – or convince you that you should be focusing on something “more important” instead. Of course, the more self-care rituals you lose, the more stressed you will likely be. Traveling can be a great way to get away from it all for just a week or two.
You’re Irritable
Burnout saps you of your strength and your patience, and it will start to show. You will become peevish and quick to snap at co-workers, friends, or family and things that usually would have never bothered you will now seem huge.
You Complain all the Time
Venting and voicing our concerns is normal, but if you find yourself constantly complaining about your situation in life or joining in when others do, you may be burning out. The problem with complaining is that it’s a form of negativity that only breeds more negativity, which will only pull you deeper into that dark hole.
