How to recognize signs of burnout before it's too late

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

When you discover the symptoms of burnout, you can reanimate yourself. But for a start, it would be nice not to reach such a state at all. Fortunately, the warning signs of a problem are right in front of you. You just don't want to see them because you are too busy. If you still look closely at yourself, you can change direction before you lose all your strength.

Early and hidden signs of burnout

Often, information about ways to combat burnout begins to be studied when it is too late. Look for motivation again, start over … But these are all means of treatment, not prevention. The most effective burn-in treatments work before you start hiding from work behind the baseboard. Here are some early warning signs:

• Disappointmentwhich manifests itself in sarcastic remarks about colleagues or work. If ordinary things start to cause you negative reactions or you constantly make disparaging remarks about everything related to work, then you are on the road to burnout. Don't get it wrong, without a grain of healthy sarcasm anywhere. When the chef pushes the speech about "the need to join forces to survive in a competitive environment" at team building, it's okay to roll your eyes. But, if you walk like that all the time, it's time to switch.
• Increasing fatigue. This is not an afternoon stupor, but the feeling that you are mortally tired and are working from call to call, while all day you do not feel a surge of strength and inspiration.
• Feeling impassewhen it seems that work is not progressing. If you feel like you are shoveling a ton of work every day that never ends, then you start to burn out. Before starting a new countdown, you need to find an outlet and bring something to the end, no matter whether it is a small assignment or a huge project. If you've become so discouraged that finished projects don't bring you satisfaction, it's time to take a break.
• Boredomeven if you are busy up to your throat. If you have no time to rest, but still bored, then your state is rolling into a pit. Actually, being bored at work is generally a bad sign that signals that you don't like the job. Maybe you are only engaged in imitation of a stormy activity, or maybe you dream of another job. In any case, irritation builds up, and motivation melts away.
• Excessive procrastination … Everyone postpones things for later. Sometimes it's even useful. But persistent procrastination shows that you want to get rid of your job. Maybe you are just lazy, did not find inspiration, today you are not in the mood, and so on. But if you postpone everything at all, then you need a break.
• Strange malaise and constant anxiety, which you cannot get rid of. Pay attention to health. If you notice a constant malaise, which is often associated with stress, such as stomach discomfort, insomnia, and unreasonable headaches, your nerves are out of order. We all unstuck or catch a cold from time to time, but if the body reacts with lethargy to stress, something went wrong. Getting sick from work is the last thing.
• Knowing that it's time to go on vacation … If you never take a vacation or have a bunch of unused vacation days, then you are on the road to burnout, even if you don't think so. The vacation was invented for a reason, and even if you do not seem to be tired, you burn out without rest, like a candle that is lit from both ends. And if in the morning you think it's time to go on vacation, then it's definitely time!

These are early signs of burnout that can slowly creep into your life so that you don't even notice them. And what is it about laughing at the shortcomings of work, postponing an unpleasant business, transferring malaise on your feet. "This" begins when it becomes the norm. It is better not to bring it to this, because it is these symptoms that can harm health, not to mention the results of work.

Slow down and evaluate yourself and your work

If any of the above points are about you, you need to take time to think about what you are doing at work. Pick an hour (right this Friday) for a bird's eye view of your work. What do you like about work? What do you hate? Why don't you want to go to the office, and why did you decide to work here sometime?

You need to reevaluate what you are doing. And to a greater extent - why you do it. This makes it easier to understand what to focus energy on and what to throw off. For example, if you like to prepare progress reports, but you hate giving presentations on these reports, look for someone to replace yourself. Or convey to management that you agree to collect information, but cannot shine in front of the public by answering questions from the audience. It may not work, but it is better to try to change something than to suffer in silence.

Finally, review your entire career. Is the burnout starting because you planned to go a lot further, or because your progress has stalled? You may have been promised development and training when applying for a job that suddenly turned out to be “out of budget” or not available to everyone. Maybe the reason for disappointment is not at all in the work, but in some other environmental factors that affect the results. Your life is more important than your job, but your income is needed to pay the bills. It makes sense to evaluate both if troubles in one area affect another.

Stop burnout early before it gets worse

Now that you've spotted the early signs of burnout and have re-counted problems at work, it's time to face it all face to face. Here are some proven ways to deal with burnout both in and out of the workplace.

• Rest whenever you can. Not in the sense that to drop everything and cut circles around the cooler. Normal breaks in work give the brain the opportunity to process information, shake off the cobweb from the thoughts and re-enter the game. And productivity will increase, especially if you go for a walk.
• Plan your vacation. Right now. Don't give up on what the Labor Code gives you. It's like giving up your paycheck. Plan your vacation even if it seems like now is not the time. Otherwise, you will never get a suitable situation. The benefits will outweigh all the negative aspects. Get back to work refreshed and energized.
• Focus on what you love, or what is really important. Doing what you love at work is the best cure for burnout. True, with such work, few were lucky. Most have to do all sorts of crap, but if there is even the slightest chance of delegating execution to someone, then use it. Maybe someone is less sick of some responsibilities. Again, it will be possible to shift only those matters that are not key to the work. But the more unpleasant processes you can remove from yourself, the easier it will be to cope with others.
• Write it down. Get a work planner. Firstly, with its help you can look at the work done and find inspiration, identify favorite and unloved processes, and also highlight significant achievements when you need to write a resume. This diary will help you delegate responsibilities and highlight the inspiring projects you leave home for in the morning.

Some of these tips help in any career situation: when you burn out at work, when you are happy, when you are tired of everything and quit. That is why they are so important. The benefits of taking vacations, taking breaks during the day, and recording all of your accomplishments go much further than just helping out your daily routine. This has a positive effect on the entire career. To avoid burnout, immerse yourself in your work, and not hate everything on your desktop, these methods are invaluable.