Do you constantly feel tired and struggle to complete very simple tasks? Do you feel so overwhelmed and stressed out that you easily get angry and annoyed? Well, you might be suffering from burnout. But be careful that you don’t mix up laziness and procrastination with burnout.
What is burnout?
According to APA dictionary of psychology, burnout is a “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance and negative attitudes toward oneself and others.”
A recent study conducted in 2021 shows that the rate at which employees suffer from burnout is on the rise. According to the survey, about 52% of all workers are actually feeling burned out.
With that being said, here are five signs that you might be dealing with burnout.
Number 1: You don’t feel a sense of excitement or passion anymore
Have the projects or work that you once loved now become difficult to keep up with? That is a telltale sign of burnout. You might have depleted your energy levels and it might have become difficult for you to summon the energy to focus on the things that used to bring you a lot of joy and excitement.
Number 2: You are always exhausted
Do you constantly feel exhausted? Exhaustion is a major sign of burnout. You might find that you constantly feel like sleeping and that feeling doesn’t alleviate no matter how much sleep you get. You might have trouble getting up from your bed every morning. Also, you may not only feel physically depleted but emotionally too. It might become extremely difficult to socialize as well. The implication of this is that you might become socially withdrawn and even cut everyone off, especially those who care about you, because you simply don’t have the extra energy to handle conversations.
Number 3: Your performance is suffering
Compare your previous performance to your current one. Can you see a noticeable difference? While dealing with burnout, you might notice an increased sense of imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is when you feel like a fraud. You doubt your skills and abilities and you feel like, at any moment, someone might discover your lack of talent. Moreover, because you might be dealing with chronic stress, exhaustion and a lack of passion, you might find it more difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. All these factors can go hand-in-hand in affecting your performance.
Number 4: It becomes harder to care for yourself
Perhaps you are finding it quite difficult to take care of yourself. You might find it hard to do simple tasks such as bathing or preparing meals. You may even notice a change in your sleeping patterns. Maybe because you’re staying up late to complete a project, you don’t have the willpower and energy to do it earlier in the day.
Number 5: You are quick to anger and frustration
This isn’t surprising in the least bit. Your external reaction is a reflection of your internal condition. When you are feeling so overwhelmed by work or life in general, it might become harder to deal with other people’s negative behavior. You might find yourself reacting to things that you would have usually been able to overlook or bypass. A likely reason for this might be because you are running out of internal resources to deal with stressors.
You might still be in an early stage of burnout, meaning that you might not be experiencing a lot of the symptoms yet, but spotting the signs of burnout early makes it easier to deal with it before it consumes you. When you begin to feel the signs of burnout, it’s important to talk to a mental health professional or begin to work towards combating it. This might be through you prioritizing rest instead of productivity, or even taking a break from work if you require it.
It’s so easy for you to dismiss signs of burnout and call it laziness, especially in a time where we praise productivity. But remember that if you’re not right mentally, emotionally and physically, you risk being unproductive.