The signs of burnout and what can we do about it
As a recovering investment banker and current entrepreneur, I am very familiar with burnout. But it wasn’t until recently that I learned that feeling “burned out” was more than just an adjective.
Colleagues and I shared that we were feeling “burned out” on some (or many) days but we didn’t realize it was a legitimate condition that has some serious health implications.
To learn more, I asked Belma McCaffrey, career coach and founder of Work Bigger, to share the signs of burnout and what we can do to combat it.
What is burnout?
Helpguide.org defines burnout as “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.”
Burnout is common.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. A recent Gallup study of 7,500 employees found that 23% reported feeling burned out at work very often or always, while an additional 44% reported feeling burned out sometimes.
What are the symptoms of burnout?
Belma shares, “burnout is so rampant in our culture that it can be hard to detect at first.” Here are some of the signs she sees in her clients:
You’re so exhausted and overwhelmed it’s difficult to plan ahead and make big life decisions, like a career change.
You’re coming home after work and you’re using that time just to catch your breath and recoup from the day vs. using that time off to do something that really adds value to your day.
You feel stuck and unhappy, but you don’t know how to move through it.
You’re having a lot of negative thoughts that drain you like “I can’t do this,” or “I’m so over this…”
Why is burnout bad?
Other than the symptoms themselves, which can be really difficult and detrimental, burnout has serious long-term health risks. According to a Harvard Business Review study, burnout was linked to health risks like type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, high cholesterol and even death for those under the age of 45.
Not only is burnout bad for employees, as you can imagine, it also hurts companies. Burned out employees are less engaged at work, more likely to experience health problems and miss work, and more likely to move to different companies.
The causes of burnout.
According to Helpguide.org, there are work, lifestyle, and personality traits that can contribute to burnout.
Work-related causes of burnout
Feeling like you have little or no control over your work
Lack of recognition or reward for good work
Unclear or overly demanding job expectations
Doing work that’s monotonous or unchallenging
Working in a chaotic or high-pressure environment
Lifestyle causes of burnout
Working too much, without enough time for socializing or relaxing
Lack of close, supportive relationships
Taking on too many responsibilities, without enough help from others
Not getting enough sleep
Personality traits can contribute to burnout
Perfectionistic tendencies; nothing is ever good enough
Pessimistic view of yourself and the world
The need to be in control; reluctance to delegate to others
High-achieving, Type A personality
What can we do about burnout?
The good news is that there are things we can do to improve and prevent burnout. First and foremost, we can look to the lifestyle causes of burnout. Setting our own boundaries around work, nurturing a community of close relationships (ie making time for our friends), learning to say no (when possible), and prioritizing sleep are all things we can do to help with burnout.
Belma stresses the power of community to help with burnout as well.
“Community is foundational because as humans, we’ve evolved to thrive in groups. Back in the day, we used groups to fight off physical threats like bad weather or lack of food or bears. We’re not dealing with the same physical threats today, but we’re dealing with social threats (and that can feel just as dangerous - especially when you’re dealing with burnout, systemic sexism or workplace toxicity).
Community provides a sense of safety. Our careers are also such a big part of our lives and it’s crazy to think this is something we can navigate on our own. Community provides access to knowledge and tools that are crowdsourced. We can do so much more together.”
Along the same lines, communication is really important. Working with supportive managers to cultivate an environment where you feel like you have more control over your work, are recognized for your contributions, and have very clear job expectations can make a big difference.
The best place to start when you’re struggling with burnout.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the different actions you can take, Belma recommends starting by looking inward and taking it day by day. She says, “ask yourself, what do I need to feel good today? Overcoming burnout can take months, so starting with just one day at a time will set you on the right path.”
In Conclusion
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that is caused by excessive and prolonged stress at work and/or at home. There are some personality traits, like Type A personalities, that make you more likely to experience burnout.
While recovering from burnout takes time, there are things we can do to help ourselves and create a more supportive environment, including socializing and spending time with our friends and colleagues, communicating our needs to managers and coworkers, and taking care of ourselves by getting enough sleep.