What Is Burnout, the Signs to Look Out for, and How To Avoid It

Juggling several things at once has become the norm. From working 9-5, catching up with colleagues at a networking event, then the boys at dinner, and hitting the gym all whilst trying to find Mrs. Right, it’s a lot for anyone to handle. A constant hectic schedule could send just about anyone into burnout, so it’s a good idea to get familiar with what burnout is, the signs to look out for, and how to avoid it.

What Is Burnout?

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Unfortunately, burnout is extremely common in our modern-day, fast-paced lifestyles. It’s the state of physical, mental, and emotional fatigue, which causes us to feel burnt out. Like we’re completely out of juice.

Burnout is most commonly caused by work-related stress, as how we feel about work has its way of finding itself in all areas of our lives, probably because we spend more time working than we do anything else. However, to truly understand how to avoid burning out, you need to be aware of all the things that can cause burnout.

What Causes Burnout?

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Taking On More Than You Can Handle at Work

No one wants to let someone else down, especially their boss. You might have just joined a new company and want to show your appreciation and prove that they hired the right guy, or be striving for a promotion (that you so obviously deserve) and think it’s a good idea to pick up the workload.

At first, you’re impressing yourself just as much as your boss by how much you can handle, but as time goes on, you struggle to keep your head above water. Holding yourself to 110% every day can be exhausting and most certainly lead to burnout.

Poor Self-Care

And we don’t just mean a shortage of face masks and massages. Self-care goes way beyond beauty treatments (although, they definitely help you to slip into relaxation mode) and looks different to everyone. Self-care is anything and everything you do to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally, and considering burnout can affect all of these areas, it’s no surprise that neglecting them can cause burnout.

Lack of a Support System

As much as some of us (me included) don’t want to admit that we need the help of others, we all do, whether we say it out loud or not. A fragile, unreliable support system can make you feel isolated and alone with no one to lean on to lighten your load. Without support from close relationships that have your best interest at heart, sending yourself into burnout is easily done.

Plus, it’s often the people that are closest to us that make us aware that we’re showing signs of burnout, and without them around to intervene, we don’t realize until it’s too late.

Putting Too Much Pressure on Yourself

We all have goals that we want to reach in our lives, sure, but putting too much pressure on ourselves to make them happen in a certain time frame can cause us to feel burnt out. Doing too much in too little time is a fast-track ticket to burnout.

Perhaps you’re attending an evening class to learn a new language to communicate with businesses abroad to one-up the other guy up for the promotion at work, which you go to straight after your gym session for killer abs. And that’s only a Monday!

What Are the Signs of Burnout?

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Exhaustion

If you’re feeling drained in every sense of the word, you’re most probably burnt out. Whether you’re dealing with small, everyday tasks or big-deal projects that need a lot of brainpower, you’ll feel equally exhausted.

No Motivation

Are you feeling completely deflated with no real motivation to do anything? Turning into a couch potato is a sign of burnout. Those that have reached burnout will have very little inspiration, creativity, and drive to accomplish goals. Motivation does have a way of coming and going for all of us, but if you can’t find a way to bring it back even temporarily, you could be burnt out.

You Isolate Yourself From Loved Ones

When you’re experiencing burnout, all you want to do is be alone. Just the very thought of being in a social situation is draining, even with those you love the most. In fact, they’re probably the ones you try the hardest to stay away from when you aren’t the best version of yourself.

How To Avoid Burnout

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Ensure Your Workload Matches Your Capacity

Without a workload that suits your personal capacity, you’ll spread yourself too thin and the feeling of failing in multiple areas at work will cause you a great deal of unnecessary stress. By taking on too much, you’re actually being counterproductive, which doesn’t help anyone.

The right amount of work depends on the individual, however, you’ll know you’ve found it when you can effectively get all of the work done to the best of your ability, you’re learning and growing professionally and personally, whilst still having the time to rest and recover. These opportunities are only available to us if we create a workload that personally suits us. One that works best for your colleague may not work as well for you.

Take a Break

Don’t constantly run yourself into the ground or you’ll inevitably reach burnout, big time. You need to make time for regular breaks and allow yourself to wind down and recharge. Think about what happens to your phone when you don’t place it on charge when its battery is low, it turns off because it can’t function anymore. And the same thing happens to us if we don’t take the time to rejuvenate.

Take a moment to slow down and enjoy living in the now. Forget about all the things that you have to do and focus on getting your zen on.

Not Busy

Many people confuse being busy for being productive, so they aim to keep themselves busy all the time because it feels productive. Take a look at your schedule and see what is actually productive and what is just keeping you busy, you’ll probably realize that a lot of the things you thought were productive are actually just time fillers, which will free up more of your schedule and reduce the risk of burnout.

Now, watch out, as these unproductive habits disguised as busy will try to sneak back into your life. So, every month or so, check back in with your schedule to make sure that everything you do has a purpose.

Factor Regular Self-Care Habits Into Your Routine

Self-care can significantly reduce the risk of burnout as you indulge in the things you love that make you feel good. Burnout comes with very little joy, so to avoid burning out, you need to include a healthy amount of self-care in your routine.

You don’t need to book a spa day every week to be considered caring for yourself (unless you want to), it could be as simple as reading a book or cooking your favorite meal for dinner. Selfcare includes any small act of love that you make for yourself.

Make sure you do at least one act of self-care a day to continue to fulfill your enjoyment levels. If you only act on it once a week, it’ll soon become once every other week then once a month, and so on. And before you know it you can’t remember the last time you took part in self-care, and you’ve reached burnout.

To make things easier for yourself, write down what you’re going to do for yourself that day. If you like to be organized, write them down at the beginning of the week when you plan the rest of your schedule. This way you can’t use the excuse that you “don’t have time.” Everyone has the time to do whatever they want, we just all want different things and prioritize those. Avoiding burnout means prioritizing self-care.

Have a Solid Sleep Schedule

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If you don’t sleep well, you’re going to feel run down, regardless of whether you’re burnt out or not, so it’s essential that you improve your sleep schedule. A good night’s sleep can help you to feel well-rested, boost concentration, lower stress levels, and in turn, reduce the risk of burnout.

Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet

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Have you ever heard of the saying, “you are what you eat?” If you eat like crap, the chances are you’re going to feel like crap (I can’t be the only one who feels like I can run the world after a salad?) Eating a healthy, balanced diet helps to keep the mind and body strong and functioning at optimal levels. Without it, you’re more likely to feel tired, sluggish, and demotivated. It’s a constant cycle as you’ll begin to crave more unhealthy foods the longer you stick out a bad diet.

You don’t have to cut out junk food and alcohol entirely as your act of self-care on a Saturday might be meeting the boys for dinner and drinks, you just need to be more mindful of what you’re consuming and making healthier choices. Maybe you opt for the beer at dinner every other week rather than every single Saturday.

Say No to Things That Don’t Positively Serve You

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If you’re a “yes” type of person, practice saying “no.” Setting boundaries for yourself (and sticking to them) will help you to stay within your mental capacity. If your boss is asking you to stay late in the office and you’ve reached your limit for the day, say no. If your friend is asking you for a favor that’d weigh you down, say no. It’s perfectly acceptable to refuse things that would negatively affect you, much like you’d never want someone else to accept something that had a negative effect on them.

However, instead of flat out saying “no,” try “I’m sorry, but this is more than I can handle at the moment, so I won’t be able to help you and I hope you understand.” This will give them a better opportunity to understand why you had to say no, rather than thinking you just didn’t want to inconvenience yourself. You’ll probably also find that they actually ask how they can help you out, but at the very least, they’ll give you some breathing space and won’t keep badgering you for favors.