We all lead very busy lives. It is a fact that more often than not we don’t prioritize our own wellbeing.  Between work, home, children, family drama, etc., it all takes up so much of our time. Plus anyone of these can cause us no end of stress.

We work longer hours and push ourselves more and more in our work and personal lives. This may be especially true for some personality types including perfectionists, co-dependents or high achievers.

We are causing ourselves to become more and more stressed and putting ourselves at further risk of burnout. But what is burnout?

What Is Burnout?

Burnout usually occurs as the result of continuous chronic stress. It is a chronic state of stress which includes different physical, emotional and mental reactions in response to this stress.

With burnout it isn’t something you suddenly wake up with one day. It will creep up on us over time. But our body does give us warnings we can look out for along the way. Full blown burnout leaves us no longer able to function effectively on any level.

What Are The Symptoms Of Burnout?

Some of the signs we see with burnout include:

Signs of physical and emotional exhaustion:

1. Chronic fatigue
2. Insomnia
3. Forgetfulness
4. Impaired concentration and attention
5. Physical symptoms may include: chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal pain, dizziness, fainting, and/or headaches (all of which should be medically assessed).
6. Increased illness
7. Loss of appetite
8. Anxiety
9. Depression
10. Anger

Signs of Cynicism and Detachment

1. Loss of enjoyment
2. Pessimism
3. Isolation
4. Detachment

Signs of Ineffectiveness and Lack of Accomplishment

1. Feelings of apathy and hopelessness.
2. Increased irritability.
3. Lack of productivity and poor performance.

Some Types Of Burnout

1. Overload Burnout 

With this type of burnout people push themselves even harder to achieve their success. They risk everything, including their health and personal life but cope by complaining about their work.

2. Under-challenge Burnout

This type of burnout people will feel unappreciated and bored in their job or personal life. They do not feel any passion or enjoyment in their life and/or work. They cope by distancing themselves from the situation and often use cynicism, avoid responsibility and disengage.

3. Neglect Burnout

With this type of burnout people can feel helpless in their job or home life. They can feel incompetent at work and unable to cope with the demands placed on them. They tend to become very passive and unmotivated as a result.

If you notice you may have any of the symptoms please reach out and contact your GP or main doctor now.  This is your wake-up call. You will need to reassess your lifestyle for stress if you want to avoid burnout. If you don’t, then you are more than likely to reach burnout sooner than you think.

Therapy will help you prevent burnout particularly if you find you are unable to reduce certain stressors immediately. A therapist can help you find ways to cope and you can self-refer.

What Causes Burnout?

There may be several causes to why someone develops burnout. These can include: a feeling of lack of control, unclear work expectations, dysfunctional workplace dynamics (could also occur in family also), a lack of social support and work-life imbalance.

You might be more likely to experience burnout if you have a strong work-life imbalance, high workloads including working overtime or taking work home with you. You may also try to do everything for everyone (people pleaser/co-dependent/perfectionist), work in a helping profession or if you feel you have little control over your work or life.

How Is Burnout Treated?

Treatment for burnout is quiet simple. It requires you to reassess your entire life and reduce any form of stress. That will be easier said than done for most people. But reaching out for help is your first step.

Your doctor will need to assess your physical health and treatment may be required for any additional physical illnesses you have. Referral to a psychologist will be made but you can also self-refer.

The therapist will help you re-evaluate your lifestyle and guide you through making the necessary changes. This work will include talk therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), help with setting boundaries and recognising and accepting that ‘good enough’ is okay.

You may also be referred to a nutritionist or other specialist to help with your mental and physical health needs if required.

How Can You Prevent Burnout?

If you have recognized that you might be on the way to burnout or are suffering from any sign of stress you need to make some changes in your life. It’s time to wake-up and reach out for some help alongside making these changes.

Review Your Priorities.

You don’t have to do it all yourself at home or work. A review of your priorities will help you see where you have been trying to do it all, especially by yourself. Even reviewing different situations at home or at work and seeing where you can make small stress reducing steps will make a big difference.

It’s okay to ask for help if you need it. If you need to hire someone for a job then do it or delegate a task to someone else. Asking for help from colleagues is not a sin nor is it a sin to not control every aspect of your life/work. If other people can take care of the task, why not let them?

Prioritize your top 3 tasks daily and make sure you do no more. Making a to-do list of tasks is great. But if the list is endless you will start to feel pressurised and it’s unrealistic. You need to decide what and where your priorities lie each day. Tackle these first before taking on any more tasks from your list. Make at least one of those tasks a stress reducing healthy habit. Please make sure you are not doing something for someone else who is quite capable of doing it themselves or whose job it is in the first place.

Letting go of the desire to control everything is difficult. I understand that. But in doing just that you will find better serenity that way and much less stress. 

Start Setting Some Healthy Boundaries.

A healthy set of boundaries is vital for a balanced life. Being able to set limits with people is an important part of those boundaries. But all too often when we become stressed we forget to do just that.

It’s important to stop saying yes to more things and people right now. Avoiding taking on any more commitments will be vital to your stress reduction and recovery. This will be hard at first and you might find yourself going back into old ways. But remember its okay to change your mind and say no.

If you would like some more suggestions on how to set healthy boundaries to reduce your stress I have a blog and video you can check out here.

Get Some Small Self-Care Habits Going.

I know it might seem like I harp on about basic self-care but it really does give you a great foundation from which you can build a healthy life. Some small and quick steps towards self-care is all it takes to get things started.

Start with meditation. A simple 3 minute breather that you can also use on the go will help. It’s based on a deep breathing technique which will help calm and re-centre you. You can find out how to do this and other meditations on my podcast series.

You also need to add in some form of exercise. A quick 15 minute walk will also help to use up some of those stress hormones that are flooding your system. If walking doesn’t appeal then try yoga, swimming, tai-chi. Anything really that will get you up and moving.

Try to eat three main meals a day or if that is too much then switch to five smaller meals. Ditch the caffeine and sugar for a while too. These will only increase your stress and anxiety symptoms and cause more sleep problems.

Make Sleep A Priority Now.

If you do nothing else right now then make your sleep a priority now. You sleep will be disrupted by your chronic stress. It needs to be one, if not the most important, priority on your list right now. Make sure you aim for a minimum of seven hours sleep anything less sets us up for mental and physical health problems.

There are plenty of quick and simple ways you can help your sleep including cutting the caffeine and sticking to a regular routine. You can also check out this blog and video with 11 tips you can use to improve your sleep.

Reach Out To Your Positive Support System.

Stress, and particularly burnout, can leave us feeling very isolated and alone. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Having positive supports in place is one of the best ways we can help our recovery.

Giving and receiving support is one of our basic human needs. There are many benefits to having a strong support system in place not least of which is reducing stress.

We need at least four types of support in our lives. Emotional support: This is having someone to listen and talk things through with. Tangible support: This includes help with physical problems and financial assistance/advice. Informational support: This is where we get help in the form of information/advice that will help us solve problems and challenges. Or help in getting access to informational resources. Social needs: This is a basic need which gives us feeling of belonging, security, love and connection.

If you haven’t already done so please set up your positive support system. Reach out to positive family, friends, GP, other professionals, support groups, etc. If you need help with getting more positive support system in your life I’ve listed out some steps you can take in this video and blog. Plus you can reach out for an appointment to work with me on this or any other stress related issues.

Remember stress and burnout don’t happen overnight, so it’s unrealistic to expect it to go away overnight. It is possible that you will get frustrated with the lack of instant results. But persevere, the changes will come and so will your stress reduction.

Work With Me.

Remember you are allowed to ask for support. No one is an island. If you need extra support then you can also work with me. We all struggle with stress and overwhelm from time to time. If you find this has become a problem for you and you’d like some support then schedule an appointment with me.