Nip Burnout in the Bud

— August 15, 2014

Often ignored, burnout can be a serious condition. Though related to depression, a mood disorder, burnout is not the same thing; it’s complete physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.

Burnout can affect people in different ways depending on the root cause, which is relatively easy to figure out since it’s probably constantly on your mind and taking up a lot of your time. The hard part, sometimes, is realizing that you are in fact, burnt out! Here are a few symptoms you may have:

Difficulty concentrating.
A generally negative or apathetic attitude towards everything, not just the source of your burnout.
Frequent feelings of irritability, unhappiness, boredom, detachment and/or powerlessness.
Neglecting your social and physical needs.
Constant exhaustion along with inexplicable headaches or a lingering illness.

Once you realize you are burnt out, which often comes about because your loved ones tell you so, it’s time to make some changes.

First, cut out the cause of your exhaustion from your life, or at least alleviate it with the help of family and friends. Next, start breaking your routine and all the bad habits you fell into while stuck in that spiral of deterioration. Begin with baby steps towards better eating, sleeping and exercise; even small changes will make you feel better and more motivated. Most of all be patient—you didn’t burnout in a day—set yourself short and long term goals to keep you moving forward.

One study found that with just 150 minutes of exercise per week, you drastically improve your chances of avoiding that burnout spiral. Other preventative measures? Make sure you have time for other things in your life, family and hobbies. If you don’t find meaning or challenge in your job, make changes within your job or at least begin to think about taking steps to change your employer. If you’re feeling a lot of pent up resentment towards work or other situations, nip it in the bud; it can lead to burnout, too.