Garima GayatriBack in time, burnout was worn as a badge of honor by working professionals. “Workaholism” was and even today to a large extent is perceived as a sign of sincerity and commitment towards your job. You arrive in the office early, leave late at night, and even work over the weekends. Practically, there’s no work life balance. Burnout at work is not just about exhaustion. It goes way beyond that.
Here’s what the World Health Organization says about burnout at work – “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” WHO outlines the characteristics of burnout as completely work-specific, decreased effectiveness at work, a clear sense of exhaustion, and increased negativity or cynicism about work. If left unchecked, burnout can damage your mental, emotional, and physical health in unimaginable ways.
(Suggested Read: Is your work affecting personal life?)
Signs you are experiencing burnout at work: Watch out
Tired all the way, tired all the time
A long weekend has gone by. Monday arrives and you are still too tired to pull yourself to work. You are waiting for some magical power that would transport you to the office and bring back home. You simply do not wish to do it yourself. You are never well-rested. If such a situation continues for long, it is a red light. Your phase of burnout at work has begun.
Performance going downhill
Since we humans can not function like robots no matter where technology takes us, our emotions and actions are most often closely integrated. A feeling of burnout at work begins to reflect in your work. You are not putting your heart and soul in your work anymore. You have been a smart and hard-working individual but your performance graph fails to speak so. Your score on the KPIs is going down and down.
Cynical about your work contributing to the organization
The time when you believed that your work and your presence in the workplace is making a huge difference seems like a distant reality now. There’s no positivity and no motivation. Frustration and negativity is your everyday state of mind now. Burnout at work has got the best of you and you don’t even have the strength to liberate yourself.
Health Issues on a rise
Our body has a way of showing us that things are not going right. Fever, cold, insomnia, headache, back pain, or it can be anything. You witness a rise in your health issues. Unfortunately, burnout at work also leaves you at a point where self-care is non-existent. Certainly, there can be other reasons for physical ailments but a general observation indicates that these issues increase with burnout at work.
No efforts, no excitement anymore
The spark, the inspiration, the drive – all of it has disappeared now. If you need to put in some superhuman effort just to be in the office, it is not difficult to understand that there’s absolutely no excitement to work. You stop caring and struggle to complete even the bare minimum tasks. Could it get any worse? Maybe yes, if you don’t find a way out.
What now?
We have figured out that you are burnt out. These telltale signs will help you identify the problem, too. Time to discuss the solutions now. Start with small changes in your normal routine. It can be exercise, healthy food, yoga, meditation, spending time in your hobbies, making your surroundings more inspiring or anything that makes you feel better. If the level of burnout is too high, consider taking some time off from work. Go on a vacation and have some quality time with your family. Your 5 day work week for months and years has taken a heavy toll on your life. It’s time you show some love and kindness to your self.
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(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Energy Dais.)
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