6 signs of imminent burnout

In recent years, there has been more and more talk around the notorious work-life balance. The danger of professional burnout is that people often don’t feel it right until the moment they’re ready to quit on the spot and run far away. But it’s the final stage, when your battery is so low that you simply can’t pull yourself together and go on. Even a vacation may not bring any relief in this case.

In fact, burnout doesn’t happen in a second. It’s a process, so it’s essential that you recognize it and stop it in the right time. Here are some signs that will help you recognize burnout:

1. One day, your phone becomes your enemy, and you just want to throw it against the floor. Yes, you’ll smash the screen — so what! Every notification is triggering for you.

2. You can’t relax because you’re always expecting for something else to be dumped on you. You find everything annoying — your routine, your tasks, people around you.

3. You feel like everyone wants something from you, but no one really cares about you.

4. You sleep restlessly. You often wake up in horror because you think you overslept and were late for work. When you turn off your alarm, you want to go back under the blanket and cry.

5. You feel physically overloaded, so you always want to hide from the noise in a quiet place. You may also experience emotional swings — from apathy to tears of rage.

6. You don’t have the energy to feel happy, and other people’s positive emotions just annoy you. 

If you go on like this, you will soon find yourself burned out, and it’s extremely hard to pull yourself up from this low. Moreover, while you are desperately trying to recover, you will be losing time, opportunities, and even yourself. In case of prolonged burnout, it can take months.

Sure, there are professions that are more prone to burnout, but overall, workers possessing certain character traits that lead to overload are most likely to burn out. Burnout is imminent for you if:

⚬ you take on more and more tasks and projects, seize every new idea, even when you already have a lot on your plate;

⚬ you switch from enthusiasm to helplessness in a matter of minutes;

⚬ you strive for higher efficiency and always look for ways to recover your resources without allowing yourself to properly rest;

⚬ you feel a growing dissatisfaction with yourself;

⚬ you get irritated more often than usual;

⚬ you can’t relax;

⚬ you feel it’s time to stop, but you have the fear of missing out;

⚬ you feel like you are at your limit;

⚬ you are always on the go, you don’t have time to breathe. 

It’s not burnout that you have to tackle, but rather its root causes. Reconsider your approach to productivity, try staying conscious and soon you’ll see your energy levels going up. Life will become bright and colorful again; you will accomplish new goals without any strain and will grow professionally. As usual, it’s all in your hands.