Burnout Symptoms: What to Look For and How to Overcome It

Burnout Symptoms: Causes, Stages, and How to Recover?

Do you feel exhausted? Do you doubt the value of what you offer to others? Do you find it difficult to carry out your daily tasks? Do you feel a lack of belonging to your work or your colleagues and those around you? Do you lack patience when dealing with others? Do you feel that you don’t have enough energy to do your job? Do you feel dissatisfied? Are you unable to focus? Do you doubt your abilities and skills? Are you overwhelmed by feelings of failure?

If your answer to most of these questions is “Yes”, then you should be aware that what you are going through is not just a feeling of boredom or a desire to break the routine, but it is “burnout.” Burnout is a type of work-related stress that affects those who experience it with physical or emotional exhaustion, leaving the person feeling useless, helpless, and empty.

The problem with burnout is that it can increase the risk of depression, although there is much confusion between depression and burnout, mental health professionals confirm that burnout is less severe than depression, but nevertheless it affects physical and mental health.

What are the causes of burnout?

There are many causes and factors that lead to burnout, and some of these causes include:

Overload of work, where having too many tasks and being constantly exposed to pressure leads to a feeling of psychological exhaustion.
A sense of inability to control and weakness in handling tasks or decisions, thus increasing stress from feelings of pressure.
Lack of support, where a person’s feeling of isolation and withdrawal contributes to increased feelings of stress and psychological exhaustion.
Lack of work-life balance, as failing to balance the demands of work and personal life can lead to feelings of frustration.

Burnout Symptoms: What to Look For and How to Overcome It?

The symptoms of burnout are similar to many other mental health issues like depression and frustration but here are the main symptoms that characterize burnout:

Psychological exhaustion, where a person feels tired all the time and stressed, even if they sleep long enough and get adequate rest.
Emotional detachment, where a person experiences a sense of indifference towards work or those around them, leading to withdrawal, detachment, and apathy.
Decline in work performance, with decreased efficiency and productivity, and a constant feeling of lack of achievement.
Sudden mood changes, suffering from bouts of anger, irritability, as well as sadness and despair.
A range of physical symptoms like headaches, muscle pain, digestive problems.

What are the stages of burnout?

There are five stages a person goes through if they are suffering from burnout:

- The Honeymoon Stage: This stage is often associated with starting a new job, a new title, or new responsibilities. During this stage, there are no signs of burnout; on the contrary, a person is full of enthusiasm and fully committed to their job, open to taking on new tasks, wanting to prove themselves in every way and seize every opportunity, even though these positive aspects could be an ideal gateway to burnout if the person does not prioritize rest and relaxation regularly and maintain a balance between work and social life.
- The Onset of Stress: This stage occurs gradually, and the characteristic feature is a feeling of lacking time to meet personal needs, becoming too engrossed in work and social life, with increasing tension and stress, difficulty focusing, headaches, anxiety, changes in appetite, even high blood pressure.
- Chronic Anxiety: In this stage, a person suffers from high levels of stress and loses their problem-solving abilities. There is a sense of losing control and power, and the person begins to feel their efforts are futile and ineffective. At this stage, some people may resort to procrastination to avoid pressure, and if they do not receive praise for their work or efforts, they become increasingly self-critical and experience a sense of incompetence and failure. It is at this stage that the real danger lies because increased pressures affect both mental and physical health. Individuals may become aggressive and resentful or deeply sad, and some may resort to alcohol and drugs to escape their negative thoughts.
- Burnout: This is the stage of burnout itself where a person struggles to handle work demands and consistently feels a sense of failure and helplessness, potentially leading to feelings of despair and hopelessness. They become indifferent towards their job, and physical symptoms worsen at this stage, making it difficult for the person to control their behavior, leading to aggressive reactions. It becomes crucial at this point to seek professional help from a psychologist to overcome all symptoms associated with burnout.
- Chronic Burnout: This is the final stage where a person cannot recover from exhaustion and the general condition that has become a part of their life. Here, it is extremely difficult to return to normal life, and every aspect of a person’s life is affected, including their personal relationships because they have simply lost their passion for doing anything and have been overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and depression. At this point, it is necessary to seek specialized help from a mental health professional to overcome all the challenges associated with burnout.

Can burnout be treated?

Yes, burnout can be treated by addressing lifestyle choices, ensuring psychological well-being, and the following strategies can help you overcome burnout:

- Practice self-care by prioritizing self-care activities that will help improve your physical and mental health, perhaps with regular exercise, healthy eating, getting enough sleep, and doing activities that bring you joy and relaxation.
- Set boundaries for yourself, separating your work from personal life, avoid overloading with tasks and allocate time for activities and relationships outside work, and during breaks, disconnect from anything related to work.
- Manage your time effectively and work on improving your time management skills, setting realistic priorities and goals, and trying productivity techniques and work organizing schedules, perhaps using apps to help with this organization more effectively.
- Keeping a journal helps by putting all your worries and concerns on paper, thus documenting what is happening in your life, what you feel, your goals, and your daily tasks, which can help with healing and a sense of gratitude.
- Take breaks to recharge your energy and vitality; these breaks do not need much time, perhaps a short walk outside the office, or practicing breathing exercises, but they will help reduce stress and increase focus.
- Reevaluate your work environment, as it may be one of the causes of burnout. Therefore, talk to your manager or responsible person to explore ways and solutions that contribute to relieving the pressures of the work environment.
- Set priorities by regularly reviewing your schedule and identifying priority tasks, completing them, and not hesitating to delay some tasks to another time if they fall outside your responsibilities or may lead to burnout over time.
- Seek more control over your work, and if possible, change something related to working hours or task nature. This will make you feel more in control.
- Seek support from your family, colleagues, and friends. It is okay to discuss your feelings and what you are going through; this support can offer a new perspective that helps you overcome burnout peacefully.
- Some changes can also help you overcome burnout, consider changing your job or career path, but beware of making this decision without careful consideration and exploring all alternative options.
- Seek professional help, especially from specialized mental health practitioners who can help guide you with advice and recommendations that will definitely help you overcome all challenges related to burnout. Contact us now at Nafsology to protect yourself from burnout and its risks.