In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s quite common to feel inundated with various pressures and demands. Whether that’s making it through the pile of deadlines at work, or seeing that the family has everything they need for the week ahead, it all takes its toll.
For some, the mounting pressure can lead to what’s known as a mental burnout. This is when the motivation to get any and all tasks done is replaced with feelings of fatigue and frustration, along with losing the enjoyment you once found in certain aspects of daily life.
Before your burnout gets out of hand, your body will display key signs and symptoms to let you know that you need to ease off the accelerator and slow things down. In our guide, discover the 5 key signs of burnout, as well as how to recover from burnout and get back to being your usual self.
5 symptoms of burnout
1. Exhaustion
Feeling overly tired and fatigued all the time, even after several good nights of sleep, can be a key symptom of burnout. Over-exerting yourself, both mentally and physically, on a day-to-day basis can leave your body feel drained and weak, which is its way of telling you to take a break from your hectic lifestyle.
2. Overwhelming stress and worries
Before a burnout, it’s common for your mind to go into overdrive, which eventually builds up into constant feelings of worry and concerns about what could happen if you don’t tackle each of your tasks.
If left unnoticed, or if you don’t alter the habits that are causing your concerns, these worries can lead to much more serious conditions and could begin to affect those closest to you, too.
3. Loss of focus and forgetfulness
Together, stress and exhaustion can make you more forgetful or can prevent you from being able to focus enough in order to get a task done effectively. Losing concentration and forgetting things are symptoms that suggest you’re working your mind and body too hard. When you reach this point, it’s certainly time to think about how you can introduce some calm into daily life in order to rebuild your concentration.
4. Physical symptoms
Symptoms of burnout don’t just affect the mind – there are physical side effects that can occur as well. Many people report that they suffer from headaches and nausea when heading towards a burnout, with more severe cases leading to chest pain, heart palpitations and even fainting.
A burnout can also leave your immune system feeling weak, which will increase your risk of catching bugs and viruses.
5. Changes to your personality
When the exhaustion, demotivation and physical effects get too much, there are many people who don’t feel like doing the things they would normally love. Whether that’s socialising with friends or taking time out for their favourite hobbies, your own unique personality can be affected by burnout – another vital reason to tackle it during the early stages.
Top tips for overcoming burnout
To reduce the symptoms of burnout and to begin feeling more like yourself again, it’s important to take some time to analyse your situation and put the necessary steps in place to overcome it.
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•Maintain a healthy diet and exercise regime – Frequent exercise and getting the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals into your daily diet can work wonders for those overcoming burnout. Good nutrition will help to build up your body’s defences, whilst exercise will help to boost concentration and energy levels.
•Set yourself a daily task limit – Rome wasn’t built in a day and you can’t tackle every single task in a short space of time. Begin by setting yourself a strict daily task limit that allows you to accomplish some goals without over-exerting your mind and body.
•Make time for some calm before bedtime – Give yourself at least an hour before bedtime to relax and recuperate after a hectic day. It’s crucial that you give yourself some ‘you’ time, to reduce the symptoms of burnout and help you start feeling like yourself again. This is just one of the many small changes you can make to your daily routine, that can help you to improve and maintain your overall health.
•Start a burnout diary – Make a note of anything that causes you to feel stressed or concerned so that you can assess which situations need to be addressed and which things could be eliminated from your daily lifestyle.
•Leave work behind when you go home – Part of overcoming burnout consists of separating work from your private life. The two shouldn’t be associated if you want to feel less stressed.
Source: http://bit.do/eDvBQ
Photo(s) credit: freepik.com
