Deep Dive: Burnout
Keep your light on.
Burnout is such a personal experience.
Not everyone is comfortable admitting that they are within their limits. They do not talk about their mental or physical health at work. It is a sign of weakness, or not?
Times are changing.
More leaders are speaking up about their experiences. However, it is not always easy to listen to stories about people who are burned out.
Still, leaders, start-up founders, parents on maternity leave, or job seekers can suffer from burnout.
It can happen to anyone.
Take this deep dive as an introduction to the topic. I wish you never had to suffer from burnout.
DISCLAIMER: This article does not provide medical advice.
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other material in this article is for informational purposes only. No material in this article is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your condition. Do not delay it because of something you have read in this article.
Contents:
Burnout Introduction
Early Signs & Common Symptoms of Burnout
Physical
Emotional
Behavioral
Causes of Burnout
Workload
Lack of control
Unclear job expectations
No support
Contradicting values
Strategies to Prevent Burnout
Self-awareness
Do not neglect self-care
Boundaries
Manage your workload
Get support
Recovering from Burnout
Burnout Relapse (old habits die hard!)
Resources to Learn More About Burnout
Wrap Up
1. Burnout Introduction
I thought it would be easy for me to write about the topic because I, too, have experienced burnout. Yet, it is difficult to verbalize your experience and be open about it.
I still have this thought in the back of my mind:
“Don’t admit it, you will look weak.”
Can you think of moments when you did not feel well at work but avoided talking about it? You probably even lied when someone asked you: “How are you?”
But burnout is not about lying. Burnout is a state of experiencing chronic (workplace) stress that hasn’t been managed.
Fast-paced environment, never get bored, interesting projects. Call it different ways. Yet, somewhere between the lines you can read ‘stress’. You know stress is both positive and negative.
Still, you probably agree that too much stress impacts productivity, health, and personal life. One time, I had so much stressful work that I missed my birthday. I came home around 9 pm exhausted, hungry, and angry, because I did not do anything to celebrate. It makes me sad until today to think about it.
Another moment when I realized I was burning out was when I finally took holidays but did not book any trips. I could not.
I just stayed home. Doing nothing because I was completely paralyzed. I didn’t sleep for days and had no energy, and the idea of traveling somewhere and having stress with planning bothered me. I just chilled, but after two weeks, I was back to the madness. Peak period, they said.
Burnout creeps unnoticed.
What starts as ‘let’s pull extra weight’ can result in years of hard work that never stops. (Start-up founders can speak for themselves!)
Recently, I’ve spoken to one manager and he said: “I feel exhausted, unmotivated, and detached. I can’t do more. I don’t want to do more. I want to get out.”
What do you do when you feel you reached your limit? These signs might help you understand if it is burnout or not (yet).
2. Early Signs & Common Symptoms of Burnout
Everyone is an individual and burnout experience is personal. What it was for me, does not say what it could be for you.
There are three types of symptoms:
Physical
Emotional
Behavioral
Interestingly, you should be aware of a wide variety of symptoms because even if you don’t have them personally, someone on your team could. The awareness makes good prevention.
a. Physical signs
Can you see if someone is stressed? How about this colleague who always skips lunch because of too many deadlines? And this lady who is sick again? Did you notice your boss put up some weight lately?
Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It is a gradual and slow process that builds up over time. Physically, you can experience, for instance:
Tiredness to exhaustion. You have no energy to do your hobbies. You skip your rituals and meeting friends. You don’t spend quality time with your family. Fatigue prevents you from a good night's sleep and can become chronic.
Headaches, migraines, and body pain. Where do you feel pain when you are stressed? Neck? Head? Back? Stress makes you tense. Experiencing burnout can feel like never-ending tension in your body.
Low-quality sleep. Insomnia is common during stressful times. Rubbish and short sleep that do not help you relax are common. Your sleep can be so disturbed. You have trouble waking up and functioning properly.
Sickness. When does your eczema manifest? Probably during stressful times. Your skin can get worse, your body is sore, and you’re likely to get sick because your immunity is low. You also get sick more often.
Do you rest, and still do not feel well? Your body is telling you something, look for the cues.
b. Emotional symptoms
Burnout hits your mental state and emotions. It might feel like it is not you. You don’t smile, don’t enjoy your days, but pretend everything is fine.
It is not, if:
You are irritated.
You feel anxiety.
You don’t care anymore.
You feel hopeless or even depressed.
Emotions are sometimes hard to describe. But think about things that frustrate you more than usual. Minor repetitive tasks that prevent you from being quicker and more efficient.
A big watch-out is when you no longer feel engaged or excited about your work. Then, you are likely to be on the autopilot. Your body is doing the work, but your mind is blocked.
Feeling emotionally exhausted affects not only your work relationships but also your private ones. You neglect people you love or even repel them because you are easily irritated.
Burnout signs take you where you do not want to go. It could be tricky to get out of negative emotions. That is probably why some medications can be helpful. Talk to your physician if you feel hopeless and anxious. They will help.
c. Behavioral symptoms
Are bad habits a sign of burnout? They could be. Burnout impacts your actions and work.
Replay yes/no to these questions:
Do you procrastinate?
Do the daily tasks feel overwhelming?
Do you feel unproductive?
Do you make many mistakes?
Do you skip meetings?
Do you smoke/drink more than you used to?
What you feel demonstrates outside. Inside out like in Stranger Things.
Stressed people struggle to focus. They work hard and long, but never get rid of their to-do lists. At some point, they quit or take a leave. Then, they completely withdraw from their responsibilities.
Seeking relief has many faces. Have you read about Tokio businessmen? They get drunk or sleep around. Japan also has high rates of suicides:
The most profound issue faced by employees in Japan leading to self-harm in the past decade has been exhaustion. An increasing pressure of retaining jobs by putting in more hours of overtime, while taking fewer holidays and sick days, were considered the main motivators behind the rising suicide numbers among office workers and employees. - Statista
Do not disregard early signs. Exhaustion, sleep problems, irritability, bad habits, and disagreements might indicate burnout is setting in.
Mind how you feel before you fall on your face. It can take a long time to go back to a solid and balanced mental and physical state.
3. Causes of Burnout
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