10 Signs You're Experiencing Burnout and What to do About It
In 2018, I made the bold decision to leave my very stable, well paying corporate job behind. I had spent over 8 years working for a multinational financial services firm where I had climbed the corporate ladder from Intern to Analyst to Associate to Vice President. This climb required long hours and serious dedication to the job, but it was worth it to get closer and closer to "success" which, by my definition at the time, was always going to be at least one more step away.
When you define success that way, as many of us do, it leads to burnout. I struggled to stop and celebrate the accomplishments I made along the way since I always felt there was just one more thing to do before I earned the ability to relax. And that led to serious burnout.
Burnout is real, and when it hit me I had very little energy to workout or take care of myself. I am such a morning person, but I started to hit snooze more and increase my caffeine intake because I wasn’t getting as motivated or excited about my work. I also suffered from debilitating migraines.
We all need to be so aware of burnout, especially now, with more people experiencing very blurred lines between work and home life.
So how do you know you are burned out? Below are a few signs you may be experiencing burnout, many of which I experienced myself.
You have less energy than you used to or you’re constantly feeling drained
It’s harder to concentrate and stay focused
You’re struggling to make decisions
You’re easily frustrated or feel like you don’t have control of your situation
Your motivation is low and its harder to get going in the morning
Your work just isn’t exciting or interesting anymore
You obsess about work even when you’re not there
Your personal life is being impacted - you may withdraw from being as social or you may just be tuned out / distracted when you’re out with friends
You’re not taking as good care of yourself - you’re exercising less, eating differently or drinking more to decompress
You have new physical / health symptoms - for me, this was severe migraines with auras, and it was harder for me to fight the common cold
Does this sound like you? If so, you should think about taking action. It’s never a bad idea to check in with your doctor. I did and also started a few new vitamin supplements to support my overall health, but if you have already done that and you know the root cause is work, let’s dig into what may be going on.
Burnout is generally triggered by stress. When we perceive a situation as being stressful, our body creates hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones break down the body’s cells and tissues and provide us with energy to push through the stress, and while this helps us experience short-term success, the long-term impact can be draining and lead to burnout.
Spending too much time in our bodies “fight or flight” mode, can lead to more hormones being released that will result in difficulty focusing and also increased trouble with decision making.
So, what can you do about it? Here are a few ways that I have combated burnout.
Figure out what form of relaxation will truly allow you to free your mind. This could be reading a book, taking up meditation, exercising more, spending more time with friends and family, etc. The key here is to make sure you designate time to relax and make it a priority.
Understand your values and where there may be a disconnect in where they are showing up in your current world. For example, if you value helping others, but your work is very independent, you may want to find outlets outside of work to make sure that value is being met.
Turn off push notifications when you’re not in work mode. Those pop up emails with a subject line “URGENT” may trigger that stress response, something you don’t need while you’re spending quality time with your family/friends or when you’re on vacation
Get organized. Worrying that you may forget to do something or won’t be able to find something when you need it is unnecessary. Clear your space, have a to-do list and prioritize.
Know when it's time to explore outside help. This could be hiring an assistant to keep you organized, a coach to help you find clarity, process your stress and hold you accountable, or even someone to help around the house.
If these things aren’t helping, it may also be time for a career change. I made a bold move back in 2018 to drastically change my career, and it was the best decision I ever made. I felt like I was back in control of my day and was able to focus on things that were motivating and exciting to me. It wasn’t without a lot of soul searching and serious work on myself, but my days are so much more fulfilling. I also have so much more energy - my caffeine intake is down from 4 cups a day to ½ a cup, only because I like the taste in the morning.
If you’re thinking about a career change, definitely check out this post for some tips and some initial steps to prepare.
And we love to hear from you! What are some ways you cope with burnout?