Understanding and Responding to Burnout Symptoms

Are you an employee who has been feeling burnout symptoms at work? If so, you aren’t alone. In fact, nearly 70 percent of men and women say that their work has a significant impact on their stress level and that they regularly call in sick as a result of it. Research shows that workplace stress like this causes over a million employees in the United States to miss work every single day. If you are dealing with job stress, job burnout, or just want to understand more about how your work-life balance could improve, below are a few tips to get you started:

Taking Necessary Breaks – Nearly half of all U.S. physicians are feeling at least one of the many burnout symptoms and we can all probably understand why. Doctors work odd hours, have nearly no time for breaks, and are in high stress situations nearly the entire time they are at work. It isn’t only doctors that feel this way, though. Other types of jobs are also incredibly stressful which is it is why we need to understand how to take breaks. Taking time off from work not only allows your body and mind to relax, but it gives you time to to things that fulfill you in other ways than your job does. Perhaps you are a nurse or doctor and you love doing that, but also feel incredibly alive when you go camping or hiking in a nearby mountain range. That is where you will find work-life balance.

Understanding and Responding to Burnout Symptoms – Do you dread going to work everyday or get stomach aches at night thinking about what your schedule the next day looks like? These are just two common burnout symptoms. Others are chronic fatigue, inability to sleep through the night, no appetite, and even depression. If you are dealing with any of these burnout symptoms it may be a good idea to chat with a mental health professional about finding ways to mitigate them. You can also talk to your human resources department about what options they can provide to increase your work-life balance. The main thing that you do not want to do is ignore the symptoms when you feel them.

Ensuring Your Support System – This may seem like an obvious solution to the problem at hand, but many people neglect it. Having a support system is not only important for having someone to hear about how you are feeling at work, but also to help encourage you to take care of yourself. Maybe you could chat with a friend or family member about how much you need to take some time away from work and end up planning an awesome trip with them because they are feeling the same way. You never know!

We spend so much of our time at work that we should find ways to make sure it is not negatively affecting our mental, emotional, and physical health. Remember to take necessary breaks from work to do things that you enjoy and help you relax. Don’t ignore burnout symptoms, and instead talk to someone about how to best deal with them. Lastly, ensure you have a support system in place outside of work that you can lean on when you are having tough times. These methods are just three of the ways to deal with workplace stress. Talk to friends, family members, and professionals to find others that could work for you!