What is burnout?

The main symptom of burnout is total exhaustion.

It is the result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. Unchecked, excessive, and prolonged stress can lead to a state of emotional, physical, and mental fatigue called “burnout.” Burnout is a gradual process that creeps up on you very slowly.

The symptoms may be subtle at first. They are like little red flags that pop up along the way. If you are aware of them and pay attention to them, you can avoid burnout; if you don’t, it worsens, and you suffer burnout. It is a sign that something needs to change.

Burnout has  three main components:

• Loss of energy
• Loss of enthusiasm
• Loss of confidence

The World Health Organization (WHO) included burnout in its International Classification of Diseases, and it is now officially a recognized mental health concern.

Signs of burnout can include insomnia, chronic fatigue, difficulty concentrating, apathy, irritability, anxiety and getting sick more often.

What is the difference between burnout and stress?

Stress is a strong contributor to burnout. High volumes of stress over a long period can lead to exhaustion, cause severe health problems, and, in extreme cases, can cause death.

Source: Stress and Burnout in Ministry

What are the causes of burnout?

”Work – Lifestyle – Personality traits”

Anyone who feels overworked and undervalued can get burnout – from moms with babies, workers who neglect to take leave, and people in old age. It is not only caused by stressful work or too many responsibilities. Your lifestyle and personality traits can also lead you to develop burnout.

Helpguide.org classify the causes of burnout as follows:

Work-related causes of burnout

• Unmanageable workload. Feeling like you have little or no control over your work
• Lack of communication and support from a manager.
• Lack of recognition or reward for good work
• Lack of role clarity. Unclear or overly demanding job expectations
• Doing work that’s monotonous or unchallenging
• Unreasonable time pressure. Working in a chaotic or high-pressure environment.
• Unfair treatment.

Lifestyle causes of burnout

• Working too much without enough time for socializing or relaxing
• Lack of close, supportive relationships
• Taking on too many responsibilities without enough help from others
• Not getting enough sleep

Personality traits can contribute to burnout

• Perfectionist tendencies; nothing is ever good enough
• Pessimistic view of yourself and the world
• The need to be in control; reluctance to delegate to others
• High-achieving, Type A personality

How do you prevent and recover from burnout?

You need to know:

• Burnout doesn’t go away on its own
• Burnout gets worse unless you address the underlying issues causing it
• Recovery from burnout is a slow journey

What to do?

Identify why you’ve experienced burnout.

Something needs to change if you suffer from burnout. What is it?

Reevaluate your priorities and rethink your hopes, goals, and dreams. What makes you happy? How can you slow down and reintroduce things that you enjoy and relax back into your life?

Practice self-care

Practising self-care doesn’t mean treating yourself to a coffee break or pedicure occasionally. It means leaving work daily at a reasonable hour to enjoy time with your family. Permit yourself to take time off. Plan vacations or weekends away 3-6 months ahead to get away from work. If you take a break, turn your phone off. Learn to say no. It is necessary to set healthy boundaries between work and your personal life.

Self-care also includes getting enough sleep, exercising at least three times per week, and eating a healthy diet. Limit your intake of refined foods, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. Avoid nicotine.

Practice a hobby—something that has nothing to do with work. Being creative is inspiring and a powerful antidote to burnout. It can turn an ordinary day into something you look forward to.

Reach out to people around you.

It is essential to share how you are doing with people in your life. You might not burden them with your problems, but sharing how one feels creates a deeper bond between people. Make time to engage socially with work colleagues, too.

If you take a break at work, don’t revert to your smartphone, which only isolates you more. It is healthier if you engage with the people around you and build friendships. Having friends to chat and joke with during the day can help relieve stress from an unfulfilling or demanding job, improve your job performance, or get you through a rough day.

Limit your time with negative people.

It is easy to fall into a negative frame of mind. Practice positive thinking. Joining a good cause is an excellent way to get involved with something that inspires you outside of work.

Find new friends.

If you don’t feel you have anyone to turn to, it’s never too late to build new friendships and expand your social network.

Find a new way to look at your work.

If you hate your job, consider quitting, and finding a new one you like is the obvious solution. But in South Africa, leaving a job you don’t want anymore with its high unemployment rate is not feasible. Most of us have to work to pay the bills.

Try to find some value in your work.

For example, focus on how your role helps others or provides a much-needed product or service. Focus on aspects of the job you enjoy, even if it’s just chatting with your coworkers at lunch. Changing your attitude toward your career can help you regain a sense of purpose and control.

If burnout seems inevitable, try to take a complete break from work.

Go on vacation, use your sick days, ask for a temporary leave of absence, or do anything to remove yourself from the situation. Use the time away to recharge your batteries and pursue other recovery methods. During this time – do not be tempted to answer work-related calls. Time out means time out. Put away your laptop, turn off your phone, and stop checking your email.

Source: Helpguide.org

Note: The easiest way to deal with burnout is to rest. If burnout has left you completely unable to function, you could be eligible for medical leave.