Are You Constantly Tired but Have Trouble Sleeping?
Burning out at work or home is something you want to avoid. The good news is that there are warning signs and red flags, which, if spotted, can help you make changes that will make you feel more refreshed and invigorated. Here are 20 warning signs of burnout you should never ignore.
1. Constantly Tired
Feeling tired all the time, even after a good night's sleep, is a sign that you are experiencing burnout. This is different than normal fatigue, as this exhaustion is a sign that both your mind and body are extremely tired. It's as much physical as it is mental.
Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels
2. Trouble Sleeping
Burnout often interferes with your sleep routines. It can keep you up at night or wake you up multiple times while you sleep. Poor sleep over time can increase your anxiety and stress.
3. Lack of Motivation
If you feel less motivated than before, you might be on the road to burning out. As your work piles up, or your personal life devolves into shambles, you might just want to run away from it all. Instead, try to break projects into smaller tasks and celebrate your small wins to reinvigorate your motivation.
4. Increased Irritability
A sign of burnout is that your patience has worn thin, resulting in small issues triggering your frustration and anger. An increase in irritability reflects your emotional state and, if left unchecked, could harm your personal and professional relationships.
5. Forgetfulness
As you approach burnout, you will start to forget more things. This is due to stress compromising your memory and concentration. You might forget a meeting, a social event, or where you left your keys. The best way to fix this is to step back, reduce how many tasks you're juggling, and get proper rest.
6. Feeling Cynical
Unpleasant and negative thoughts will creep into your mind the more exhausted and frustrated you become. It's something of a coping mechanism against overload. Over time, you will become more detached from your life and the people in it. Try speaking with supportive colleagues or keep a gratitude journal.
7. Aches and Pains
Chronic stress can trigger headaches, back pain, or muscle aches. These are physical warnings that signal how burnout is weighing on your body. Don't ignore these signs that your body is giving you.
8. Being Less Productive
Burnout drains our energy and makes us less productive. Ultimately, it diminishes our output and what we're capable of achieving. Our reduction in productivity isn't an increase in laziness. It's our system shutting down because something is wrong.
9. Feeling Overwhelmed
It's normal to feel overwhelmed when you're experiencing burnout. Even insignificant tasks can leave you scrambling. This can also result in you feeling emotionally overwhelmed, where you're crying unexpectedly and feeling panicked.
10. Loss of Enjoyment
If you're feeling less enjoyment from your interests and hobbies, then burnout might be robbing you of these pleasures. Some write this off as boredom, but it's actually a sign that stress is depleting your enjoyment.
11. Making More Mistakes
Burnout can negatively impact our judgment, concentration, and decision-making. This will lead to more mistakes in your work and personal life, which compound your stress. It's easy to blame yourself, but take a moment to recognize that your brain is overloaded, and it's time to slow down and focus on self-care.
12. Withdrawal
Burnout can make you want to withdraw from social interactions, communicate less with friends, or avoid relationships. Self-isolation is a warning sign of burnout, and it cuts off the support you desperately need during this time.
13. Getting Sick More Often
Stress caused by burnout can lower your immune system, making you more prone to colds, infections, and other illnesses and ailments. When this occurs, your system needs rest and recovery time.
14. Change to Appetite
Burnout might make you lose your appetite or want to eat more than usual for comfort. Both ends of the eating spectrum are unhealthy and are signs that you're feeling overwhelmed. Try to establish consistent mealtimes and eat nutrient-rich food to give you an energy boost.
15. Feeling Trapped
Burnout can make you feel like there's no escape. It turns daily life into a grind and creates a sense of hopelessness. This red flag can escalate into depression and should be treated immediately. Introduce small changes into your life. It can be a short walk every evening or a new hobby.
16. Pursuing Perfectionism
If you're a perfectionist, then burnout will make you pursue perfection with more urgency. This is a recipe for disaster, and not a means to curb burnout. You will obsess over details and review tasks excessively. When this strikes, the best strategy is to adopt a "done is better than perfect" mentality.
17. Lack of Creativity
Burnout zaps our creativity, making it difficult to be imaginative or solve problems. It can affect something as simple as brainstorming, as your mental energy is almost non-existent.
18. Procrastination
Avoiding or delaying tasks despite the consequences is a sign of burnout. This avoidance stems from feeling overwhelmed or unmotivated, and can make you feel guilty over time.
19. Emotionally Numb
If burnout doesn't leave you feeling overwhelmed, it might be because it has forced you to feel emotionally numb. This makes it difficult to experience happiness or sadness. You feel empty as a means to survive the experience. Over time, this can affect your relationships and professional life.
20. Neglecting Self-Care
One of the first ways people deal with burnout is to neglect their own health and wellness. You might start skipping showers, exercise, or social engagements. It's healthy to reintroduce self-care in manageable steps, such as a short jog in the morning or a quick shower before bed.
KEEP ON READING
20 Simple Ways You Can Stay Healthy When Eating Out
20 Low-Impact Sports Seniors Can Participate In
