Burnout Is Real: Know the Signs
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The past year has been hard on all of us and probably has had you doing some internal emotional work – whether you intended to or not. Priorities have shifted, questions about lifestyles have been asked, goals have been re-examined.
Many issues have come to light affecting Black and Brown communities from discrimination in the workplace to diversity and equity to the fact that this pandemic disproportionately affected those same communities. The past year has also reminded us about the ongoing issues of policing in our communities and brought it center stage.
How did you fare?
Like many people, I was stressed, depressed, and tired. However, I had felt that way before and would again, given the way life has been (living in a major city, working in a legacy industry, trying to make sure my life kept moving on a forward path). In March, I attended a health seminar where the primary speaker detailed her journey about experiencing burnout with her job and family life. She listed the signs and a dawning understanding started coalescing in my mind.
I realized the way I had been feeling for almost the past year wasn’t just traditional “stress.” It took hearing about the signs is relation to life itself, and not a job, that made me realize what I had been going through.
I wanted to share information about what burnout looks like irrespective of the phrase being tied to employment to possibly help others classify what they may truly be going through so as to not sweep it under the rug in hopes that once “things get better” you would no longer feel that way.
Here we go.
So, what is burnout? Burnout was defined by psychologist Herbert Freuenberger in the 1970s as a severe stress condition that led to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. As a result, that has severe consequences on your everyday life. You may find yourself losing the energy to handle the average day-to-day responsibilities and it can trigger other emotional health issues such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks and physical health issues such as headaches, heart issues, diabetes.
What are the important signs and stages?
Important Signs of Burnout to Look For:
Exhaustion
Isolation
Fantasies
Irritability
Frequent Illness
Stages of Burnout to Identify:
Pushing yourself to “do more”
Neglecting your personal needs
Projecting reasons for your behavior outside of your personal control
Withdrawing from previously enjoyed activities, family, and friends
Detaching from everyday life
Inner emptiness and anxiety
Being unable to cope mentally
To be honest, this topic and its diagnosis is nuanced.
It could be either/or, or it could be in addition to. If you think you are experiencing burnout, please reach out to a professional to help you navigate that space and know you are not alone.
Your life matters and you deserve to be here, no matter what the world tries to tell you subtly. You matter, your feelings matter, your health matters. Take care of yourself and know the first most important step in handling burnout comes from recognizing and identifying the signs. Once you do that, you can tackle the issue and get to work on yourself to begin stepping back to heal.
Check out these resources and get started on your burnout healing journey:
About the Author
Amanda Baird is always on a journey to learn and evolve – in the past few years she’s explored social impact, blockchain, product management, and data science. To talk about entrepreneurship, career transitions, pop culture, and many other subjects, connect with her on LinkedIn.