5 signs you’re burnt out and what to do about it.
Let’s rewind to the last week of December 2020. I was working full-time as a therapist seeing 30-35 clients per week in the wake of the pandemic and I was not ok. The last week of December I was sobbing to my mom on the phone, complaining of a host of physical ailments that were abnormal for me.
I was burnt-out and I didn’t know it.
In fact, most people who are burnt out don’t know it.
What people who are burnt out do know is they feel a bit “crispy” around the edges. The crispy feeling is then usually internalized into thinking there’s something wrong with them that needs to be fixed. Here’s what this looks like in practice.
Thinking you’re not working hard enough
Thinking you just need to be more optimistic
Thinking you just need to stop being lazy
This cycle is just a whole bunch of dismissing what’s really going on with a large helping of self-flagellation. This type of thinking is basically like lighting a match on an already stressful situation.
5 signs you’re burnt the heck out.
So we’ve established that we’re generally bad at recognizing the signs of burnout in ourselves let's go over some common “red flags” that can tip you off to the existence of burnout.
Pessimism: What this looks like in practice is an overarching negative outlook on most everything. You may start thinking to yourself, “I didn’t used to be this jaded” and that is a big red flag that something is off.
A lack of desire to plan for the future: Those weekend plans your friend just invited you to that you’d normally love…count you out.
Fatigue: No matter how much sleep you get you’re still tired, foggy, and feeling like you chronically require a nap.
Self-doubt/impostor syndrome: You’re questioning your every move. You wonder “how did I ever make it this far in my career?” Perhaps this even bleeds into decision fatigue and paralysis.
Increased irritability and lacking the desire to care about things: You’re snappy with others, often unintentionally. You can’t seem to find the energy to care about anything, even the topics that are generally important to you.
With all of these symptoms it’s not uncommon for the burnt out person to feel the core of who they are has changed, they’ve come to believe they’ve become jaded or they have less work ethic and drive. While this may be true in some cases it’s much more likely that the core of who they are hasn’t, rather the changes they’re noticing are symptoms of a greater problem.
A good way to think about this is if you had a cold and you were experiencing a stuffy nose you wouldn’t say “oh wow, my voice has changed and I guess I just talk super nasally now.” You would recognize the nasally tone of your voice to be a symptom of a bigger issue which is a head cold. You would also recognize that the head cold will heal and your voice will go back to it’s normal tone. The same goes for burnout, the changes you’ve noticed are symptoms of the bigger issue, burnout, and you can recover and get back to being you.
Why Burnout Happens
Burnout often manifests from two different paths.
The first way burnout can occur is through a traumatic experience such as a natural disaster, accident, or secondary trauma experiences, etc. In these scenarios the trauma experience is creating stress responses that when unaddressed can lead to burnout.
The second way burnout occurs is through compounding stress over time. For example, lets say you’ve been working on a project at work. It’s been a steady stream of work but as the deadline gets closer and closer the work increases and the level of stress increases too. By the end of the project you may experience burnout due to the long period of stress you endured.
What do you do about burnout?
Let's revisit my meltdown at the end of 2020. I was fortunate enough to have a support system around me that recognized the burnout I was experiencing and encouraged me to seek support.
Some steps I took included taking a nice long break between the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021. I hired a business coach who helped me identify areas in my business where I was working harder, not smarter and it was creating unnecessary stress. I edited my schedule to create boundaries which allowed me to take more space for myself.
Here are some practical ways to combat burnout:
Take time to relax regularly. Not just on weekends but creating a purposeful relaxation routine that you engage in regularly.
Lean into your support system. Ask for help when you need it.
Set boundaries, set boundaries, set boundaries. Your energy is valuable, prioritize yourself by setting clear boundaries to protect your time and energy.
Celebrate your wins. If you’re a high achiever you’re likely prone to focusing on what you could be doing better. Make sure you take time to focus on what you’re doing well in terms of recovering from burnout.
Recovery is different for everyone
Some people are able to successfully recover from burnout in the environment where burnout occurred. For example, during/after the pandemic the majority of healthcare workers were burnout. While many of them remained working in that system after taking time off and recovering from their burnout, others left the field, which leads us to the next recovery path. Some individuals require creating greater distance between themselves and the environment where burnout occurred. This may look like taking a leave of absence or it may look like getting a brand new job or changing career paths entirely. The most important thing in the recovery journey is that you honor what you need.
If you’re totally done being overwhelmed, stressed out, and on the verge of burnout or maybe you’re already burnt the heck out, I’m here to help you create clarity and get on the path to less stress and more of the things you love in work and life. Click here to schedule a free, no-strings attached call.
