You look forward to your mid-afternoon snack in order to break up your workday.
You're critical or impatient with your cubicle-mate, your kids and/or partner.
You feel like you should be working more efficiently at the office, and that there aren't enough hours in the day.
If you identified with any of the symptoms, you may be experiencing job burnout.
Burnout is a complex beast. It can creep up on you, slowly changing the way you function at work and at home and go unrecognized until it reaches a final, critical stage.
What exactly is a burnout?
David Ballard of the American Psychological Association, describes job burnout as "an extended period of time where someone experiences exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, resulting in a decline in their job performance."
In other words, burnout occurs when passionate, committed people become deeply disillusioned with a job or career from which they have previously derived much of their identity and meaning. It comes as the things that inspire passion and enthusiasm are stripped away, and tedious or unpleasant things crowd in.
Exhaustion isn't just easy to identify, it's actually pretty impossible to ignore. Anyone can become exhausted. What is so poignant about burnout is that it mainly strikes people who are highly committed to their work: You can only "burn out" if you have been "alight" in the first place.
Stress and Burnout
So, what's the difference between stress and burnout? Although the two share some characteristics, there are distinct differences.
Signs
Left unchecked, burnout can wreak havoc on your health, happiness, relationships and job performance. In order to catch burnout and combat it early, it's important to know what to look out for. Here some of the less obvious signs:
Inability to concentrate
David Ballard of The American Psychological Association, explains that the human brain is only designed to handle short bursts of stress. "When stress becomes chronic, this narrow focus continues for a long time and we have difficulty paying attention to other things," he says.
Guilt
"You're constantly working, but can't seem to get all of your work done (maybe because your work load is too heavy or you can't concentrate) and you eventually feel guilty for not completing your work, which leads to working even more."
Frequent mood changes
A report published by the NASW Assurance Services, Inc., says that "burnout may cause emotional exhaustion and a loss of a sense of personal accomplishment, and therefore lead to depersonalization, alienation, and depression".
You are sick too often
When you suffer from chronic stress, your body's immune system is actually weakened and you'll become more vulnerable to infections, colds, flus, and other immune system disorders.
Why do we experience a burnout?
People experience burnout for a variety of reasons.
What to do?
Relax!
Whether you take up meditation, listening to music, reading a book, taking a walk or visiting with friends and family, truly think about what you'll do to relax, and designate time for it.
Get a life
(outside your work)
Find something outside of work that you are passionate about that's challenging, engaging and really gets you going—whether a hobby, sports or fitness activities or volunteering in the community.
Pull the plug
While communication technology can promote productivity, it can also allow work stressors seep into family time, vacation and social activities. Set boundaries by turning off cell phones at dinner and delegating certain times to check email.
Get Enough Sleep
Recovering from chronic stress and burnout requires removing or reducing the demands on you and replenishing your resources. Sleep is one strategy for replenishing those resources.
