How to notice if you are burned out or close to experiencing it?
Burnout is something that you have to manage carefully; otherwise, it can drastically affect your life. This is the reason why you have to identify the first signs of it. If you are unsure if what you are feeling right now is already burnout, then here are some of the signs you should keep an eye out for:
Chronic fatigue
During the early stages of burnout, you might feel like you are always lacking energy. It seems like you are tired the entire day. Once it worsens, you will constantly feel physically and emotionally drained. You will also have a looming sense of dread about the future.
Insomnia
The early stages of burnout may be characterized by sleeping troubles. It could be that you are not getting enough sleep, maybe one or two nights a week. As your condition worsens, your insomnia will get exponentially worse until the time comes that you cannot fall asleep even if you are completely exhausted.
Forgetfulness/ Inability to Focus
During the early stages, you may feel mild forgetfulness and an inability to focus. As your condition gets worse, it will get to the point that you are completely incapable of doing your tasks. This may cause your work to start piling up.
Physical Symptoms
You may also experience physical symptoms. Some of them are heart palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, stomachaches, lightheadedness, and migraine headaches. There are even times when you feel like fainting. You may want to begin taking action if you experience most of the mentioned symptoms.
Appetite Loss
During the early phases of being burned out, you may not feel hungry most of the time. This may cause you to skip a couple of meals. It will eventually result in the complete loss of your appetite, further leading to an unhealthy amount of weight loss.
Weakened Immune System
Because your mind and body are depleted of energy, it will negatively affect your immune system. This means you are more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections and other immune-related ailments.
Anxiety
Early on, you may experience a bit of tension. You tend to worry too much and feel on edge most of the time. The closer you move to experience burnout, the higher your chance of getting full-blown anxiety. This may impede your productivity and interfere with your personal life.
Depression
At first, you may just feel sad. Occasionally, you will experience feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. As your burnout progresses, you may develop full-blown depression. You may even have suicidal thoughts. If your condition has already reached this point, I highly advise that you get professional help immediately.
Conclusion
You need to keep an eye out for these tell-tale signs that you are headed towards a full-blown burnout. Once you notice these signs, try your best to steer towards a different and more positive direction.