10 Signs You’re Getting Burned-out at Work

​Professional burnout is a real thing, and if you’re feeling a little “crispy” at work right now, you are not imagining it.  According to a 2020 US study done by Mental Health America over 75% of professionals have experienced burnout at some point in their career, and 42% of professionals are currently experiencing signs of burnout, a number intensified by the pandemic.
 
Burnout is not a medical diagnosis, or a mindset; it is a call to action to take control of your mental health.  You hear the term “burnout” a lot in conversations and it’s helpful to know what watch for so you can look after yourself.
 
Take a look at this list from the Mayo Clinic and check off which of these items you’re experiencing:

• Becoming increasingly cynical or critical at work
• Persistent and unusual lack of motivation to begin your work day
• Increased or abnormal irritability with loved ones, colleagues, co-workers, etc.
• Fluctuations in your energy levels with increased periods of low energy
• Difficulty concentrating that is new or uncharacteristic for you
• Inability to feel good about your work accomplishments or the value of your work
• Feeling disillusioned about your job and/or profession
• Using food, TV, shopping, drugs, etc. to numb out and not feel anything
• Changes in your sleep habits that don’t support your wellbeing
• Unexplained physical complaints, like headaches, digestive issues, or other unusual-for-you health concerns.

 
Checking off any of these items means something needs your attention TODAY.  
 
Consider consulting with your family physician or another health care provider (therapist, psychologist, etc.) to ensure you are getting the care you deserve.
 
There are factors at work that contribute to professional burnout (also compliments of the Mayo Clinic).  How many of these are present in your job today?

1. Extended or unpredictable working hours and/or work load
2. Unclear or non-existent boundaries between work life and home life
3. Being a care-giver (personally for dependant family members or as a professional occupation)
4. Having no control over your work or work outcomes

 
Each of these requires a different strategy to support your mental health and wellbeing; strategies to consider include:

1. Having clear, honest conversations with your boss about your hours of work and/or workload is the key strategy to get the support you need.  Long hours and unpredictability will happen in professional roles from time to time, you cannot completely eliminate it.  However, it shouldn’t be perpetual (even ER doctors get days off …and vacations).  You should also ALWAYS be given the respect and support you need at work, especially during high-demand periods.
2. Holding strong boundaries between work and home means having a strategy that sets that line, recognizes the barriers to holding the line, and ways to overcome those barriers.  Being mentally prepared to take appropriate actions to keep your life balanced is half the battle, which may include having difficult conversations at home and at work that support your healthy boundaries.
3. If you are responsible for the health and welfare of others, you know it can be a complete roller-coaster (professionally and personally).  When others depend on you, paying attention to your needs first as a strategy seems selfish, or counter intuitive, but you can’t “pour from an empty cup”.  If demands are compromising your health, consider taking job protected leave (like the various family/medical leave supported by government legislation in North America).  Give yourself the time to look after what is most important, you, so you can get back to helping others sustainably.
4. Most professionals do not have a completely clean line of sight to the many ways their work meaningfully contributes to others, but your work is meaningful (why else is someone pay you to do it?), and it may take some effort and reflection to see it. Strategies here include conversations with your manager and colleagues or following the “thread” of your work to its useful end to see how you make a difference. That said, if in your workplace your ideas are stolen, you are not recognized or valued for your contributions, you are treated without dignity and respect, please know there are good employers out there who will treat you well and you deserve for work for them.  Consider your options.

 
You are accountable for your mental and physical heath, no one else can support you if you aren't paying attention to the signs.  

​The consequences of professional burnout can be as mild as fatigue and as life-impacting as chronic disease.  Attending to your wellbeing when the signs of burnout are clear means you have more to give over your career, and along the way you get to live an uncompromised life on your terms.  And that’s the dream.

Want more strategies to put out burnout?  Book a complimentary Career Strategy Call with me.

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