Spotting burnout: Post-holiday edition

Summer's over, and so it’s back to work we go. But are you feeling rested and refreshed? Are you feeling motivated to return to work? If the answer is no, then you might be experiencing the early signs of burnout.  

What burnout really means

Burnout is a term used constantly these days, but do we fully understand what we mean when we talk about feeling burned out? And what’s the difference between burnout and feeling tired?

Burnout was a condition first conceived in the 1970s following research on people who worked in the helping professions. Since then, the scope of burnout has grown to include lots of variations. For example, we talk of burnout amongst parents, athletes and the neurodivergent community, to name but a few. But the underlying definition of burnout has remained.

The World Health Organisation (the WHO) describes burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” (keeping it within the parameters of work). It is not formally classed as a medical condition, but it is a term regularly used by health professionals to help people understand their symptoms. The WHO defines burnout as chronic workplace stress, which consists of three characteristics, these being:

• depletion of energy or exhaustion
• increased withdrawal, cynicism or negativity towards your work
• decreased level of professional efficacy

How burnout is different from tiredness

Burnout is more than just feeling tired. If we’re tired, a good rest is likely all we need. But when we’re experiencing burnout, a rest will only partially help. With burnout, there is a lot more to address.

The early signs of burnout

Burnout is also not something that happens suddenly. Burnout often creeps up on us, slowly and gradually and so can be hard to spot in the early stages. Often people don’t realise they have burnout until they are sitting in front of their GP with complete overwhelm, needing to be signed off work. So, if you can spot the early signs to avoid what is called habitual burnout, then all the better. The early signs of burnout can include:

• Working harder or longer hours than usual. For example, if we’re on a big project or wanting to impress the boss for a possible promotion.
• Starting to neglect our own self-care. For example, cancelling our weekly yoga class to stay late at work or relying on caffeine or sugar to keep us fuelled up to work instead of proper meals.
• Struggling to get enough sleep, often struggling to switch off from work and then waking up not feeling rested and ready for the day ahead.
• Experiencing increased levels of anxiety about work. For example, the Sunday night dread about the Monday morning ahead can be common amongst people prone to burnout.
• Often feeling overwhelmed, for example, struggling to cope and tolerate things that go wrong, when usually we might take them more in our stride.
• We begin to feel physically ill. Our bodies are excellent communicators when something isn’t right. We might get IBS-like symptoms, headaches or skin rashes, for example, when we’re experiencing stress for long periods of time.

Steps to recover from burnout

If you’re recognising some of these early signs, then don’t panic. You’ve hopefully caught a potential burnout early, and so you can take action to stop it escalating. These actions can include:

Get support

One of the most effective ways of stopping burnout is to communicate what’s going on with others. Burnout likes to develop in secrecy, and at its height often includes the person withdrawing from others and entering a defensive state of denial. So, talking to others and getting support is vital. This might include talking to a colleague, your line manager, a good friend and/or also a therapist, who specialises in burnout recovery.

Do a boundary check

More often than not, we start on the journey to burnout due to letting our boundaries slip. It could be working late more regularly, responding to work emails at weekends or taking on other people’s workloads, for example. Correcting these boundary slips is a simple way of getting some control and protection back in our lives. It’s not always easy to reassert boundaries (especially if they’ve been broken for a while) so it helps to have some support, be it from a line manager or a therapist, to provide us with the confidence that it’s ok to take care of ourselves.

Assess accountability

Burnout doesn’t have to be something created at the individual level, but also at the organisational level. Keep in mind, there might be some areas where your workplace could help reduce the risk of burnout. For example, some processes and protocols might be in need of an update or perhaps a reorganisation of the team structure and roles might help operations run more efficiently and put individuals under less pressure. I often find my clients surprised at the openness and willingness of their employers to make changes to help avoid burnout, so don’t be afraid to make suggestions; it could make all the difference to everyone (not just you).

Make time for self-care

During the early stages of burnout, taking care of ourselves is often made a lesser priority as work is considered more important. So, it’s important to start addressing this neglect. Taking time out for ourselves, be it to wallow in a hot bath, take a walk in nature or simply to lie in the sun with a good book, will help us not only have a rest from work but also help provide perspective that work isn’t the only thing in our world.

Get the balance back

Burnout fundamentally is about our lives being out of balance (i.e., it’s all work and no play). Time spent with family and friends or spent on our hobbies is often one of the early casualties in burnout. Making a conscious effort to get the balance back really helps us recover from burnout and hopefully keep it at bay in the long term.

Rediscover joy

Burnout is an absolute killjoy. The negative feelings connected to burnout struggle to exist when joy is present. So, make a menu of things that give you joy. It could be listening to some feel-good songs, playing with pets, completing a jigsaw or cooking your favourite meal for example. Try to select a joyful item from your menu on a regular basis, and you’ll soon notice the difference in your overall mood.

Final thoughts

So, if the summer break already feels like a distant memory and despite the time off, you’re still feeling exhausted, burnout might be at play. Don’t leave early burnout to fester; take some action today and get your life back on track.