Burnout in Western society is alarmingly prevalent. It is a consequence of a culture that often values productivity and success above health and well-being. This relentless push is made worse by modern technology, which gives people access to us 24/7 and has led many into a state of chronic stress and exhaustion. The constant pressure to perform and achieve, often without adequate support or reward, creates an environment ripe for burnout.

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion brought on by prolonged stress and overcommitment. Unlike ordinary fatigue, burnout makes individuals feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, they begin to lose the interest or motivation that led them to take on a certain role in the first place.

While burnout is often discussed in relation to work, it can also come about as a result of having other demanding roles in life. These may include parenting, caregiving for elders, running a home, or simply stacking what’s on our plate so high that we cannot cope with it all.

Signs of Burnout

How do we know when we are in burnout rather than everyday stress? The signs often manifest physically, emotionally and behaviourally so it’s important to watch for changes in all three:

Physical Signs

• Headaches: Persistent and recurrent headaches can be a sign of chronic stress and burnout. They are often tension-related and can be more frequent during periods of high stress and burnout
• Stomachaches/Intestinal Issues: Stress and anxiety associated with burnout can lead to gastrointestinal problems like stomachaches, indigestion, or irritable bowel syndrome.
• Fatigue: This is more than just feeling tired; it’s a profound exhaustion that isn’t relieved by rest. People with burnout often feel physically drained and may struggle to perform everyday activities.
• Frequent Illness: Burnout can weaken the immune system, making us more susceptible to colds, flu, and other infections.
• Changes in Appetite/Sleep: This could include loss of appetite or overeating, insomnia, or excessive sleeping. Disturbed sleep patterns are a common symptom of prolonged stress and burnout.
• Sensitivity to Noise & Light: When the mind is in overdrive and fatigued, this can create sensitivity to loud noises and bright lights, which both further fatigue the brain.

Emotional Signs

• Helplessness: This is a feeling of being trapped and unable to change one’s situation. It often accompanies burnout, contributing to a sense of loss of control.
• Sense of Failure or Self-Doubt: Burnout can lead to feelings of inadequacy and a diminished sense of accomplishment, eroding our professional confidence.
• Decreased Satisfaction: There’s often a significant drop in job satisfaction, where tasks that were once fulfilling become sources of frustration.
• Feeling Detached or Alone in the World: This can manifest as a sense of isolation or disconnection from others, both in the workplace and in personal relationships.
• Loss of Motivation: Once driven individuals might find their motivation waning, feeling like they’re just going through the motions without any real engagement.

Behavioral Signs

• Reduced Performance in Everyday Tasks: This includes a decline in productivity and efficiency at work and difficulty managing routine tasks at home.
• Withdrawal or Isolation: Pulling away from colleagues, friends, and family.
• Outbursts: Emotional outbursts, like irritability or anger, can occur, sometimes unexpectedly, as a result of the accumulated stress and frustration.
• Using Substances to Cope: In some cases, individuals might turn to alcohol, drugs, or other substances as a way to manage their stress or numb their emotions.
• Emotional exhaustion: We feel drained and depleted of emotional resources. This can manifest as a lack of energy to face the day or a feeling of dread about what the day might hold.

How We End Up Burnt Out

Several factors contribute to burnout, often building up over time:

• Excessive workload: Constant high-pressure at work without sufficient downtime leads to physical and mental exhaustion.
• Lack of control: Feeling unable to influence decisions that impact your work – such as your schedule, assignments, or workload.
• Insufficient rewards: This can be in terms of financial, institutional, or personal recognition. Lack of reward undermines the motivation and energy required to sustain a high level of performance.
• Work-life imbalance: Consistently prioritizing work over personal life can lead to a lack of recovery time, which is vital for replenishing mental and physical energy.
• Mismatch in values: Feeling out of sync with your job’s core values can lead to a sense of disillusionment and dissatisfaction.
• Societal pressures: In Western cultures, there’s often an unspoken rule that being busy equates to being important or successful. This culture inadvertently encourages working beyond limits and stigmatizes taking breaks, which contributes to burnout.

Preventing Burnout

Cultivate Self Awareness

Preventing burnout requires a proactive and self-aware approach. Self-awareness is key in recognizing the early signs of stress and overload. It involves regularly checking in with oneself to assess feelings and energy levels. This can be done through mindfulness practices, meditation, or journaling. By becoming more attuned to our physical and emotional states, we can detect subtle signs of burnout, such as persistent fatigue, irritability, or disengagement.

Understanding personal limits and stressors enables us to take early action, such as seeking support or modifying our workload, before burnout takes hold. Cultivating self-awareness also means recognizing what rejuvenates and motivates us, whether it’s engaging in hobbies, spending time with loved ones, or simply resting, and making these activities a regular part of life.

Set Boundaries

Boundary setting is another crucial aspect of preventing burnout. This means establishing clear limits on how much time and energy are devoted to work and other responsibilities. It’s about learning to say no to additional commitments that exceed these limits and being assertive in communicating our needs to others. Setting boundaries also includes creating a distinct separation between work and personal life. For example, designating specific work hours and sticking to them, avoiding checking emails or taking work calls during personal time, and making sure we take regular breaks and days off. Boundaries are also not just physical; they include emotional boundaries, such as not taking on others’ stress or problems as your own.

Look at the Bigger Picture

Looking at the bigger life picture helps in maintaining perspective and preventing burnout. This involves regularly reflecting on the broader goals and values we have in life and ensuring that our daily activities and work align with these. It’s about understanding what truly matters in the long run – health, relationships, personal growth, and happiness – and not getting lost in the immediacy of deadlines and work pressures.

Burnout significantly affects health and happiness. It’s essential to recognize its signs and take steps to manage stress and workload. As Brené Brown says, “It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.” By challenging this cultural norm and prioritizing well-being, we can avoid the pitfalls of burnout.