Burnout definition
Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged and excessive stress. It often occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands coming from their job, family, life circumstances, or all of the above. Burnout reduces your mental capacity, productivity, overall energy, and can lead to feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and resentment. In prolonged cases it can lead to depression and other mental health issues and illnesses.
Symptoms of Burnout
Burnout can manifest in various ways. Common physical symptoms include: Chronic fatigue and exhaustion, even after what would be considered enough rest. This includes waking up exhausted despite having “good sleep,” and often accompanies changes in sleep patterns which could be the inability to sleep (insomnia), the inability to stay asleep (frequent waking), or oversleeping.
Other physical symptoms can include having frequent headaches or muscle pain. Headaches can be simple stress headaches from muscle tension in the neck and shoulders, or can lead to more serious migraines. Muscle pain is often reported in the neck, shoulders, and back for those experiencing burnout. However, these pains seem to come back repeatedly despite frequent treatments like massages and chiropractic care.
The most worrisome physical symptom in burnout is the lowering of your immunity. A body under constant stress is experiencing an immunity war inside itself, with heightened stress hormones like cortisol constantly present. This results in heightened levels of inflammation, frequent illnesses, and your body’s inability to recover.
Mental and Emotional Symptoms
Burnout can significantly affect your mental health, leading to a range of symptoms that impact cognitive functions, emotional stability, and overall mental well-being. Here are some common mental and emotional symptoms of burnout:
1. Chronic Fatigue and Exhaustion
Similar to physical exhaustion, this is a persistent tiredness and a constant feeling of being drained, regardless of the amount of rest or sleep. The distinction here though, is that the fatigue isn’t physical at all, but a feeling of having hit mental and/or emotional capacity. It can feel like the inability to take on any more. A common example of this is decision fatigue. When you are at mental capacity, even what should be considered an easy decision like “what’s for dinner?” can be too much to handle. During a particularly bad case of burnout in my own life, I found myself standing in front of my dresser not being able to decide what socks to wear that day. It felt ridiculous and crazy, but for the life of me I could not pick a pair of socks. It was like my brain was glitching.
2. Depression
Extreme symptoms can include mental health issues including depression. This may show itself in feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or a lack of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed. If you love gardening but can’t get yourself to go outside, or if you enjoy running but can’t force yourself to lace up your running shoes, it could be a sign. Besides a lack of enjoyment, it can be even worse and manifest in a pervasive sense of worthlessness and pessimism. What is particularly gnarly about extreme burnout is that you lose your zest for life and believe it is your own fault.
If you ever experience this, please hear this: Depression is a liar. It is your body’s last ditch effort to get you to rest, but unfortunately it is particularly manipulative in doing so. No matter what your circumstance, you are worthy and valued. You do need some help to recover, but when you do you will remember just how amazing and unique you really are.
3. Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, or uneasiness that can be a natural response to stress. It can be mild or severe, and can be experienced through thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. When work related, it can include worry or fear about work related issues, such as how you are perceived, or financial security. Physical manifestations of anxiety can include a racing heart, sweating, or being extra fidgety.
You may feel restless, tense, sweaty, and/or have a rapid heartbeat. Anxiety can be caused by the anticipation of danger, which can be internal or external. For example, someone might feel anxious before taking a test, making an important decision, or facing a difficult problem at work. Anxiety is the body’s natural defense system and in general is a design, NOT a defect. It can sometimes help people cope by giving them a boost of energy or helping them focus which is particularly helpful if you are facing a real danger (like a lion chasing you, or an out of control car veering your way). This boost in energy and focus can help you get yourself out of the line of danger and into safety.
However, when anxiety sticks around for long periods of time and makes it hard to live day-to-day, it can be a problem or even a disorder. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorder, affecting almost 30% of adults at some point in their lives. Treatments for anxiety disorders include medications such as antidepressants, anticonvulsant medications, and low dose antipsychotic drugs. There are also many non-drug therapies that can be helpful, such as mindfulness, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and others. There are even alternative therapies, like Pranic Healing, that can help you to remove the nervous energy from your system to regain a more calm and helpful presence.
4. Irritability and Mood Swings
If you catch yourself feeling irritated often, and not because you just happen to be in a bad mood, it could be that you are experiencing burnout. This can show up as impatience and annoyance with colleagues, friends, or family members. It can express itself in you having unpredictable mood swings, ranging from sadness to anger.
Have you ever had what I call an “outsized” reaction to something? For example, once when I was already feeling completely tapped, I spilled coffee as I was pouring myself a cup in hopes of gaining enough energy to make it through. When I spilled the coffee, I was overcome by anger and frustration and I threw my coffee mug to the ground like a toddler having a tantrum. I also immediately wanted to cry. Mind you, this was in my mid 30’s, so not the toddler terrible 3’s. I am normally an excessively patient and kind person, so this behavior was completely surprising and out of character.
5. Cognitive Impairments
For me, this was by far the scariest symptom of burnout. It shows up as difficulty concentrating, making decisions, and focusing on tasks. I recall reading documents at work and having to re-read sections again and again because my brain just wouldn’t comprehend. It wasn’t that the subject matter was all that difficult, it just felt like my brain’s gears were turning in mud. I felt slow and frustrated.
It can also show up as memory problems, including forgetfulness and difficulty retaining information. Not only was I having a hard time retaining a new subject matter, but I would misplace things ALL THE TIME. Keys? I’d spend ten minutes searching for them so I could leave for the office. Wallet? Your best guess. Where did I leave my pen? Better get a new one. I once even mindlessly threw my iphone away after lunch. Thank goodness for “find my phone.” When I got back to my desk after the lunch meeting in another building a few blocks away, I had to log into my icloud account and could see that I had left my phone in the other building. I had to use my laptop to ping my phone while walking the office floor. The sounds led me to the trash bin. Without the loud alarm from pinging my phone, it surely would have ended up in a landfill. Embarrassing, and a sign of burnout.
6. Detachment and Isolation
As you continue to experience burnout, you may start to detach emotionally. This can show up as a lack of interest in your work, in socializing with colleagues, and even in your personal relationships. It likely also shows up in your social interactions (especially for those of us who are introverts). You start to look for ways to isolate and get a buffer from any personal responsibility, even if it would normally be for fun.
In particularly bad times, I would start to resent my work and especially difficult coworkers. But I would also occasionally resent my family, and fantasize about running away to a cabin in the woods. I imagined walking the mountainside, chopping wood for heat. I imagined wildflowers and wildlife with no access to wifi, phones, or electronics. I would then flood with guilt about dreaming of leaving my family and all responsibilities behind. What I had to learn is that I wasn’t a bad mother or wife. I was just overloaded.
7. Decreased Motivation and Satisfaction
When you are already overwhelmed and needing rest, you can also lose motivation for even the simplest tasks. Simple things seem too difficult to even attempt. You have no dopamine[1] left to give you a hit of accomplishment. With no way to reinforce rewards for completing tasks, you lose your sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in both work and personal life.
8. Cynicism and Negativity
One thing that was surprising to learn was that your outlook can change because of burnout. It’s not that you are a “glass half full” or “glass half empty” person forever. Given enough stress and burnout, we all turn into “glass empty, and might as well throw the damn thing out.” Developing a negative outlook on work, colleagues, and life in general is a common side effect.
Prolonged, these feelings of cynicism and skepticism about the value and purpose of work can become more ingrained. This makes me think twice about any grumpy, angry, or difficult co-workers I’ve crossed paths with. Could it be that they were experiencing burnout? It’s possible. However, staying in this state is also a choice. While it can happen to any of us, choosing to live there permanently is a decision. One I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
9. Emotional Numbness
One step worse than cynicism, in my opinion is not having any feelings at all. Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected from one’s own emotions and experiences is a survival mechanism, often accompanied by trauma. You mind and body dis-associate, so that you don’t have to live in emotional pain. It gives you a sense of being on autopilot, going through the motions without really thinking or feeling. In this state you don’t seem to care about the outcome. You are just doing the motions.
10. Overwhelm and Helplessness
You can also experience feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities and tasks, even those that were manageable before. Like picking out your socks (like I mentioned before) which is a simple task, can become too much to handle. This is often followed by a sense of helplessness and an inability to see a way out of the situation. We might feel trapped. We humans tend to think that the way things are right now is the way things will always be. Even when things are going great, it is good to realize that good times come and go, but so do bad times. There is always a change of tide coming. Learning to ride the wave is incredibly helpful. My mother, when she was alive, would always tell us, “if things are really bad, just hang on, it means things will get better soon.” It’s like the positive outlook of hitting rock bottom…at least you can’t go down any further.
11. Reduced Creativity and Problem-Solving Skills
Much like in the previous section, with the inability to find yourself out of the current situation, your creativity is also at low capacity. You experience a diminished ability to think creatively or come up with innovative solutions. This may accompany a narrow focus on immediate tasks with a lack of broader perspective. I believe that part is actually also a survival mechanism. If you can’t figure out how to get from here to there, it’s best to just focus on the next step. One step at a time gets you there.
When you are in this state, it is extremely helpful to seek out support from a trusted friend, mentor, therapist, or coach. You don’t have the creative or cognitive capacity to see the solution, but someone with an objective view can help. It is particularly helpful when it is someone you can trust, who also cares about you.
12. Self-Doubt and Low Self-Esteem
If it wasn’t bad enough to have all these symptoms, they bring another uninvited guest to the party: persistent self-doubt and a lack of confidence in your abilities. You can start to think that maybe you aren’t really good at what you’ve always been good at. Any minor criticism can send you into a tailspin. It can lead to immediate Imposter syndrome[2]. You begin to believe that you aren’t worthy, that perhaps you’ve been fooling everyone all along and that now you are going to be found out. Your self-esteem and self-image take a dive and you feel bad about yourself.
These mental and emotional symptoms of burnout can significantly impact your quality of life, professional performance, and personal relationships. That is why recognizing these signs early and taking steps to address them is crucial in preventing the long-term consequences of burnout.
Behavioral Symptoms
More symptoms of burnout can be seen in your behavior. It can include withdrawing from responsibilities, meaning slacking off from what you are responsible for at work, at home, or in your social group. Isolating yourself from others. When we are burned out, we go into a protective mode even from those around us who care for us and love us. We start to naturally go inside ourselves.
You may be procrastinating and taking longer to get things done. Similar to that dopamine depletion discussed earlier, you just don’t have it in you to “eat the frog[3]” or do things that seem difficult or complicated. Unfortunately, most things in this state seem difficult or complicated.
Many of us may turn to food, drugs, or alcohol to cope. Food is a natural thing to turn to because the body feels exhausted, so of course, it thinks the problem is that you are out of fuel (food). However, in this state we tend to turn to sugary or unhealthy fatty foods to get a hit of energy. This begins a vicious cycle. The unhealthy food works for a short time but then causes a crash, then triggering another need for more. In this state, we are ripe for addiction. It is a similar case for drugs or alcohol, instead of a hit of energy, it is a hit of release. We may turn to drugs (prescription or otherwise) to numb or escape the uncomfortable feelings we have because we are so exhausted. This works for a short time, but really makes the problem worse. For example, alcohol seems to have a relaxing effect when you drink it. BUT, alcohol is a major sleep disruptor. So when you drink, you may feel relaxed, and even feel like “it’s easier to fall asleep,” but in the meantime you do not get quality REM, deep, or light sleep and feel even more exhausted the next day.
In our state of burnout we may also get more agitated easily and take our frustration out on others. We may lash out verbally, emotionally, or even physically to the ones who are closest to us. This can damage relationships and further deepen the issue. When we lash out at people, we further isolate ourselves and cut off those who might be able to help or support us in our burnout recovery.
If you know someone who is showing signs of burnout, consider offering them help. You could share this article or other resources like HelpGuide.org, in extreme cases refer them to help lines like the Crisis Text Line: Text MHA to 741741, or Call or text 988, for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
If you suspect you are experiencing burnout, but aren’t sure how bad, you can take a quick 10 question quiz here: https://bit.ly/4f7S3Ui
Know you are not alone, and it happens more often than you think. Help is available.
If you are an HR Professional, I created a “Burnout Proof Resource Guide for HR.” You can access it at Burnoutproofcoaching.com
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Next week we’ll discuss Causes of Burnout.
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[1] Dopamine is a “feel good neurotransmitter” that acts as a reward for completing tasks https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/dopamine-the-pathway-to-pleasure
[2] “People who struggle with imposter syndrome believe that they are undeserving of their achievements,” feeling like an imposter who will be found out and discredited (Psychology Today).
[3] “eat the frog” is a saying coined by Brian Tracy. It means completing difficult, frustrating, or tedious first in order to get them over with.
[4] Micromanagement is where managers feel the need to control aspects of their employee’s work & decision-making to an extreme degree – more than is necessary or healthy for a usual working relationship.