Physical signs and symptoms of burnout
Feeling tired and drained most of the time. Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses. Frequent headaches or muscle pain. Change in appetite or sleep habits.
Common causes of burnout include: lack of adequate social support; taking on more than one can handle at work, school, or interpersonally with family and friends; and poor self-care. Burnout is a serious matter.
How Long Does Burnout Last? It takes an average time of three months to a year to recover from burnout. How long your burnout lasts will depend on your level of emotional exhaustion and physical fatigue, as well as if you experience any relapses or periods of stagnant recovery.
You can't do everything yourself, so if more tasks than you can handle need immediate attention, pass them off to someone you trust. Leave work at work. Part of burnout recovery is learning to prioritize work-life balance. After leaving work, focus on relaxing and recharging for the next day.
The best way to recover from burnout depends on how severe your symptoms are. For example, with a less severe job burnout, you may feel immediate benefit from: prioritising rest, whether that's longer nightly sleep, reducing your work hours or taking a holiday.
Burnout can be accompanied by physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and sleeping difficulties. It is important to recognize and treat burnout early, and with psychological counseling and support, most people begin to feel better and recover quickly.
“Burnout” is now classified as a mental illness caused by unmanaged stress at work. Many lifestyle factors can be adjusted to help reduce the effects of Burnout such as changing diet, effective supplementation and self-care protocols.
Burnout recovery may take as long as three years: A study of coping: Successful recovery from severe burnout and other reactions to severe work-related stress.
1 Burnout symptoms include feeling exhausted, empty, and unable to cope with daily life. If left unaddressed, your burnout may even make it difficult to function.
Your brain on burnout
Chronic stress has long been known to contribute to mental and physical diseases, and now researchers are able to capture what happens to the brain. “One of the most striking (effects) is thinning of the gray matter of an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex,” Arnsten said.
Feeling tired or drained most of the time. Feeling helpless, trapped and/or defeated. Feeling detached/alone in the world. Having a cynical/negative outlook.
According to our results, it is possible that individuals who are more prone to experiencing higher levels of anxiety (trait anxiety) are also more likely to develop burnout as well.
If left untreated, burnout can become a part of your everyday life and eventually lead to anxiety or depression. You can also begin to experience chronic mental and physical fatigue that prevents you from working. Your job status may be put in jeopardy if you continue on this path.
The term "nervous breakdown" is sometimes used by people to describe a stressful situation in which they're temporarily unable to function normally in day-to-day life. It's commonly understood to occur when life's demands become physically and emotionally overwhelming.
Studies have found that individuals with burnout struggle with memory problems and memory loss, due to problematic functioning of the brain areas tasked with regulating our executive functions. Also, people with decreased cognitive flexibility are not able to spot a mistake and take subsequent corrective actions.
Consider taking time off to hit your "reset" button
If your burnout is severe to the point where you're struggling to function, you may benefit from taking time off so that you can reset and refresh. Taking a trip away, or even setting aside a few days to relax at home, can help.
Know When You Really Need to Get Away
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to make the best of job burnout, you really just need time off. “If you're at the point where you are sacrificing your health for work, that is a sign. That never gets better on its own,” Hendriksen says.
Burnout will never go away on its own. We're quick to dismiss mental disorders and feelings because they aren't immediately visible like a broken leg might be–but ignoring them can be just as painful. The more you ignore burnout, the greater the risks in the future. Remember: You don't have to get better in a day.
People don't burn out because they're weak. They burn out because they overdo it and live with stress for so long that their bodies take over in defense. But by the time the body takes over, it's usually too late. Even after making professional and personal changes, the effects of burnout might linger for a lifetime.