Heading straight to burnout

Are you afraid of your work shift? View work as a chore? Or are you overwhelmed and unable to meet your work demands? If so, you may be heading straight for burnout.

Burnout vs. stress

Burnout happens over time and can be devastating. The job you once loved is now a chore and you have become exhausted, cynical, and frustrated. Despite your best attempts, you don't know how to change it. Once you experience burnout, it's hard to go back and not feel that way. That is why it is so important to pay attention to how you feel about your work, to determine if you are beyond the normal level of stress so as not to minimize negative reactions.

It is important to know that burnout is not the same as stress. When you're stressed, you can still be optimistic. You can use healthy coping skills to deal with your stress and wake up a less stressed person. In burnout, your outlook is not bright nor is your energy high; there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Excessive amounts of stress can lead to Burnout, but unlike stress, where you can lower your stress level overnight, once you're exhausted, that's where it stays.

How could this happen?

If you are exhausted and think "How could it have happened to me? What is wrong with me?" Take the focus off of yourself for a moment. It may not be about you. Did you know that "the structure of work and the organization of work is ultimately a stronger determinant of the incidence of burnout than the composition of the individual's personality?" (Cary Cherniss, Human Services Job Stress) Wow! And Maslach and Leiter in "The Truth About Burnout" provide this possible reason for burnout: "When working in situations of chronic imbalance where the job demands more than it can give and provides less than it needs."

Also, burnout doesn't have to be the result of a high-stress job. Mark Gorkin in his book "Practicing Safe Stress" describes burnout this way: "Just as dangerous (as burnout) is chronic boredom and the constant feeling that you are underused or undervalued at work or that you don't have the opportunity to stretch. the muscles of the mind and body in a significant way. This state gradually leads to latent anger, depression, or exhaustion, just as overwork does out of control. "

So while your workplace has a lot to do with your burnout, it also has a piece. Are you always the person who does the extra work? Are you staying up late, helping your coworkers, and not taking much-needed vacation time? Start by saying no more often and the most important thing is to create a work-life balance.

When you notice that you are often unhappy at work, drained both physically and emotionally, and feeling drained and empty, it is time to reassess your work life. The trick is to recover before you are completely exhausted. As you progress and stop finding fun or satisfaction in your job, STOP and evaluate!