Burnout is more than just feeling stressed or overworked; it’s a hyper-stress state caused by ongoing workplace pressures, chronic stress, and a sense of having no control over your work environment. Long-term emotional strain can lead to coronary heart disease, boosting your risk by up to 80 percent. It’s essential to recognize the signs of burnout and take steps to prevent it from affecting your mental and physical health.
How Burnout Affects Your Mind
- Emotional Exhaustion: You feel mentally and physically drained, unable to focus or think about anything else.
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Depersonalization: You experience feelings of isolation and alienation from co-workers and employers, potentially leading to anxiety, depression, and despair.
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Lack of Accomplishment: Apathy sets in, decreasing your confidence in your work and your ability to perform well.
Potential Causes of Burnout
- Accountability without Authority: You don’t have the power to make key decisions about your work/project but are still held responsible for their outcomes.
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Conflicting Values: Management prioritizes financial goals over upholding company values, causing ongoing internal dilemmas that harm your well-being.
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Insufficient Reward: You’re underpaid for your skills or your abilities are underutilized, leading to feeling undervalued and lacking motivation.
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Heavy Workload: You have too much work, or the complexity of tasks is beyond your skill level, making it seem unmanageable and causing additional stress.
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Unfair and In-the-Dark: Feeling treated unfairly or left out of important decisions can lead to heightened stress and burnout.
Preventing Burnout
Understanding the signs of stress and burnout is crucial to avoid falling into this unhealthy state. Stress indicators include tension in the lower back and neck/shoulders, headaches, irritability, anxiety, depression, apathy, sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating.
If you notice that stress is becoming a chronic issue in your workplace, take the following steps to reverse the situation:
- Engage in non-work-related activities with co-workers, such as lunch, walks, or other enjoyable events.
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Be transparent with colleagues and managers about your workplace observations and concerns.
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Take a walk or eat lunch away from your desk to break up your workday.
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Participate in enjoyable activities after work and before bed to help you relax and unwind.
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Prioritize quality sleep and a balanced breakfast to start each day on the right foot.
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Use earbuds to listen to uplifting or calming music while working to improve your mood and focus.
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Above all, practice self-care and ensure you make time for your well-being.
If your responsibilities don’t align with your true passion or you don’t take regular breaks, you could face a plethora of mental and physical health issues. By taking proactive measures to reduce stress and prioritize self-care, you can make work more enjoyable, improve your overall well-being, and prevent the onset of coronary heart disease.
