In today’s hustle culture, it’s easy to be burnout. We’re encouraged to work around the clock and discouraged from taking any breaks. In fact, sleeping fewer hours per day is considered a flex as opposed to flexing about getting a healthy amount of sleep per day.
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Table of Contents
What is burnout?
Burnout is a stage of being when a person feels mentally, emotionally, and physically tired due to exposure to a long period of stress.
As I’m typing this, I am feeling quite a bit of burnout. Sometimes I write 3–5 articles per day most of which are above 2200 words. So if you find value in this article, please consider subscribing to the mailing list it would mean so much to me 🙂
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Why it’s important to recognize signs of burnout
It’s important to recognize and address signs of burnout because your immune system may be compromised when you’re so which leads to frequent illness.
All of us have cancer cells floating in our bodies at all times and it’s the immune system that suppresses it from growing further into full-on cancer.
When we don’t take proper care of our bodies, the cancer cells tend to multiply much faster and can lead to a malignant tumor that eventually harms our wellbeing. Unfortunately, many of us discover cancer too late.
It’s not just the potential for cancer that we must watch out for when we are burnout, it’s also the drop in our capacity to deal with human interactions and emotionally regulate our emotions.
You may notice yourself lashing out and being less tolerant of the most minor inconveniences when you are burnout.
Recognizing signs of burnout and taking the right path to correct it can prevent a lot of emotional mishaps and physical illnesses that may result.
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15 Symptoms of burnout
Below are the 15 symptoms of burnout to watch out for. If you see yourself having more than 4 of the following, maybe it’s time to take a break.
1. Headache
I don’t think I have to explain what a headache feels like. We all have felt it at some point in our lives.
Stress often accompanies headaches. Feeling a lot of headaches right now? You may be burnout.
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2. A drop in interest for things you normally enjoy
This is also known as anhedonia, the inability to derive joy from anything. The things that used to make you happy no longer make you so. This could also be a sign of depression.
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3. Issues with digestion and bowel movement
Our minds affect our bodies more than we think. When we are burnout, we may feel upset stomachs. A sign to look out for. Your bowel movement may also be impacted.
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4. You feel depressed
Depression is not fun. You don’t have to be diagnosed with depression to know that you are depressed. Prolonged feelings of a depressed mind can be a sign that you need to stop and rest.
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5. You’re more irritable than usual
You may feel less tolerant of annoyances and more irritable than usual when you’re burnout. The things that used to not bother you now become a nuisance.
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6. You lashed out at somebody
Depending on your personality, this could be a common occurrence doesn’t matter whether you’re burnout but for someone who is burnout, they’re more likely to lose their temper with someone and lash out at those who may have gotten on their nerves.
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7. You feel like crying a lot
Do you feel like crying? Is there a reason why you feel like crying? If there are no clear reasons, you may either be pregnant, going through a period, or you may be burnout.
Now, before you call me misogynistic, I’ll have you know that I’m a female and I know just how much hormone can change your mood. I usually feel quite emotional when my period is happening soon or when I’m in the middle of my period. I’m sure many other women feel the same.
When you’re burnout, you may cry for seemingly no reason but there is a reason. You’re too emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted! Time to take a break!
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8. You haven’t smiled or laughed as much
If you usually smile or laugh a lot but you haven’t done so recently, maybe you’re burnout.
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9. You suddenly forget your train of thought
You have sudden gaps in your memory. You may be thinking about something but as soon as a loud noise occurs to distract you momentarily, you forget what you were thinking.
I’ve been having a bit more of that sudden memory loss for the past few days due to burnout. I can attest to how accurate this points to burnout.
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10. It’s hard for you to fall asleep
This is also known as insomnia. The inability or difficulty in falling asleep. There may be many reasons behind why you have trouble falling asleep but a person who is burnout may have insomnia as one of their symptoms.
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11. You’re taking longer and hotter showers
A long hot shower can help calm our nerves but it could also be a sign of emotional disturbance.
Fact: Women tend to take longer and hotter showers than men.
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12. You’re drinking, smoking, and doing more drugs
When we don’t feel well, we may seek escape in places we shouldn’t. This includes hookups, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, video games, porn, etc.
A person who is seeking an escape through these means could be burnout but it could also mean something else such as general laziness.
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13. You feel tired a lot
Some people could sleep 10 hours but still wake up tired. A burnout person is more likely to feel tired doesn’t matter how many hours they slept.
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14. You experience a prolonged period of stress
Ah, stress, my long-lasting companion that I didn’t ask for. A long period of stress can lead to burnout. That’s no surprise.
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15. Blurred vision
This is a sign that is often overlooked but it’s quite telling. If you have blurred vision, contact your doctor, it could be some kind of eye disorder, or, it could mean burnout.
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5 things to do when you’re burnout
Here are the 5 things you can do when you’re burnout.
1. Go take a nap
Take a nap or go to sleep if you feel burnout. There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep to recharge your battery.
2. Do what makes you happy
Whatever that means within the legal boundary. It could be painting, singing, drawing, cooking, biking, playing basketball, etc. Do whatever makes you happy. It can be hard to remember to live life when you’re caught up in the chaos of everyday life.
3. Go out with friends
Go socialize with your friends and family. Take a spontaneous trip to the nearby mall or to a nearby country if you can find a ticket you can afford. That memory will last a lifetime.
4. Watch a funny video
I really like Just For Laughs. I watched them growing up. I remember laughing along with my family. It brought a lot of joy to me.
Getting a few laughs in can change your whole mood.
5. Listen to light music
Are you one of those people whose mood is easily shifted with music? If you are, comment down below what music you listen to when you’re down.
Light music can dramatically shift your mood for the better so if you’re feeling burnout, this is what you can do.
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Final thought
Take it easy. If you don’t take care of your health you may spend a lot of money and time trying to recover. You can’t buy health (to some extent) so take care of yourself while you still can.
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