Understanding Burnout: Recognise the Signs and Take Timely Action
As a business owner or corporate professional, you're no stranger to the pressures and demands of your work. You set high standards for yourself, strive for excellence, and push through challenges with determination. But amidst the hustle, it's easy to overlook the toll this takes on your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. If you've been feeling persistently exhausted, disillusioned, or have lost interest, you may be experiencing burnout—a state of chronic stress that can have serious consequences if left unaddressed.
In this blog, we'll explore the concept of burnout, its symptoms, and why it's essential to recognise the signs early. My hope is that this information empowers you to take action, seek support, and prioritise your well-being before burnout derails your life and career.
There seems to be no good time to step out of the go go go and to check in with yourself, and pro-actively reducing stress, and bolstering self care just don’t seem to happen.
Add in the people pleasing or perfection (always delivering 120%), with the pace of modern life— and there is a perfect storm for burnout.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. You are in good company and you can turn this around and get your mojo back.
So what Is Burnout?
Burnout is more than just feeling tired after a long week at work. It's a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged and excessive stress. For high achievers, burnout often results from pushing yourself beyond your limits for too long without adequate rest or recovery.
Key Characteristics of Burnout:
- Emotional Exhaustion: Feeling drained, overwhelmed, and unable to manage day-to-day tasks as you’ve been able to previously.
- Cynicism and Detachment: Developing a negative or indifferent attitude toward your work, colleagues, or even relationships in your personal life.
- Reduced Performance: Struggling to concentrate, feeling ineffective, and finding it hard to meet your usual standards.
Symptoms of Burnout: A Self-Check
Burnout affects both the body and mind, manifesting in different ways.
Here are some common symptoms to watch for:
1. Physical Symptoms:
- Persistent fatigue, even after a full night’s sleep.
- Frequent headaches or an increase in muscle tension.
- Sleep disturbances—trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much.
- Unexplained physical pain, such as stomach issues or back pain.
2. Emotional Symptoms:
- Feeling detached, numb, or apathetic about your work or life.
- Increased irritability, frustration, or impatience with others.
- A sense of hopelessness or helplessness.
- Feeling disconnected from your achievements—nothing seems to matter anymore.
3. Behavioural Symptoms:
- Procrastinating or avoiding responsibilities.
- Withdrawing from social interactions or isolating yourself.
- Increased reliance on coping mechanisms like alcohol, food, or drugs.
- A noticeable drop in productivity or performance at work.
4. Psychological Symptoms:
- Loss of identity and sense of purpose
- Loss of engagement with people and life
If any of these symptoms resonate with you, it's important to recognise that you are not alone—and burnout is not a sign of weakness or failure. It's a response to chronic stress that requires attention and care.
Why Burnout Happens
Burnout is often fuelled by a combination of external pressures and internal expectations. High achievers, in particular, may struggle with perfectionism, a relentless drive to succeed, and a tendency to overcommit. Add to this another common factor being people pleasing and putting others needs and expectations ahead of your own. These traits, while admirable, can also set the stage for burnout if not managed effectively.
Contributing Factors:
- Lack of Control: Feeling powerless over your workload, schedule, or work environment. This can happens with organisation restructures where work is absorbed when people leave; compounded by no overt conversation about resourcing and expectations.
- Unclear Expectations: Ambiguity around your role, responsibilities, or goals.
- Work-Life Imbalance: Prioritising work at the expense of rest, relationships, and personal interests.
- Perfectionism: Setting unrealistic standards for yourself and fearing failure.
Understanding that these factors contribute to burnout can help you identify any areas where change is needed to prevent you from burning out.
If anxiety plays a part in your daily life, you may find that you’re more susceptible to chronic stress or burnout.
Questions to ask if you are wondering if you’re burnt out:
- Have I become more cynical or critical at work?
- Do I feel like I have to drag myself into work and that it’s hard to get started each day?
- Am I feeling disillusioned about my job and what I have achieved?
- Am I unusually irritable or impatient with my colleagues or clients?
- Is my energy consistently low - and I’m not feeling recharged after a full night’s sleep?
- Am I finding it harder to concentrate?
- Has my sleep changed - am I sleeping a lot more or less than is normal for me? Is it harder to fall and/or stay asleep, or do I want to sleep all the time?
- Am I experiencing unexplained physical pain and tension, such as headaches, stomach pain, constipation, or other physical issues?
- Am I eating more or less than is normal for me?
- Am I using food, alcohol or other drugs to feel better or to numb uncomfortable feelings?
Taking Action: What to Do If You’re Experiencing Burnout
If you're experiencing burnout, it's crucial to take action to protect your well-being. Here are some steps you can take:
1. Acknowledge the Problem: The first step in addressing burnout is recognising that it's happening. Give yourself permission to feel what you're feeling without judgment.
2. Set Clear Boundaries: Protect your time and energy by having clear boundaries about the time you spend at work. eg. I turn email notifications off a x o’clock. I move away from my work space to eat lunch. I shift into ‘home’ mode by listening to my favourite music, or something not related to work, or if working from home, I close down my computer and do a ‘blocky’ (walk around the block), to shift gears from work to home time.
3. Seek Support: Don’t try to go it alone. Reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or professional for support. Sometimes, an outside perspective can help you see things more clearly.
4. Prioritise Self-Care: Make time for rest, relaxation, and activities that recharge you. This isn’t just about bubble baths—it's about creating space for whatever helps you feel grounded and renewed.
This may look like prioritising sleep for you. Establishing a good sleep routine that supports you to wind down before bed supports better sleep to counter the exhaustion cycle that burnout fuels. Learn the 6 keys to a good night’s sleep here. And if you have a good sleep routine in place, but you’re struggling to switch off your mind, you could give my 3 simple breathing practises for sleep a try.
5. Consider Professional Help: If burnout feels overwhelming, consider working with a therapist or coach who can guide you through the recovery process and help you develop strategies for long-term well-being.
You Don't Have to Do This Alone
Burnout can be a deeply isolating experience, but you don't have to navigate it by yourself. As a therapist and coach, I'm here to support you in reclaiming your well-being and finding balance in your life. Together, we can explore the root causes of your burnout, develop practical strategies to manage stress, and help you reconnect with what truly matters.
If you're feeling, or knowing, that you need support in moving toward healing, or making changes in your life, do feel free to reach out for an initial chat (10 minutes). We can chat about how we can work together to restore your energy, purpose, and joy—so you can thrive both personally and professionally.
Book a complimentary 10-minute consultation to see if working with me feels like a good fit.
Further reading and references:
https://www.flourishmindfully.com.au/blog/4-ways-to-avoid-burnout
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642