Can You See Burnout Coming?

Burnout is like a rip at the beach, one moment you’re frolicking in the waves and the next you’ve been swept out to see and are struggling to stay afloat.

It takes a lot of energy to get back onto solid ground, and sometimes you may even need to get rescued - maybe even with a visit to the hospital.

But if you can see the signs, you can avoid the burnout rip.

The World Health Organisation defines burnout as:

🛑 Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion

🛑 Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job

🛑 Reduced professional efficacy

So, it’s is not just about your own health at risk (which should be enough), but also your performance and ability to sustain your success, creates a whole new set of problems.

❓ But what are the symptoms? They are different for everyone, so it's important to be aware of what it looks like for you.

It might be:

❎ Tired even after a good nights sleep

❎ Lack of interest or joy

❎ Feeling down, detached, jaded or cynical

❎ Feeling trapped and seeking ways out of your current job

❎ Sluggish productivity and procrastination

❎ Overwhelmed by day to day tasks

❎ Low tolerance, anger

❎ Brain fog, memory loss

❎ Unmotivated, bored

❎ Unemotional, or overly emotional

Once you've been smashed by a burnout wave, it takes a long time to recover (i.e. months not days), so much better to get ahead of it.

If you can catch the symptoms early enough, you can get on top of burnout before it gets on top of you.

*It also helps enormously to have someone in your corner to notice and help you to get back on track. They can do this by keeping you accountable to the habits that will sustain your success.*