Job stress is no joke.
Shrugging it off day in and day out isn’t just a bad habit. It can actually lead to burnout, a symptom of extreme mental and physical fatigue that can take you months to recover from. The United States is seeing a surge in burnout these past few years and conversations about burnout symptoms are starting to finally see more prevalence. Change starts small, however, and it’s time you learned how to deal with burnout at work if you want to keep moving forward in your career. The list below is not meant to be a replacement for a professional diagnosis or therapy session, but it will give you a good idea whether or not you’re starting to face life burnout.
You Feel Hopeless, Listless Or Unmotivated
Burnout psychology is more than just a term describing feeling ‘out of it’ — it’s indicative of a deteriorating mental state that can see you developing anxiety or depression. Workplace stress causes an estimated one million American employees to miss work every day. In fact, two-thirds of men and women reported in a recent survey work has a significant impact on their day-to-day stress. This will be further explored in the second part of the list…
You’ve Lost Interest In Your Hobbies Or Social Life
Do you like to paint? How about hiking on the weekends or hanging out with friends at your favorite bar? If these once-beloved hobbies have been losing their appeal it’s more than possible you’re starting to feel the onset of burnout. It’s normal to have your tastes change over time and to develop new interests. It’s not normal to lose interest in activities that fulfill you. One out of four Americans will take a mental health day every day as a result of work stress and a surefire sign you haven’t been keeping up with your emotional needs is losing out on your favorite hobbies or social outings.
You Work In Physical Therapy Or A Related Medical Field
Anyone can face burnout. Some fields, however, have a higher incident of the condition than others due to an emotionally heavy workload, long hours and little personal oversight. A recent study analyzing mental health trends in medical fields found medical students reporting a rate of depression 30% higher than the national average. Physicians, in particular, have a 20% higher divorce rate than the general population and are twice as likely to report being very dissatisfied with their work-life balance. Even if you’re not facing burnout as a physician or therapist, your job stress levels should be watched closely.
You Haven’t Had A Vacation In Years
This can come as a major shock, but Americans have some of the lowest rates of vacation time in the world. It’s not uncommon for an American worker to actively skip out on taking paid leave or unpaid leave to rest for a week or two, leaving them in a bad spot to keep trucking in the long-term and putting their health at risk. Vacations are essential for helping you rest and recharge, with job stress much easier to manage after you’ve had a week or two to let loose and enjoy what makes you happy. If you haven’t taken time off in a while it’s very likely you’ve let job stress control your life.
You’ve Experienced Burnout In The Past
A sign of emotional exhaustion and job burnout is having gone through the process before. Burnout recovery strategies can be learned little-by-little, giving you the tools necessary to nip these symptoms in the bud and put you in a better spot to return to the work week with a pep in your step. These include finding relaxing hobbies (reading, painting or cooking) and cultivating a support system that can help you vent when necessary. If you’ve had trouble with managing anger in the workplace before or aren’t sure how to start recovery from severe burnout (lasting a month or longer), it’s important you reach out to a medical professional and sign up for multiple sessions.
Job stress is not forever. You have options and, most importantly, you have people who care.
