Ever felt like you’re spinning plates constantly and pushing on in a relentless pursuit to find the end of your “to do” list, while feeling like you’re running on empty? Perhaps your last holiday feels like a distant memory and being busy all of the time is the norm. If so, you could be careering towards burnout.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. But it actually touches every part of daily life, from exercising to relationships, and burnout can creep up on all of us.
“Burnout is the last stop on a person’s stress journey,” says Thijs Launspach, a psychologist. “It is usually preceded by a long period of excessive stress during which a person’s normal stress level has become so high they find it impossible to relax. When your stress system is activated so often that it gets to a point where you cannot deactivate it anymore, we call that a burnout.
“Burnout can also be described as an ‘injury’ to the system that regulates your stress levels – and normally takes you out of alarm mode. It is dealt such a heavy blow that it ceases to function properly, becomes damaged and remains in the ‘on’ position. In other words, burnout snaps the elastic that has been struggling with the strain for too long. As long as you’re in this state, the smallest things stress you out.”
One difficulty in managing burnout is knowing what to look out for; what are the, often subtle, signs of burnout and when does feeling stressed become a lot more serious? Here, a selection of experts help us identify what burnout is, how to recognise you are suffering from it and what to do about it.
Eldin Hasa is a neuroscientist and human behaviour expert and outlines the signs of burnout as brain strain, emotional exhaustion, lack of dopamine, heightened anxiety and irritability. Physical symptoms include headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and sleep disturbances. “These symptoms are often associated with the release of stress hormones like cortisol for prolonged periods of time, which can disrupt the body’s natural balance and negatively impact brain functions.”
Eloise Skinner, a psychotherapist whose work focuses on existential therapy notes the primary signs of burnout as feeling excessively sensitive, becoming more irritable, and feeling numbed out. “If you find yourself much more sensitive to comments about your work, character, or any other aspect of your life… instead of creating an immediate judgement, we should take time to reflect on the feedback and respond from a place of stability.”
Dr Mandy Lehto is a business coach and asserts that “Burnout is insidious because, over time, feelings of chronic stress become normalised… For many people there’s a deep-rooted fear of losing status, money, relevance and opportunity when your sense of self is so intertwined with achieving”. She recommends we embrace peace and calm, take small breaks, educate on self-care, to breathe, and to never drink coffee on an empty stomach.
“If you’ve had a stressful moment, get it out of your body. Literally shake your body, arms in the air, for a minute or so… Spend a few minutes just breathing. Meditation is helpful, but you can also sit for five minutes, with no input (no phone, reading, music), and just be. It’s soothing for the nervous system.”
Rachel Philpotts is a nutritionist and says the most obvious signs that stress is affecting our health are changes in energy levels, brain function, sleep and mood. She recommends we replenish stress-depleted nutrients, minimise processed foods, staying hydrated, supplements and avoiding excessive exercise. On the latter, she explains that “A clue your exercise regime is unhelpful is if you feel drained, rather than energised, after training, or if you struggle to fall asleep later on. Switch intensive cardio for resistance training, yoga, pilates or walking. Less is more.”
Leanne Spencer, survival and wellbeing expert, believes “We can shift away from a culture in which being busy is worn as a badge of honour. If we start to focus on output rather than busyness, and beyond that, on meaningful work, purpose and values, then we’re in a position to make a change towards a healthier balance.”
Adapted from: Cogan, J. (2023, September 29). The hidden signs that you are suffering from burnout – and how to tackle it. The I. https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/hidden-signs-suffering-burnout-tackle-experts-2649134