Burnout

Almost every industry suffers from burnout, which negatively affects work performance, interests in personal life, relationships, and health. Burnout occurs when there is excessive stress surrounding a job. As you progress through your career, it’s important to recognize the symptoms of burnout and work on managing the symptoms in advance.

Career Burnout

Some of the many reasons burnout occurs are:

• Unclear purpose at your work.?
• The job is overly demanding
• The work is unclear

There are additionally many common signs of burnout. Here are some common signs of burnout that appear:

• Constantly exhausted
• Physical pain such as migraines, headaches, muscle aches, and pains?
• Changes in appetite
• No longer interested or have enough energy to engage in activities outside of work
• Changes in your sleep. If you notice you are suddenly sleeping way more or way less than usual, it might be a symptom of burnout.

Identifying burnout triggers

It’s equally important to take time to reflect on what is contributing to your burnout symptoms and experiences. Lack of agency is one of the root causes of burnout. The lack of agency occurs when you feel you’re not in control of your current situation and have no opportunity to either progress in your career at your company, financial restrictions, feeling that there’s not enough time to get things done, or lack of recognition in the workplace. Not getting enough rest or sleep also contributes a lot to burnout. When we don’t get enough sleep, we are not as productive, have trouble focusing, and have lower pain tolerance. Do you feel you are in a constructive community? Feeling like you’re alone in the workplace can lead to burnout. If you’re working at a job that doesn’t give you a sense of purpose, it might be time to reconsider your options. Working on tasks that don't fulfill you or don't use your full skills can lead to burnout and affect the quality of your work.

Repairing causes of burnout

One of the main ways to decrease symptoms of burnout is to reframe your thoughts around the current situation. It’s always beneficial too to reach out for help from Human Resources, your supervisors, or other colleagues. For example, if you feel like your work has no sense of purpose, notify your supervisor and ask if there are other tasks or positions within your organization that allow you to work on projects and teams that give you a sense of fulfillment and purpose. Resetting expectations additionally helps with repairing burnout. Take inventory of what the contract deliverables are for your current position, assess whether you are meeting those deliverables, and then note your own expectations of the position until that moment in time.?

Sustainable workplaces

Working for a company that grants its employees schedule flexibility, mental health resources, and manageable workloads can bring peace of mind and help your career in the long run by supporting your health and well-being. Having a flexible schedule allows employees to attend life events such as medical appointments, family matters, and related matters when it is convenient for them. Some companies will support mental health days and allow you to take paid time off (PTO) to rest, recover, and recharge.?