Did you ever have a moment where you just sat at your desk, only to stare blankly at the screen for hours? I have, and yet, I didn’t want to say that I was experiencing severe burnout. In fact, burnout just didn’t even make it to my top vocabulary words when it happened.
Most people have a certain idea of what burnout looks like: a tired, sweaty, sloppy-looking person who just seems overwhelmed with life itself. We think of “burnout” and think of hassled moms or former “gifted” teenagers who broke under pressure.
They don’t think about the person who’s sitting at their desk, churning away work at a snail’s pace. Looking back, the signs were all there. I needed a break because I was severely burnt out. It only really clicked after I was hospitalized. Don’t be me. Speaking from personal experiences, these are the signs of burnout people often ignore.
#1: Brain Fog
You know that document you had to upload? What was it? Err….wait, was it a document or did you have to file taxes? No, wait, you had to brainstorm something, right? If this train of thought sounds familiar, then you might have burnout.
Most people don’t really think about it, but when you’re extra crispy, you can’t really think well. You start forgetting things. Your eyes glaze over when you read sentences, sometimes skipping an entire paragraph because you just can’t anymore.
This is your sign that you need to take a break, like, yesterday.
#2: Slower Work
When you’re inspired and really ready to git-er-done, you don’t have a problem pumping out work. Some might call it “flow state,” but the truth is that being really into your work can give you a rush.
If you’re a telemarketer, you’re making calls left and right. If you’re a landscaper, you’re whizzing through lawns as if you’ve got a rocket attached to your butt. If you’re a writer, the words come out almost instinctively…and in gross quantities.
When you’re burnt out, the same tasks that typically take you an hour might take a day. You just can’t bring yourself to do it. You find yourself distracted, unwilling, or just not able to punch at it the way you once were.
Needless to say, that vibe can also mean that your work just doesn’t sparkle the way it once did. This is often why bosses complain about work quality when you’re also just burnt out/
#3: Irritability
Burnout doesn’t just affect your work. It affects the way you interact with others both on and off the job. When you’re getting burnt out, you will start to get angry and irritable with everyone around you.
If you recently snapped at a friend for calling you, take a look at your workload. Do you feel overwhelmed? Are you just angry at the world in general, or resentful because you’re so flooded with stuff to do?
#4: Sleep Disturbances
So, perhaps this was just me, but when I was getting serious burnout, my sleep schedule started to get rockier and rockier. On some days, I’d sleep 20 hours a day. On others, I’d skip sleep for days at a time, unable to be snoozed out by even the strongest dose of melatonin.
Nightmares about work became a dime a dozen. Sometimes, I’d sleep all day and I’d just not feel the least bit rested. It was as if I hadn’t slept a wink. The more bizarre your sleep schedule is, the more likely it is that you are in dire need of actual rest.
#5: Avoiding Work
Work isn’t always fun, but there’s a difference between severe burnout and just deeply disliking your job. One of the most visible signs of extreme burnout is when you start making up excuses to avoid working.
Oh, you gotta do the laundry.
Oh, your mom wants to take a walk.
Oh, you’re not feeling well but it’s not like you’re sick, you just feel gloomy but not *bad* so you just need a break.
Most people can tell they’re burnt out when they absolutely dread going to work or consider driving off the road of their commute. They don’t realize that avoiding work when you don’t feel that dread, but rather, a passive need to procrastinate, is just as serious.
#6: Random Illness
Most people will notice brain fog or ADHD-like symptoms and wonder if work got them extra crispy. Most people do not realize that excessive stress and burnout can cause physical issues at times.
When I had burnout, I started to get strange headaches, blurred vision, and chest pain. I also started to bloat and become more susceptible to my sun issue. Others who are extremely burnt out can develop autoimmune disorders or have latent disorders get exacerbated from their overwork.
If you’re noticing random symptoms that can’t be explained easily, you might actually just have burnout. Your body is literally running on fumes and it’s telling you that it’s time to quash that issue.
#7: Self-Care Neglect
One thing that many people tend to overlook is the similarity between depression and work burnout. In many cases, one leads to the other. The symptoms of work burnout can cause depression, especially if you’re so booked that you can’t actually make time for yourself.
Ask yourself when was the last time you hit the gym, the salon, or even took a day for your own needs. Ask yourself when was the last time you had a doctor’s visit or a dentist visit. If you can’t answer that, you’ve been neglecting your own self-care.
There’s a reason why burnt out people tend to look ragged. It’s because they literally wore themselves out and put their needs last for too long.
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