Is burnout looming for you? Recognize the 6 main signs

Most of all, it starts with getting more self-insight.

Is burnout on the horizon for you?

More insight into what you feel, insight into your behavior (towards others and especially yourself) and insight into what makes you happy. To find that out, it is important to actually make time for yourself.

Take a good look at yourself and be open and curious.

Most people often discover late that they are not taking good care of themselves, and don't notice it until they go completely under. They become ill, depressed, excessively tired, or feel completely out of balance. To prevent burnout, it is important to recognize the first signs of mounting stress as early as possible. The earlier you recognize symptoms in yourself and dare to deal with them, the faster and more visible the result.

So make time for yourself, and choose activities that help you relax, such as walking, exercising, doing "nothing at all," or writing down your thoughts. You don't have to look for solutions right away; it's about being curious about yourself. What do you feel? What reactions do you notice in yourself? By taking these signals seriously, you can get stress and overload under control sooner.

Below are some symptoms that are important to recognize in yourself.

Symptoms of chronic stress

The main symptoms of too much stress

Stress can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Below is an overview of the most common symptoms:

Physical complaints

• Muscle pain, neck pain and back pain
• Headache
• Gastrointestinal complaints
• Fatigue
• Sleep problems
• Excessive sweating

Feelings

• Being anxious or restless
• Crying faster
• Becoming more quickly irritated
• Mood swings

Behavioral complaints

• Bossy behavior toward others
• Nighttime teeth grinding
• Indecision and leaving things unfinished
• Smoking, drinking alcohol, or snacking more
• Being cranky on Sunday because the weekend is ending

Thinking complaints

• Forgetfulness
• Lack of concentration
• More black-and-white thinking
• Grinding thoughts that don't stop
• Flight thoughts and fantasies
• Being dissatisfied with yourself and/or your environment

There are other stress symptoms, which can be different for everyone. For example, some people experience hair loss or get caught in an unattainable crush. When stressed, some react with social isolation, while others seek more companionship. Physical reactions also differ: some get diarrhea, while others get constipation.

For each, there is often one signal that is most characteristic. By recognizing your own, earliest stress signals, you can better control your stress levels.

Emergence of stress and burnout

Possible causes of stress and burnout include:

• Heavy emotional demands:Work that is emotionally demanding and takes a toll on you.
• Lack of support:Difficulties collaborating, or frequently feeling isolated and unnoticed at work.
• Lack of satisfaction:Not feeling that your work is useful or that you can enjoy the results.
• Disrupted work-life balance:Work that constantly affects your private life and disrupts your moments of rest.
• Workload:Too much or too complex work for the time available, meaning it is never finished and never seems good enough.
• Financial pressure:Stress caused by uncertainty or financial worries.
• Relationship problems or divorce:Personalrelationship problems can weigh heavily on your mental energy.
• Informal care:Anunderestimated but increasingly common problem. Caring for a loved one requires both time and emotional energy.
• Loss of a loved one: Grief can be intense and long-lasting, and can have a major impact on energy levels and mental balance.

Of course, personal predisposition also plays a part in the development of burnout.

Some people get burnout faster than others. People who have aptitude are generally very loyal, faithful, with integrity and set the bar high for both themselves and those around them. Wonderful qualities that are also pitfalls. Private life events can also increase the workload to such an extent that burnout occurs.

Disrupted private work balance

In most cases, however, workload plays a bigger role than private problems. More often private life is disrupted by work problems than private problems affect the ability to work (see research by Sabine Geurts, Catholic University Nijmegen).

The balance between load and load capacity does not look the same for everyone. Moreover, increasing some skills can help a person avoid burnout.

All in all, the main cause of burnout appears to be workload. When someone becomes burnout, it is usually because the work is too stressful.

Recognizing burnout: 6 signs

Did you know that the term "burnout" was first used in 1974 by American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger? He used the term to describe a condition in which people feel completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

Freudenberger experienced burnout himself and discovered that the condition often occurs in people with many responsibilities and a strong commitment to their work.

Signs of growing burnoutin individuals and teams can include:

1. Self neglect or carelessness in work
2. Avoiding direct contact (isolation)
3. More frequent infections (e.g., viral infections)
4. Short-term, frequent sick leave (four times a year or more)
5. Lack of initiative; less motivation (such as arriving late or leaving early)
6. "Presentism" (being present without doing much)

Self-protection

Clearly, as tension grows, people dig in their heels and their commitment to the organization diminishes. This is self-protection. Without being a conscious choice in that way. It is a natural consequence of their condition - after all, it is high time for the tension to abate before it rises to the point where their health is at stake.

Ask yourself the following questions

It can help to regularly reflect on how you feel and how you are doing. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is too much?
   Think of things such as too many tasks, high work pressure, too many changes, absenteeism, responsibility, or information.
2. What is lacking?
   For example, are there too few employees, insufficient presence of your manager, an unclear division of tasks, little cooperation, few opportunities to make decisions (autonomy in your work), or too little responsibility?
3. Who supports you?
   Who "supports" you? Do you have sufficient support from work and home?
   For example: a listening ear at home, supportive colleagues, or difficult circumstances such as a recent loss or a sick child at home.
4. Other
   • Are you sleeping enough?
   • Do you enjoy your work?
   • When do you experience stress?

The above pretty much sums up what to look out for. Read through this regularly and then answer the questions and comments honestly. Do you recognize them? Does this bother you regularly? Does it worry you (sometimes)? See it as a gift to yourself by getting serious about increasing your insight. You will gain this insight by looking at yourself in a more contemplative and curious way. Without judgment or fear. This is a difference between brooding and self-reflection. And by asking the right questions you give direction to your life.

Reflecting on what really matters to you can be a strong motivation to do things differently from now on.

Want to know more? Simple Check works with coaches who specialize in burnout and prevention. You can find more info here. Or get in touch for a free intake chat.

This article provides additional information about the diagnosis and treatment of burnout.