No health scare should make you take your health seriously, you should always prioritize your health above everything and anything.
For so long I felt I could do anything and everything but I was piling up stress and becoming a danger to myself without knowing it – or maybe I was just ignoring the signs. I was sleeping for up to 7-8 hours a day but I was waking up tired. After a 3-day repeat, I knew I needed an intervention, and I got it!
In this post, I am going to share 3 important signs to look out for and how to prevent them before it becomes too late to deal with it.
Typical Burnout Scenario. Is this you? Constantly dealing with the tendency to believe you can do more than you really can but also realizing that your optimism can hurt you and everyone else if you don’t have a balance. Yet you are unable to maintain that balance even when the fact that you are juggling too many things screams at your face. If this is you (or someone you know) this post is for you. You need to Slow down!
Burnout: What Does It Mean?
Burnout is the exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. It happens when you feel stressed-out, emotionally drained, and most times when you are unable to meet set expectations.
Burnouts are caused by over-assertion or taking on too many responsibilities. It can be work-related, parenting-related, relationship-related, or caused by other factors. Whatever the cause, the steps to taking necessary action to prevent any negative outcome are recommended in this post.
3 Signs To Look Out For
Ever heard of the saying “an overloaded life leads to meltdowns”? Well, it is indeed an accurate saying. These most common signs of burnout are similar but distinct as they may be experienced differently from person to person.
- Exhaustion. This is a physical sign of burnout. You feel tired all the time, sleeping off as your head hits the bed. You are working hard at work trying to meet a deadline or taking extra hours to get more pay. Perhaps you even feel the Increasing headaches as you continue to dismiss time off to cool off. Anything that inhibits rest weighs heavily on your physical state and causes exhaustion.
- Lack of Enthusiasm. This is an emotional sign of burnout. Having no motivation or drive towards any undertaking. You feel mentally tired, unwilling to engage socially and want to be distant from people.
- Depleted Energy. You are unable to concentrate on a task and find yourself thinking of irrelevant things at critical moments. You are forgetful and procrastinate on everything. Your lack of energy is a result of stress – mental and/or physical stress.
How to Prevent a Burnout
Sometimes all you need is to catch up on a few hours of sleep and all the signs will disappear. But what happens if they reoccur again and again? It’s time to take a closer look at some changes that can give you that balance.
- Prioritize. As much as you can, prioritize your well-being first. Take some time off. Step away to relieve tension. De-stress by letting your body and mind rest and recharge. In prioritizing you may also need to say no to somethings and strike them off your to do list
- Talk about it. Speak to someone about your state of mind and accept the help offered to ease off any stress-related activities.
- Re-evaluate. What are you doing now that doesn’t require the amount of commitment you are giving to it? Know your tipping points and acknowledge your limitations. Everyone has a level of capacity they can take on. Re-evaluate and let go of some things today.
Never ignore the signs. Burnouts can lead to negative consequences that may affect your physical and mental health. Know the signs and prevent them from escalating.
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