Avoiding burnout – 3 types of symptoms to recognise

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Burnout is when you feel chronically fatigued and almost unable to participate in any part of work or life.  It is serious, but it is important to understand that it takes a lot for someone to get to true burnout.

Most women in business we meet are committed to their work life and want to do well for themselves.  Likewise, most women in business we meet that succeed have usually learnt how to deal with the pressure from internal and external forces, and have not allowed business to completely take over their lives.

If you are concerned that you may be affected, the best way to avoid burnout is to make sure you look after yourself and your overall wellbeing and be aware of the level of pressure and stress you are under.  To help you we have created the Avoiding Burnout workbook (member login is required to access the complete workbook).

The symptoms of burnout

This workbook explains that it is easier for others to see you are approaching burnout than it is for you to recognise it in yourself.  Be careful not to confuse intermittent stress where you may feel bouts of anxiety and tension with burnout, which is a result of being in a prolonged state of anxiety.

There are three types of symptoms to look out for in yourself …

  1. Physical – you could feel exhausted, drained, body unaligned, headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite, or notice changes to bodily functions
  2. Emotional – you could feel alone, unsupported, demotivated, negative, a sense of failure, unwilling to be part of something, or want to retreat into yourself
  3. Behavioural – you might push people away, isolate yourself, or snap at people

Having one or two of these symptoms doesn’t mean you have burnout, you need to look at them in relation to each other.

Exercise: Take a few minutes and think about which of these symptoms you may be feeling.  What can you change immediately that will lessen these symptoms so help you prevent burnout.

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