American Workplace Stress Is At An All-Time High What Are Signs Of Job Burnout?

Burnout will crop up when you expect it least. When it does? You can expect to lose weeks, even months, of productivity.

How do you counteract something so insidious and so devastating? You recognize the warning signs. Instead of repeatedly shrugging off those days and days of bad sleep or ignoring the growing nausea every time you skip a meal, you nip these symptoms in the bud and make sure they don’t evolve into something much worse. Even then, there will be times you have no choice but to plow forward. Burnout recovery strategies are tools you use when you already feel the onset of burnout affecting your ability to work, your social life and your personal relationships.

Learn about the nature of burnout psychology, burnout symptoms and the burnout recovery strategies you need to recover below.

What Is Burnout?

Even if you haven’t personally experienced burnout, you likely know someone who has. Burnout is a term used to describe the wholly encompassing mental and physical exhaustion that overcomes a person after working too hard. Job stress is at an all-time high in the United States and the American Institute Of Stress has released a statement that the country could be suffering as much as $300 billion in burnout rates.

Does My Profession Matter?

Anyone can experience burnout, regardless of age, gender or profession. American adults working in the medical industry, however, have been noted to have a higher-than-average rate for this condition. Studies have shown physicians are twice as likely as the general U.S. population to report being dissatisfied with their personal work-life balance and another study found medical students reporting depression at 30% higher rates than those outside the field.

What Are The Symptoms?

The only way to truly recover from job burnout is to recognize the early symptoms. Too often workers will brush off exhaustion, nausea, headaches, migraines and disinterest in personal activities, despite these being some of the most telling warning signs you’re pushing your limits. While the occasional all-nighter or skipped meal won’t hurt, making a habit out of these is just begging to create a life burnout that can last for months. If you find yourself struggling to go out with your friends, maintain personal hobbies or sleep regularly, you are likely experiencing the first few steps of burnout.

What Are Lesser-Known Signs Of Burnout?

What other ways could you be showing signs of burnout psychology? There are lesser-known symptoms that can be written off as minor problems or even signs of another condition entirely. Teeth grinding and jaw clenching is a telltale sign of unchecked anxiety, particularly if it happens too frequently to the point of making your jaw sore. Pulsatile tinnitus is another that is aggravated by stress, manifesting as a throbbing, pounding or squeaking noise in the ear that doesn’t seem to let up. If you’re struggling with discomfort or soreness, jot the severity and frequency of these symptoms in a notebook for future reference.

What Are Burnout Recovery Strategies?

Your burnout recovery strategies should be just as important as burnout prevention. Learning how to deal with burnout is a skill that takes time, honesty and multiple resources, all of which can be difficult if you’re unfamiliar with the condition or haven’t met like-minded people in your position. Two-thirds of women and men say work has a significant impact on their stress levels, with workplace stress causing a collective one million American employees to miss work every day. Use your sick days to take mental health leave just like you would the common cold or the flu. Engage with your hobbies multiple times per week and reach out to a support group to learn about managing anger in the workplace.

Don’t let burnout control your life. Nip it in the bud with preventative action or learn about burnout recovery strategies to get you back on your feet sooner.