Workplace Burnout: Signs and Ways to Cope

From the time we are born, the idea of careers and jobs is projected onto us. Our parents dream and say, “he will probably be a lawyer or doctor.” We dress up as firemen, astronauts, and various other occupations for Halloween. As we get older, the pressure to pick a career gets even more drastic. In high school, teens prepare to take the SATs and enter college. Overall, it seems like our entire lives are based on what job we will eventually commit to and pursue. We spend all this time stressing over our future careers and then once we enter the workforce, we are met with a whole new world of pressures. These pressures can lead to workplace burnout.

You once loved your job (or at least were indifferent to it). Being new to a situation or experience, like work,  inspires optimism for what lies ahead. Especially if you worked hard to get where you are, it feels like you’ve finally reached a huge milestone when you start your career. After working for a while, your beginner mindset changes. With all the work, you feel stressed, tired, disinterested, and anxious when you think about work. Going into the office each day feels suffocating and hard to handle. If you feel this way, you are probably reaching the point of job burnout. 

What is Burnout at Work?

The MayoClinic defines job burnout as work-related stress that exhausts people physically and emotionally. The stress of work becomes overbearing in the worker’s life. Notably, according to researchers, people with burnout face intense exhaustion, aversion to their job, and meaninglessness in their work. Job burnout takes the enjoyment someone once had for their career and squashes it in its tracks.

Any career can lead to job burnout, especially helping careers. Research shows that people in helping careers/people-orientated jobs (like social workers, therapists, teachers etc.) and physicians are vulnerable to this work stress. Ironically, these jobs focus on helping people but, many times, the person in the profession is letting their health and wellness fall to the side. These people spend so much time at work being selfless and supporting others that it strains their limits physically and mentally.

For example, imagine a therapist has a heavy caseload and helps many clients throughout the day cope and deal with their problems. It is amazing to be able to assist a client live a healthier and happier life; but if the therapist themselves isn’t dealing with the work stress properly, they will start feeling burnout. These workers feel like they give so much to other people that and find it hard to save any energy to work on themselves.

What Causes Burnout at Work?

Work burnout can be caused by many things. The main reason this burnout exists is from people being overworked. Humans are not machines; we all have limits and boundaries. We live in a society where “grind culture” is pushed on us. This is the idea that in order to be successful and content in life, we must always be working and hustling. It is, frankly, exhausting to live like this. 

During the workweek, it may feel like you are a hamster running on a wheel. It seems like you are trying to keep up with all the work you have to accomplish while being stuck in the same repetitive cycle. Your boss may give you so many deadlines that your ideas becomes hazy and the work piles up. As you struggle to finish your work, you find yourself grinding for long hours, staying late at the office, or working into the weekend.

Another reason people face job burnout is due to improper work-life balance. As mentioned before, many workers find themselves working on the weekends or for extended hours during each week. This doesn’t allow them time to relax or break from the constant work cycle. It also prevents them from seeing their social support or spending time with people who make them happy and calm. 

Imagine you work so hard every day, continue working on the weekends, make little time for friends, and sacrifice your wellbeing only to be passed up for that promotion at work. Lack of recognition or appreciation from your workplace is another reason people face burnout. When their hard work goes unnoticed, it causes the workers to be discouraged and disinterested in their careers. This can lead to total detachment from their job.

Symptoms of Workplace Burnout

Workplace burnout causes people to have:

• Stress OVERLOAD
• Feelings of dread while going to/thinking about work
  • The joy you once had for work is hard to get in touch with
  • You procrastinate work because it isn’t enjoyable and stresses you out
  • Co-workers begin to become unbearable to be around and you isolate yourself
• Detachment from your job
  • You may find yourself staring off into space or finding it hard to focus when working
  • There is no passion in your craft anymore
• No work-life balance
  • Your family and friends worry about you because your job consumes all of your time
  • Your relationships are suffering: i.e. your partner isn’t getting enough attention or your friends never hear back from you
  • You don’t know what a day-off is
• Decreasing health and wellness
  • You aren’t sleeping, eating well, relaxing, or handling stress well
  • Your immune system is weakened and you find yourself feeling run-down or sick often
• Mental health struggles
  • You feel sad or anxious often
  • You find yourself procrastinating a lot and stressing over your inability to just do the work
  • Hopelessness and ideas of “will I ever feel better?” creep into your mind 

Ways to Cope With Burnout at Work

Practice Mindfulness

One of the 9 Attitudes of Mindfulness, as mentioned in our most recent article, is acceptance. Acceptance allows us to admit that we may not like where we are currently. or what we are doing, but we accept our situation, regardless. Acceptance allows us to find inner peace even in times of great stress and worry. Once you accept your situation, you will be able to focus more on ways to help yourself and cope rather than only focusing on the stress you feel.

Implementing mindfulness practices can help you center yourself and find calm in the storm. Here are some ideas for you to try and reduce work stress:

• Doing yoga each morning for 10-15 minutes
• Taking a mindful walk before work
  • Engage your senses as you walk: look at the leaves on the trees, smell the flowers, feel the grass, taste the water you bring with you, hear the birds singing in the trees
  • Try a breathing technique when you start feeling anxious:
• 4-7-8 Method:
  • Breathe out completely
  • 4 seconds: Breath in through the nose
  • 7 seconds: Hold this breath
  • 8 seconds: exhale through mouth fully
  • Repeat
• Mindfully eat at breakfast or lunch
  • When you eat, try and be mindful of the food you are consuming
  • Focus on the textures, smells, colors of the food
  • Listen to calm music or watch a show you enjoy on your laptop

Exercise

Channel all of the stress and anger you feel at  your job into a killer workout! Exercise helps people de-stress and let go of their worries. Exercise also boosts feel-good hormones like serotonin in our bodies. Channeling this hormone can help you feel happier and more content after your workout. 

Types of exercise to try:

• Kickboxing or boxing to get your anger and stress out
• Stretching to release the tension you may be held in different body parts
• Dancing to your favorite music to have fun and let loose
• Running or walking in the park 

You can invite a friend to go with you and spend time with them as you exercise! Maybe try inviting a co-worker with you to increase your relationships in the office. You might end up making a really good friend and work-our partner!

Learn to Delegate

Sometimes, when we work, we get so wrapped up in being our best and doing our best. It can be hard to relinquish any power we have. We feel like we are the only people who can get the job done right and make sure there are no errors.

The overwhelming need to supervise and take control can lead to work burnout and stress. Try working as a team and embracing help. You don’t have to do everything alone. Moreover, more people working on a project create an abundance of ideas, creativity, and productivity.

Lean on Social Support

Overworking yourself takes you away from the people who mean the most to you. It is important to remember that your social life is just as important as your work life (maybe even more important). Social support helps people feel safe and taken care of. These are the people you vent to, take advice from, and have fun with. Make time each day to check in with friends or family, even if it is just a text saying a quick hello. Try video chatting or calling people throughout the week to catch up, even if it’s only for 10-15 minutes. Also, make time on the weekends to see at least one person who makes you smile and takes your mind off of work.

Get Back to Your Humanity

Remember that even though you may work every day, it does not define who you are. When you take off your suit and tie or contraction hat, you are a person, at the end of the day. We are humans, not machines. Our sole purpose in life is not to work. Even if you have to work a lot for your own needs and to support your family, remember that you are worth so much more than your job that makes you miserable.

You bring love and light to people around you. You inspire others with your resilience and strength. Hobbies, passions, ideas, and dreams make you who you are. Of course, you can find pride in all that you do in your career, but don’t let the woes of work diminish your self-worth.

Dedicate Yourself to a Healthy Work-Life Balance

If you are someone who works a lot, you are probably familiar with a work/daily schedule. Here is an idea…try implementing or scheduling in time to relax and take breaks. Stick to this scheduled time and don’t deviate from it- you deserve to get time off of work to relax and do things you enjoy. Watch an episode of your favorite show every night, listen to music you enjoy on your way to work, or plan a dinner that makes you excited to go home and eat it!

Be Your Own Cheerleader

Sometimes, your hard work and dedicated hours go unnoticed by co-workers or your boss. This makes you feel discouraged and unappreciated at your job. Remember to be proud of yourself always for the great job you are doing each day. Even if someone else doesn’t recognize your worth, you still can be your own cheerleader!

Tell your support system and loved ones about the work you do. They hopefully will be just as proud and proud of your dedication and accomplishments as you are.

Consider Therapy

A therapist can help you manage your stress better and live a happier/healthier life. You can vent to your therapist about all of your concerns and find support that will help you deal with whatever your job throws at you next.

Our team at Mind Connections would love to help you with any work struggle/general life struggle you are facing! We can give you the tools to handle work-stress better, implement mindfulness techniques, get rid of negative thoughts, and being hope to you once more. Call to learn more about how we can help you!

Content Creator, Victoria Gallo; Reviewed by Dr. June Cao