Listening to Your Body For Signs of Burnout
If you’re overworking yourself or taking on too many responsibilities, you may be putting yourself at risk of burnout.
Burnout can lead to a range of negative symptoms, both physical and mental, and can impact your overall well-being. To help spot the signs of possible burnout, it's important to listen to your body. Your body knows when things aren’t right, and it will send you lots of signals and warning signs that you shouldn’t ignore.
Signs and Symptoms of Burnout
Here are some of the important warning signs to look out for when it comes to burnout:
- Chronic fatigue
- Headaches
- Low mood
- Irritability
- Increased or decreased appetite
- Insomnia
- Weight changes
- Digestive disturbances
- Difficulty concentrating and being creative
- Reduced productivity at work
- Reduced motivation
- Depression and anxiety
- Lack of motivation to go to social events
- Muscle aches and pains
- Increased risk of illness
What to Do When You Experience the Symptoms of Burnout
If you are experiencing some of the symptoms of burnout, it’s important to take immediate action. The best thing that you can do is take a step back from work and responsibilities so that you can spend more time resting and relaxing.
Connect with your manager at work and reach out to friends and family for support. It is important to establish boundaries in order to protect time to care for yourself. Exercise, mindfulness and taking part in relaxing activities can all help to ease the symptoms of burnout. Sleep is also very important. You can improve your sleep quality by practicing good sleep hygiene, including: consistent sleep and wake times, limiting caffeine intake before bedtime, and reducing evening screen time in favor of quiet activities.