Burnout is a chronic condition that happens when your mind or body can’t keep up with the overwhelming demands that are placed on it. You feel like you’re trapped in a state of emotional exhaustion; you might even stop caring about what you do.

Burnout leaves a person feeling drained physically and emotionally; this can sometimes go on for months or even years. And, as you can imagine, burnout hurts our relationships, especially with our significant other.

Who Is Burnout Prone?

People who are highly committed and motivated and who have high standards are particularly prone to burnout. It appears much more frequently in entrepreneurs, managers, teachers, social workers, healthcare workers, and athletes.

Burnout Factors

Factors that lead to burnout include: feeling valued or recognized for accomplishments at work, so you keep burning the candle at both ends, leaving little time for family, play, or self-care; or feeling as though you’re making a real difference in people’s lives, so you continue to work and push through the overwhelm and stress despite the toll it’s taking.

Downtime

Having and taking downtime is critical to preventing burnout. Everyone struggles with overwhelm and stress. But it’s those who take regular breaks who fare the best.

Rest & Vacations

According to studies, getting adequate rest by sleeping seven to eight hours a night and taking low-stress vacations helps to prevent burnout. If you feel a little burned out, try to get more sleep and take some time off.

Work Environment & Supportive Co-workers

Having supportive people at work with whom you can share stressful moments tends to reduce burnout. Being able to do your job independently and feeling respected and valued by coworkers and management makes the situation feel less stressful, which eases feelings of burnout.

Perfectionism & Pessimism

People who lean towards pessimism and have perfectionistic tendencies have a personality and temperament prone to burnout.

Signs of Burnout

Signs of burnout include feeling fatigued, being forgetful, and feeling irritable. If these symptoms persist for more than a couple of days, start practicing stress-reducing activities immediately because you need a break.

Stress-Reducing Activities

To reduce stress, limit television watching. According to a study from Eastern Washington University, women who watch more than two hours a day had higher rates of depression.

Engage the mind through crossword puzzles or learning a new language to stimulate the brain and keep sharp.

Leisurely walks in the fresh air are among the best things you can do to reduce stress, especially if it’s with a close friend.

Delegate or eliminate tasks on your to-do list; you don’t have to do everything – in fact, you can’t do everything, so stop trying.

Most importantly, as already stated, get more rest and sleep. The best hours for sleep are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. It’s better to go to bed early and get up early than to stay up late and get up late.

Burnout Recovery

People who’ve lived through and recovered from burnout say that you must take time for yourself. Maybe it’s taking ten minutes to relax your mind by looking out the window or listening to music or ordering food for dinner instead of cooking so you can decompress.

It’s easy to push yourself so hard that you ignore what’s happening to your mind and body. Remember that once you’re burned out, it takes more than a couple of days to recover. You might not even be able to recover on your own fully. You may require the assistance of a counselor or therapist to recover and to make any needed lifestyle changes.

Taking care of yourself takes time, commitment, and energy. It’s far better to prevent burnout than to recover from it. So do your best to adopt a healthy pace. You and your closest relationships will be healthier and happier.