Work Burn Out - Recognize It and Deal With It Quickly

If you have ongoing stress over a period of time you might begin to feel as if you just can’t cope with life anymore.  What you are feeling is commonly called burnout.  If you have a job where you feel like there is too much burden and not enough appreciation; where the demands seem to be getting bigger and bigger - well, it is no wonder that people burn out after a period of time. 

Stress is one of those things than can become chronic if it is not dealt with.  The longer it goes on the more hopeless you might feel and the less efficiently you will be able to do your job.

Burn out can cause other problems, too.  Sometimes those that are suffering from work burn out develop depression.  You may also develop physical problems like unexplainable aches and pains, sleep problems, or nervous ticks. 

Before you can decide what you can do about it you should learn the symptoms of burnout:

• Depression
• Fatigue
• Irritation
• Feelings of helplessness
• Headaches
• Unexplainable aches and pains

Before you decide that you are experiencing burn out you should consult a doctor.  There may be other reasons for your pains and mental health so talk to a doctor about it.  Explain your concerns about your work and the environment that you are working in.  Your doctor may come to the conclusion that you are experiencing burn out, as well, but the doctor may want to send you for tests to rule out other possibilities.

If you and your doctor do conclude that you are experiencing work burn out, what should you do?

The first thing you need to do is speak to someone at work about it.  Not a co-worker, but someone that can actually help you. Try to find a way to reduce your work load.  Look for places where some of your work can be reassigned.  Perhaps find better ways to communicate.

Remember that your first priority needs to be you and if you can’t take care of you, you will not be able to take care of anyone else - at work or at home!

The other thing you should remember is that you will need to learn how to say no.  When you are not able to take on one more task, you will need to be able to say, “I’m sorry, but I do not have time to do that right now.”