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.”
