The signs of Burnout
If you’ve followed anything that I’ve written before, you might remember that my speciality as a therapist is dealing with stress. As the summer holidays are coming to a close and we’re ramping up again for the last few months of the year (where has 2022 gone?), I thought I’d put some notes together on burnout to help you notice it if it’s coming at you like a knife-wielding crab.
I use the analogy of a knife-wielding crab not only because I love the photograph of said knife-wielding crab (see above), but because it’s small and can easily sneak up on you and give you a good shanking without you noticing it coming at you.
Burnout is a creeper. It happens because we push ourselves too hard for too long without taking any time to rest and recover, and no one is immune to it. You, me, that person in the office who’s there when you get in and still there when you leave.
This idea that we have that putting in the hours at the detriment of our wellbeing represents some sort of badge of honour is bullshit. You may disagree with that, and that’s totally cool. Give it a few years and see if you change your mind.
We’ve all got a limited capacity for stress. Everyone’s different, and some people have a bigger tank than others. Eventually, though, that tank is going to run dry if we aren’t refilling it by taking time to rest.
When the tank run’s dry, our body and mind essentially give us the finger. They can’t keep going, and as we aren’t listening to them, they pull the plug.
It’s important to make sure that we’re exercising some self awareness and noticing the signals that our body’s sending to us when it’s getting too stressed. Those portents of total shutdown.
If you’re teetering towards burnout, ready to tumble off the edge, pay attention to any of the following:
Low levels of motivation
Leaning into alcohol or substance abuse as a coping mechanism
Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy
Quick to become angry or easily irritable
Overwhelming cynicism (yes, this is not just the territory of French philosophers)
Unshakeable fatigue
Trouble sleeping
Thinking about work when not at work
A sense of being trapped
If you’ve noticed a combination of any of the above, I am hereby prescribing you some enforced rest. Look at how you’re setting your work boundaries and allocate some time each day to do something for you. It could be anything that allows you to disengage from work and spend some time on yourself. Cooking, reading, listening to a podcast, playing video games, going out in nature, wild swimming, goat herding, learning High Valyrian.
It does not matter what it is, it just has to be engaging with something that is both of you and for you.
So calm the fuck down and get yourself some rest.
Much love
David