How to Tell If You’re Experiencing Burnout at Work
It’s no secret that your job can cause you stress. Work hours seem to be getting longer, while wages stay the same and it can seem impossible to actually ‘disconnect’ from your job. When the stress of work begins to affect your mental health, it’s time to take a look at how you’re dealing with work-life balance.
Burnout is one of the most serious side effects of a demanding job, but it can be difficult to really stop and realize that you may be experiencing it. Here are some signs that can help you tell if you are suffering from burnout.
1. Physical Health Problems
If you listen to your body it can tell you a lot and it will react physically to mental health issues such as burnout. If you are experiencing symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath or obesity it can be a direct result of burnout at your job.
2. Performance at Work
If you’re usually a great performer at your job and have noticed the quality or quantity of your work has gone down – this is a definite sign of burnout. It can cause you to make errors you would never normally make and cause you to not be motivated to do anything about it. A lack of excitement at things you used to take pride in can even follow you outside of work and affect your home life.
3. Cognitive Issues
Burnout can affect your ability to pay attention, focus and concentrate both inside and outside of the workplace. This obviously has an impact on your decision-making skills and your ability to solve problems that would normally not be issue for you.
4. Home life
What happens at work, doesn’t always stay there. If you notice that you’re bringing the stress of the office home and are constantly thinking about work when you’re not there, you’re probably suffering from burnout. This can make you feel like you aren’t really at home even if you are physically there and this can have a negative effect on relationships with your friends and family.
If you’re experiencing one or all of these signs, it’s definitely time to do something about it. No one should be drained physically or mentally by their work. It’s normal to face challenges or stress at your job, but when it should never impact you to the point of complete burnout.
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Do you have any questions about your rights in the workplace or need someone to talk to about your job stress? Contact one of our free labour counsellors at (403) 259-4608 or info@loveyourjob.ca.
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