Do I have burnout? 15 signs of burnout

You used to fire on all cylinders, juggling multiple projects, but recently you (perhaps your friends and family too) have noticed your mojo is ebbing away. You’re not the person you used to be. Maybe it’s to be expected, given the stresses and pressures of modern life, or maybe you are suffering from burnout. 

What is burnout?

Burnout is a loss of belief in your abilities following an extended period of hard work with not enough time for rest and recuperation. When you’re burned out you struggle to organize your thoughts and you feel negative about yourself and your future. Burned out people often feel trapped, hopeless, and unable to see a way out.

You can be burned out and still carry on, but you won’t be able to do it for long. Here are 15 signs that you need to take action.

1. The Sunday night scares

Not a problem if they happen every once in a while, but if you consistently get the pre-Monday heebeegeebees over the course of a couple of months, your nervous system is trying to tell you something.

2. A bad case of the snooze button

We all have days when we don’t want to get up, but if it goes on for weeks or months because you are dreading work and dreading life, you could be heading down Burnout Boulevard.

3. Starting but not finishing

You can start jobs and projects but the thought of finishing them is terrifying. If you’ve noticed this pattern of starting but not finishing, you could be on the road to Burnoutsville.

4. Feel negative about everything

Experiencing a creeping state of despair about the world, yourself, and your career is a grim way to spend your time. If before you would bounce out of bed with excitement and now you’d rather bounce right back under the duvet, it is probably time to run a burnout check.

5. Permanent exhaustion

A complete lack of energy can be a sign of a medical issue so it’s crucial to speak to a physician if you feel particularly tired. If no obvious medical cause can be found, you could be experiencing burnout.

6. Lacking a sense of purpose 

Are you questioning your choices in your life, your career, your organization? Do you feel lost and lacking in direction? It sounds like you are burning out.

7. Being completely overloaded

With downsize after downsize and no one backfilling open roles, your team is down to the bones and you are constantly in overdrive. You’re not losing your capabilities, you are overworked and it's driving you into the ground.

8. Boredom

We all need to feel stimulated and engaged at work. Repeatedly doing mundane tasks that don’t challenge your brain — even quiet quitting — can lead to burnout.

9. Tossing and turning

Whether you are chewing over work or questioning your existence, struggling to calm the chatter in your head when it’s time to switch off is a big sign of burnout.

10. Neglecting yourself

It’s vital to balance hard work with leisure, by taking care of your personal needs and giving yourself space from work. If you are so rammed that you’re working till midnight every night, burnout may well be on the horizon.

11. Feeling empty inside

If you feel hollowed out, with nothing to offer your relationship, work, or friends, the bottomless pit of despair you are in is burnout.

12. You just don’t care anymore

Feeling emotionally distant from your job and no longer holding yourself to your previously high standards is a sign you are burned out.

13. Lack of interest in personal growth

If you no longer care about keeping up with the latest industry news, if you would prefer to lay in bed and watch mindless TV than develop or grow in any way, if you’ve lost faith in yourself, you could be burned out.

14. Working hard to prove the impossible

AAPI people and (many of us) immigrants are raised with a strong expectation to succeed. We can take this drive to strive for the perfect score into adulthood even when it no longer serves us. If your desperation for perfection is preventing you from being good enough, you may be burned out.

15. Every day is a bad day

If you look back over the course of a few months and feel you had more bad days than good days at work, it sounds like you are burned out.

So You’re Burned Out?

The first thing to do is make an urgent appointment with yourself to switch off from work. Whether that’s a full vacation or just a coffee, alone, without a phone, do it, and do it soon. Any thoughts of work that pop into your head can be greeted and waved off again. Here are some ways to take regular breaks throughout the day.