Since the pandemic, we’re expected to work ever longer hours with a less healthy work life balance, while losing valuable in-person connections with our co-workers. Burnout is on the increase.

To further complicate things, burnout symptoms can sneak up on us, starting out subtle and growing into a tsunami that leaves us wondering if we will ever again feel good at work.

Knowledge is power, so I’ve matched the 15 most common symptoms of burnout with practical advice for what to do about them.

There’s a lot of great burnout advice here! You could burn out trying all the strategies to help you manage burnout.

My best advice is to focus on two or three solutions—be that switching off social media at work or sticking to a bedtime routine—then be disciplined in your approach to them. If they don’t work, try others until you see what works for you.

1. The Sunday night scares

If the pre-Monday heebeegeebees happen every week for longer than a month or so, you may be dealing with burnout.

Is it job burnout or manager burnout?

The first thing to consider is whether you would be happier working somewhere else. Yes, it’s a huge amount of effort to change jobs, but the benefits of quitting a very stressful job should outweigh the costs, and change can be phenomenally energizing. Often though, this just isn’t realistic; it is too daunting to go through the interview process and start again somewhere else, especially if it is unlikely you will achieve the same salary or role.

On the other hand, most people don’t leave their job or organization, they leave their manager. If there is a problem with your manager, things can seem pretty dire, but it is worth trying to resolve the situation by speaking to upper management. Avoid name-calling or sweeping, emotional statements (for example, “X doesn’t like me!”). Make a list of specific incidents or things they said or did, such as losing their temper. HR almost always sides with the manager, but you may find things improve via other means if you are gentle in your approach.

Or could it be meeting burnout?

Perhaps your calendar is overbooked, leaving you very little time to do your job? We have such a meeting heavy culture that often we find ourselves in meetings just for the sake of being there. We spend the whole time thinking about the work we should be doing.

At some point on Sunday (if it makes sense to do so), to alleviate fears about Monday, take a half hour to review your calendar and ask yourself:

1. Do I have anything to offer this meeting?

2. Can this issue be resolved in written communication vs a meeting?

3. Go through your calendar and remove yourself from as many meetings as you can.

Many of my clients say that they get booked back-to-back with no time in between for self-care. Not having the time to go to the bathroom or eat leaves us feeling like we have no control over our time. Add buffers between meetings as you audit your weekly calendar. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference a small amount of pushback will make.

If you are a manager in an organization with a no-meeting day, set the right example by enforcing the no-meeting rule. Burnout beating happens from the top down, so, be part of the solution.

Snatch joy when you can

Can you add in something joyous every day – even if it’s small? How about a walk around the block or nearby park? Add workouts, dinners with friends, social outings, and self care times to your calendar so as you review the calendar on Sunday night you also see what you have to look forward to in the coming week.

As you take your walk, smell the flowers and push any thoughts of what you could be doing instead out of your head (emails, projects, scrolling social). Instead, focus on giving yourself the gift of time.

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 may need to look at managing burnout in the workplace.

Is it an illness?

If you feel constantly tired, book yourself in for a physical to make sure you are in good health and not deficient in vital nutrients and vitamins.

SSS… small simple steps

A good way to cope with being overwhelmed is to take small simple steps, or SSS. “For now, I’m just going to get up and brush my teeth,” or, “right now I’m just going to focus on stretching.” If we JUST do one thing, it usually leads to more things. If it doesn’t, you have at least done one thing.

The five second rule

Another trick that has helped many of my clients, borrowed from Mel Robbins, is the 5 second rule.

No, it’s not the time it takes for dropped food to turn poisonous, it’s the idea that you have to take physical action within 5 seconds of having an idea, or you’ll lose your motivation.

When the alarm goes off, count to 5, and get out of bed.

Get more sleep

If you are snoozing consecutively, you may need to fine tune your sleep hygiene to make sure you are getting the 7-9 hours you need. Read more about sleep hygiene.

3. Starting but not finishing

If you’ve noticed a pattern of starting projects but not finishing them, you could be on the road to Burnoutsville.

What’s missing?

Perhaps the reason you aren’t finishing is because you are at a body budget deficit. This comes from Lisa Feldman Barrett’s work on body budget. Essentially, you could be low on energy or your physiological needs are not being met. You may need to take a nap if you are tired. Perhaps you are not completing the task because you are hungry and you need fuel to finish.

Many of us have a habit of berating ourselves for being scatterbrained, but we may just need to take a break to replenish our energy before we get back to it.

Too many distractions

Are you overly plugged in? Sometimes, it’s hard to finish because we are thrown off course by the constant pinging, dinging, and ringing of our many devices. Context switching can take a toll on our brain making it harder to complete the task we are on. Put the devices out of the way and switch off email notifications so you can give your full attention to each task.

4. Feeling 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 you previously bounced out of bed to see what the day would bring and now you’d rather burrow back under the duvet, it is probably time to run a burnout check.

Find the cause

Often when we feel negative about everything, we are actually allowing ONE negative issue to color everything in our life bad.

Ask yourself, what is really getting me down? It could be one isolated incident that, if addressed, will allow you to pivot in a more resourceful place. For example, if you are fighting with your partner then you jump on a zoom call with a colleague, you could well cast a negative spin on the meeting. But it’s not actually the colleague or work that has you in the dumps, it’s the fight with your partner.

It may require you to take some deep breaths, to compartmentalize, so that you can resume what you are doing and work out the conflict with your partner after work.

Manage your expectations

Marcus Buckingham talks about the 70/30 rule:

70% of our work should make you feel energized and 30% should be accepted as the price of admission. The 30% could be performance reviews or administrative tasks you hate.

You have to get as close as you can to 70% to make the other 30% bearable. If the 30% turns into 40/50/60% of your day, it won’t be possible to feel good at work.

Ways to stay as close to the 70% as possible include keeping track of your activities in a loved it/loathed it exercise. Work out which tasks drain you but energize others and share them around the team.

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.

What’s upsetting you the most?

If you are struggling with emotional exhaustion, there is most likely a root cause or ‘worst offender’ lurking around somewhere. Have an open, honest conversation with yourself. Sometimes we just don’t want to admit to ourselves that we are not enjoying something — or someone — as much as we once did. Sometimes we don’t realise that throwing one task off our to-do list will make the rest of the list far less overwhelming.

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 the only place you’re going is burnout.

Find Your Ikigai

Our time on Earth is precious and having a purpose (dharma) is crucial for mental health and well-being.

When my clients are questioning their purpose I sometimes use the Japanese concept of Ikigai to help them identify their sense of purpose.

According to Ikigai, your purpose is where your passions and talents intersect the things that the world needs and is willing to pay for.

I ask my clients what brings them joy and how they envision their life to help them discover career switches or role changes in their current organization.

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 on the backfoot. You’re not losing your capabilities, you are overworked and it's tearing you apart.

Build in buffers

Allowing yourself time to rest, synthesize and process information from meetings is crucial in managing overwhelm. On Sunday or at the beginning of the week, audit your calendar to create spaces for downtime.

Ask yourself what you need right now

When we are in a state of overwhelm, Lisa Feldman reminds us to ask, ‘what do I need at this moment?’ It could be a rest or something to eat or drink. It could be that you need to finish one important task you have been putting off.

Breathe

When we are overwhelmed, we are often chewing over the past or catastrophizing about the future. We can use our breath as an anchor to return to the present moment.

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.

Mix things up

Perhaps change is what you need. Ask yourself, “Am I in the right job? In the right organization?” If you are just bored with the day-to-day, can you schedule joyous moments into your calendar?

Sometimes it can be as simple as getting out of the rut you are in by taking a different route home, walking down a different street and noticing something new and different.

Find your fun magnet

Catherine Price has a practice, where she suggests seeing something that is awe inspiring, and point and verbally say, ‘Delight’ or any word that elicits awe and joy.

According to Catherine Price, we trivialize fun as adults and need to make a conscious effort to have more fun and add joyous moments to our life.

Ask yourself, what causes you to lose track of time? Whatever that activity is, do more of it. Make it a practice, schedule it into your calendar.

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 sign of burnout.

Clean up your attitude to sleep

This is where good sleep hygiene comes into place. The hour before bedtime is the pamper hour in which you don’t engage in confrontations with your partner or children. You only do things that help you unwind. Drinking chamomile tea, taking a bath, reading an actual book. Try to avoid devices, particularly light coming directly into your eyes. If you do have the lights on, they need to come from behind you.

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.

Take your vacation

I have clients who don’t actually take their vacation allocation. If that is you, reframe it as follows; your vacation time benefits your workplace as much as it benefits you. It allows you to rest and reset. You should not view it as optional.

Can’t bear not being busy? Ask yourself what you are avoiding by keeping yourself moving all the time.

Do more of what makes you lose track of time. Schedule the self-care – even if it means a calendar invite to go to yoga or to go work out.

If you don’t have a regular ‘thing’, ask yourself what would be a self-care act for you? Should you schedule a massage this weekend?

Asking yourself what you need is an essential act of self-care and self-advocacy. If you are a parent, you likely ask your children what they need. It’s your turn now, so ask yourself what you need and follow through on your commitment.

11. Feeling empty inside

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

Go back to your purpose and your joy

According to burnout specialist Karen Mangia, burnout happens when you work for a prolonged period of time against your values. But how do you know if you are working against your values? You need to work out what you care about and find your purpose.

You will find your dharma (purpose) when you take time to ask yourself how you envision your life. What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? Do you care to leave anything behind? What motivates you? Money? Power? Making a difference?

In our hustle culture, we become immersed in and dragged down by the need to make money and raise our children a certain way (if we have them). For some of us, these tasks are overwhelming, but for others, our focus on these aspects of life robs us of the exuberance we once had as children. How can you tap back into your child-like curiosity and find joy on a daily basis?

Get out of that rut

What if you took 10 minutes a day to color, to take a new route home, to do something new? We often feel empty when we get into a rut. It’s time to shake yourself awake and remind yourself that it is okay to feel happy. Whatever makes you happy, do more of it. Happiness is an inside job and something we often find once we connect with our purpose.

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.

What are your feelings trying to tell you?

Do you not care because your work is tiresome, boring, and not challenging? If so, is it time to consider a new challenge? Is something stopping you from putting the keys in your ignition? How can you connect your purpose in life with what makes your money?

If you are unable to have this conversation with yourself, hire a coach to help you uncover the answers. If trauma is involved, consider therapy.

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.

Is it really the job for you?

I once had a client who had debilitating anxiety in front of the camera, and yet she was an anchor on tv. She had achieved her greatest ambition only to find it wasn’t the right job for her.

If you don’t care what’s going on in the world you work in, perhaps you need to change that world.

Has a major life event got you questioning yourself? Did you divorce or lose someone you love? These experiences set our lives on a different path, perhaps with a better perspective on what makes us happy. Use that perspective to help you re-evaluate what is important to you.

14. Working hard to prove the impossible

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

Whose voice is driving you? Is it your parents? Is it cultural expectations? By defining who we are trying to impress, we may recognize we are working hard to meet someone else’s expectations and not our own.

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.

Get some support

You’re not alone. Seeking support will help you move through the experience of burnout and learn to love your life and your job again.

Have you considered coaching? Coaching is a process in which a qualified person helps you to find the answers you already have inside. A coach doesn’t tell you what to do, they help you determine what to do to meet your needs and feel fulfilled.

I am hugely passionate about helping people to thrive so, if I can help, get in touch.

The Ultimate Guide to Managing Workplace Burnout