Burnout
At this time of year, signs of burnout can start to emerge. It’s the end of the first school term, so I am noticing it most among parents, teachers and school aged children. But I am sure that this has a flow on effect into the greater community.
It’s at this time of year, just prior to and during the school holidays, that people are needing to blow off some steam. There will be more people out and about, especially those with school aged children, who may have taken time off work to spend with their families. On top of that, with everything going on in the world, there may be a feeling of people competing for public space and resources.
At the same time, some people might be staying closer to home, nesting and moving slower. It is a good time to notice how you spend this time of year and how you respond to the behaviour of others.
Burnout is difficult to prevent, but not impossible. There are many signs that surface when people reach their limit of energy depletion and need to recalibrate to be able to function in a healthy way. Sometimes the signs are difficult to spot unless you know what to look for. A lot of the signs of burnout are normalised and justified as acceptable human behaviour and function and this can make it seem like you have to push through unhealthy patterns that can be detrimental to your wellbeing.
You might see signs of burnout in yourself or others. They can look different in people who are neurodiverse, in children, in people with intersectional identities and with diverse access (or lack thereof) to resources. You might notice these signs in others before yourself, or vice versa. It isn’t helpful to be hypervigilant, which means paying too close attention and becoming obsessive. But having greater awareness can lessen the blow and provide more time to respond appropriately before desperate reactions are needed to reverse the impact.
Signs of Burnout
Irritation - you might feel annoyed by the slightest thing
Fatigue - no matter how much you sleep or how little you do, you constantly feel tired
Confusion - even small and straightforward tasks feel insurmountable and complex. You find it difficult to start tasks, or complete them
Illness and injury - you may feel run down or even show signs of illness similar to having a cold, like a runny nose, headache, body aches, sore throat. Your body temperature may be dysregulated like feeling very hot or cold, running a temperature or not being able to warm up. You might be off balance, constantly tripping over, bumping into or dropping things, or suffering from spontaneous physical symptoms like acne, rashes or hair loss.
Racing or frozen thoughts - you might feel like you can’t think properly, either having many things on your mind at once or not being able to hold even one thought
Shifts in mood - your emotions might feel volatile. You might feel sad, angry, numb, even manic. Emotions feel extreme and change drastically very quickly
Sleep and diet disturbances - you might not be able to get to sleep or find it hard to wake up. You might be having confusing or bad dreams. Feeling hungry all the time or not being able to stomach food can also show up. You might find yourself eating or drinking (including alcohol) excessively
This list is by no means medical advice and any symptoms that feel unmanageable are something that may need to be discussed with your GP. These are also only some possible signals that your brain, body and behaviour are giving you to indicate that you might be burnt out.
If you read that list again, and perhaps even add your own experiences, you might start to notice something. Many of these experiences are considered normal. Because they are. They are normal ways that we respond to stress, over exertion and the constant demands of living our lives. The response is normal, the stress and demanding lifestyle doesn’t have to be.
Once you know the signs of burnout and can recognise that they are beginning to accumulate and have a negative impact on your day to day function, you can take assertive steps to stop the spiral into complete collapse.
If you are not sure what your signs look like, because everyone’s can feel and look different, or you know something isn’t right but don’t know how to address the situation in an accessible and sustainable way, Counselling can support you to identify your needs and find appropriate solutions.
When burnout symptoms occur, it doesn’t mean that you should make dramatic decisions that completely reconfigure your life. Sometimes that is necessary and useful too. Other times, you might only need to shift your perspective, set some boundaries and make some straightforward choices that can have long term effects and make a significant improvement to your life.
Reach out and book your FREE 30 minute session. That’s all it takes to identify the areas in your life that can use some attention.
I look forward to meeting you.
