One of the most common effects of being hardworking, passionate and dedicated to your line of work is getting burned out. It is an overall feeling of exhaustion from work, even if you used to be excited about getting up in the morning and go straight to the office. When you do the same thing day and night, week after week, year after year, it isn’t surprising to feel drained and worn out. This psychological state is a direct result of constant pressure and high expectations from your boss. As you meet those demands, your mind and body grow weary because of excessive stress and tension.

Overview

When the strain extends to an unhealthy period, you start to lose interest and motivation that attracted you to the job in the first place. Burnout drains all your energy, reducing you to a cynical, resentful and pessimistic proletarian. This attitude could threaten your job, health and even relationships with other people. Although being a hard worker helps your career in the long run, it may take a toll on your health and personal life in the foreseeable future.

What Ignites The Flame?

Regardless of how much you love your job, you will eventually experience burnout at some point in your career. If you are facing any of the factors listed below on a daily basis, you might be at risk of burning out from work.

• Your place of work is stressful and disorganized.
• Your relationship with your co-workers can be described as hostile, tense or stressful.
• You are not motivated to do your best all the time.
• You become depressed when you don’t receive the comments you expected to hear.
• You are bothered by criticisms, including those that are constructive.
• You are a borderline control freak with OCD tendencies.

A Burning Sensation

The symptoms of burnout are more mental than physical, although the overall exhaustion extends to the body as well. Some of the effects of job combustion are detachment, irritability, hopelessness, fatigue, isolation, frustration, cynicism, despair, hopelessness, apathy and failure. Additionally, you might have already done at least one of the following during your fight against extreme stress (Tips on how to get rid of stress).

• Snap at people or make nasty comments about them.
• Take massive amounts of pills and alcohol to escape the situation.
• Your personal relationships begin to fall apart.
• Your physical health suffers.
• Lose faith and trust in others.

Treatment

When you are burned out, every work problem seems insurmountable and a silver lining looks bleak. It is difficult to gather enough energy to do your daily tasks and care about the situation. However, it is easy to get rid of job burnout once you recognize the signs and act quickly. Burnout is deeply related to stress and the earlier you address it, the better chance you have of avoiding it. The primary way to fight burnout is by changing your habits. Here are some simple burnout busters to make your work less tiring and more appealing.

Recognize The Signs

As mentioned earlier, it is easier to cure job stress if you tackle it during its infancy stage. You would do your mind and body a huge favor if you acknowledge that what you are experiencing isn’t just excessive stress, but in fact career burnout. Here are some of the differences between stress and burnout from work.

• Triggers. Excessive stress is caused by a flood of responsibilities, while a burnout state means you are all dried up of motivation and desire.
• Reaction. Being over-reactive is a common effect of stress, but when you are burnt out, you seem to just not care about work anymore.
• Traits. Stress creates urgency and hyperactivity, whereas burnout is characterized by helplessness and hopelessness.
• Effects. Stress leads to anxiety disorders, yet burnout results to detachment and depression.
• Proof. The evidence of stress is primarily manifested physically, while it is mainly emotional for job burnout.

Once you accept that you are indeed suffering from job burnout, do something about it. Know the limitations of your mind and body. Unlike what those shoe ads say, it is safer to stay within your boundaries and excelling despite your restrictions.

Avoid The Flames

As the old saying goes, “prevention is cure.” The best way to eliminate job burnout is by avoiding circumstances that would trigger it. Try some of these suggestions to prevent spontaneous emotional combustion.

• Job description. Ask a clear definition on what your responsibilities and tasks are so you have an idea on how heavy your work load will be.
• Vacation leave. Take some time off from work and utilize your vacation leaves, instead of saving them up and converting them into petty cash.
• New environment. If you are no longer satisfied with how things are at the office, you should consider transferring to another department or an entirely new line of work.
• Different work. Similar to the previous tip, seek new challenges if you have been doing exactly the same work for a long time.
• Comfortable workplace. Personalize your desk and computer with pictures or items that are meaningful to you.
• Personal growth. Monitor your progress after identifying your goals and evaluating how you can achieve them.

Clean Up Your Act

Part of solving the problem is changing some of your habits. These behaviors are partly to blame in causing your stress levels to ascend beyond your control. By eliminating some self-defeating attitudes, you could find periods of stress and burnout easier to handle. Being detailed with work tasks might impress your boss, but going overboard will drive you crazy. Achieving perfection is fine, as long as you can handle it (In case you want to hit on your boss and don't have a reason, then read the Top ten reasons why you should hit on your boss). Otherwise, set realistic goals and give them your best shot. When you create lofty goals that are nearly impossible to achieve, you are just setting yourself up for failure. Anyone is bound to get tired every so often. Ironically, burnout strikes those who are highly committed to their work. Becoming the best would only be a waste if it is immediately followed by freefall. Madness shouldn’t be a consequence of greatness. A short burst of excellence doesn’t mean much if you give up your sanity and physical health for it. However, don’t confuse burnout prevention with plain laziness. That is a separate topic that involves an entirely different discussion.

 

(Or better yet...maybe these 24 job burn out solutions is just what you're looking for.)