Burn Out: Three Warning Signs And Three Ways To Turn It Around.

According to a 2024 Gallup poll, 28% of U.S. employees say they feel burned out. Only 50 percent of employees say they are thriving in their work lives. Considering, the average person spends 90,000 hours of their life working, feeling burned out at work has a major impact on our health, our personal relationships and our happiness outside of work. Burn out at work often carries itself into your personal life and leaves people feeling trapped by their situation.

The good news is there are ways to overcome burnout. I know because I have overcome it and helped others do the same. Here are three signs you are heading for burn out and three ways to get out of it.

3 Burn Out Warning Signs

1)    Exhaustion

You constantly feel tired. No matter how much sleep or rest you get, you just feel like you can’t catch up. I have a client who used to work as hard as he could and then when he would get close to achieving his goals, he would crash, burn out and lose all of his progress. I remember when I faced burn out, I was drinking 3-5 coffees a day and couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working. I was burned out!

2)    Detachment

You feel like nothing you do really matters, so why bother. You feel you lack options. You’re no longer engaged, enthused or invested. You begin doubting your abilities and become cynical or negative.

3)    Lack of Self Care

You’re not taking care of yourself like you used to. You don’t exercise, eat healthy or participate in your hobbies. You are not sleeping. You are relying on caffeine and alcohol to help manage your emotions and energy.

3 Things That Can Help Handle Burnout

1)    Built in Breaks

I believe in a morning practice before you even get the day started. I meditate for 15 minutes and journal for another 15 every morning. When you are facing burnout, this can seem overwhelming, so start small. Try the 2:1 rule. Every two hours, take one minute for yourself. Put an alarm on your phone so that every two hours you step away from work to do a one-minute meditation. This can be a breathing exercise, where you do breathe in through your nose and count to five. Release the breath out through your mouth and count to 10. Do this four times. It can also be a presence meditation such as the Hawaiian practice of Hakalua. You find a focal point above and slowly expand the peripheral awareness.

Also, build in a big, one hour break each week where you can really practice self-care and do something that reconnects you to what you love and who you are.

2)    Ask For Help

What can you delegate to someone else? Try to take anything off of your plate that you can. Talk to your co-workers to see how they are managing a similar workload. Talk to management about finding ways to lighten your workload so you can be more effective in the tasks you are responsible for. Ask for temporary help at home doing the many tasks you have to achieve. Also, learn to just say no to some requests especially if you are a people pleaser. Nobody in your life is benefiting from you being burnt out.

3)    Find The Root Cause

Once you start to feel a little better, you have to find the root cause of your burn out and put together a plan to make changes. You might see no way out, but there are always other options if you do a little digging. Maybe it is time to start searching for a new job if your requests for help aren’t being heard. If you are a leader with too much on your plate, maybe reorganizing the responsibilities of your staff could lift some pressure.

Just knowing that there are options is already a bit of relief. Ask yourself, where is most of the stress coming from? Is it too much work? Is it the way you are being treated? Is the work no longer satisfying? Finding the root cause and seeing your options is ultimately where you need to get to or you will end up in a burn out loop.

Regardless of your role in the workplace, burn out is very real and must be handled with empathy and kindness. If you are a leader of a company and your staff is feeling burned out, you need to be caring and empathetic. Listen to what people are saying and consider any changes you can make to help relieve them. If you are the one going through burn out, be kind to yourself. Understand that this doesn’t need to be forever and you deserve a work environment where you can thrive.