Burnout 

Burnout is a form of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion brought on by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and general fatigue, usually related to a job or workplace, but it can occur in any area of someone’s life.

The issue of burnout can have many systemic influences, meaning that the cause or root of burnout can be attributed to a system someone is a part of instead of an individual.

There are three categories of burnout symptoms:

Physical

•Low energy; feeling tired and easily fatigued most of the time; exhaustion

•Frequent headaches or muscle pain

•Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses

•Change in sleep habits and/or appetite

Emotional

•Feelings of failure and self-doubt

•Loss of motivation

•Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment

•Feeling overwhelmed

•Feeling helpless, trapped, and/or defeated

•Detachment, feeling alone in the world

•Feeling cynical and bitter, having a negative outlook

•Caring about things seems like a waste of energy

Behavioral 

•Procrastinating and taking longer to get things done, withdrawing from responsibilities

•Being irritable and taking out your frustrations on others

•Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope

•Isolating yourself from other people

•Wanting to run away or escape

Systemic Factors That Can Cause Burnout

Burnout can be attributed to a system of stressors put on an individual, rather than the individual not being capable of "handling" the stress. There are six commonly agreed upon contributing factors to burnout that people develop with their work:

Workload - The amount of work someone can accomplish within an amount of time. When work gets overloaded, there is too much to accomplish in too short of time with too few resources. 

Control - What capacity someone believes they have to influence decisions that affect their work, gain access to resources they need, and the autonomy and independence to make decisions.

Reward - A reward in the workplace refers to the power of reinforcements someone receives to shape their behavior. Rewards can be monetary, social, or intrinsic. A lack of recognition and reward increases someone's vulnerability to burnout.

Community - The mutual support and closeness that people have on a team. When workplace relationships lack support and trust, the risk of burnout is higher.

Fairness - Refers to how people feel they are being treated, both fairly and with respect.

Values - The motivation someone has for their workplace and what originally attracted them to their job. When a value someone has for the job conflicts with what the job is asking for, people will make concessions or trade-offs that erode the values they have.

When any of these six factors create a negative experience in the workplace, they can lead to the three dimensions of burnout. 

The Maslach Burnout Inventory three-dimensional model assesses an individual's experience in the workplace, measuring the following:

Emotional Exhaustion - Feelings of being emotionally extended and exhausted by your work.

Depersonalization - An unfeeling and impersonal response toward people of your service, care, treatment, or instruction.

Personal Accomplishment - Feelings of competence and successful achievement in your work.

Burnout in Regular Life

Burnout that is not work-related can occur from different roles in someone's life, especially when giving or committing a lot of energy to a role. Roles require a lot of energy and involve varying degrees of stress, and stereotypes and stigmas can make those suffering from burnout within these roles feel that they are to blame for their issues. As a result, they can often hide their struggles from others. Without treatment, burnout can cause severe consequences to those affected.

The most common non-work-related burnout are:

Parental Burnout – Burned-out parents can put a tremendous amount of stress on themselves due to trying to get everything done. Sometimes this can result in trying to get away from being a parent to preserve what energy they have. Parents can also feel that they aren't the parents they want to be, feeling shame for not being who they want to be.

Caregiver Burnout – People who voluntarily give up their free time to help care for a loved one experiencing illness, disability, or any condition requiring attention are sometimes called informal caregivers. It can be difficult for informal caregivers to take a break from their responsibilities because they feel that someone else is depending on them.

Relationship/Marital Burnout – Long-term conflicts within a relationship or marriage can compromise the quality of the relationship, leading to a possible increase in aggression and reduced feelings of love. Setting aside a specific time with a partner to reconnect can help combat this type of burnout. Therapy can also be an option for those couples who can't find common ground anymore.

Common Strategies for Managing and Preventing Burnout

While trying to manage burnout without solving the systemic issues causing it can actually prolong the feelings of burnout, many people are unable to change the system on their own. If support can't be found, here are some helpful tips that may help, but they won't completely solve the issue itself until the systemic issues are dealt with:

Turn to Others – There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Reach out and communicate with those closest to you, such as your partner, family, and friends. If this is work-related, speak to your manager and discuss a more manageable workload.

Be More Sociable in Your Environments – Communication is important in any relationship and can help create a healthy environment. Creating friendships with coworkers can help with stress at work, small talk with a neighbor could eventually lead to a friendship, and participating in group settings (social or otherwise) can expand your social circle.

Get Enough Sleep – Practice good sleeping habits. Our bodies need time to rest and reset, and it can’t do that if you aren’t getting restful sleep. Try limiting smartphone usage before bed, avoiding caffeine, and creating a relaxing bedtime ritual to help with sleep.

Limit Contact with Negative People – If you’re experiencing burnout, hanging out with negative people can drag your mood and outlook further down, which can exacerbate your feelings of burnout.

Exercise – Spending time doing at least 30 minutes of exercise each day can have multiple health benefits, improving your mood, mental health, and wellbeing. You can even break up the 30-minutes into 10-minute bursts of activity throughout the day.

Revaluate Your Priorities – Focus on improving yourself by setting up boundaries, learning to say “no” and don’t overextend yourself. Take breaks, nourish your creative side, and do things that make you happy.

Eat a Healthy Diet – What your body intakes can have a huge impact on your mood and energy levels throughout the day. Minimize sugar, reduce caffeine and unhealthy fats, eat more Omega-3 fatty acids (such as fatty fish and walnuts), avoid nicotine, and drink alcohol in moderation.

Acknowledge Your Stress – Whatever role you have, you probably encounter stress. Accepting that your role is tough, and recognizing that you may not have the energy or time to do other things, can help reduce stress because you're allowing yourself to put some non-important things aside.

Make Small Changes – While you can't always take a vacation, you can make changes to reduce the stressors in your life. Rebalancing the changeable stressors in your life, such as offloading certain small jobs to others or cutting down on commitments, can help you become more flexible and balanced.

Grow Your Skills – Being a parent, or having another role, can be a growing and learning process. No one has all of the answers right away. Attending seminars, asking about mental health, finding a therapist, or even just watching YouTube videos can help you improve your skills for the roles you're in.

If you are experiencing anxiety and need to speak to someone, text HELLO to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis counseling. If outside the U.S., visit our International section under Suicide Prevention.