Burnout is a state caused by high levels of chronic stress. It happens to the best of us. Age doesn’t seem to matter either, I remember as a teenager I was under so much stress thanks to family problems.
What it can result in a total breakdown emotionally, physically, or mentally. What used to be a term for a broad set of conditions is now an official medical diagnosis. That’s important because until it was given official recognition, people just believed they had to ride out whatever they were experiencing.
Here’s an example.
You approach your boss and tell him you’ve had enough. You can’t work another minute. The environment, your coworkers, or some other situation has you on the verge of a mental or physical breakdown. Before a doctor could diagnose you as suffering from job burnout, your boss might have told you to “tough it out.”
In many cases, this is what we tell ourselves. While we recognize that our situation is beyond difficult in some way, we feel like we should be able to push through. That is definitely not the best course of action if you have a case of burnout working against you.
Look out for These Common Causes of Burnout
A person will suffer from burnout because they have been pushed past their emotional, physical, or mental breaking point. It’s not just a case of someone working many long hours and being physically tired.
It usually happens because a person is not in control of the situation they are forced to endure.
They have to put up with emotional, physical, or mental stress. There is no letting up. They feel they have no control over the process. A workload on the job or at home looks like it’s insurmountable. Personal responsibilities that must be met continue to build until they create a perceived disaster situation.
A person feels they don’t have the tools, resources, or personal abilities to handle their life or job satisfactorily.
All of these situations can be caused by the following factors.
• Monotonous, challenging workloads that seem to grow quicker than progress
• Having a continual lack of control, either at work or in personal life, which can lead to depression
• Seeing little to no rewards for a person’s time and effort
• Feeling a lack of support and community
• The perception that a person is the only one that has to go through harsh or difficult times
• Toxic environments that threaten a person’s values, and possibly physical or mental health
If you have children, you can get burnout from working with them day and night. Stress is part of the job title, but too much stress isn’t good for you or your children. As a mom of one very smart child and one that has autism, when they were growing up, my husband worked 10-hour days. Did I burn out? Oh yes, I did! I am glad I had professionals to talk with to help me work my way through the stress.
While most burnout is job-related, you can see that these common causes of a breakdown can happen at home, in a person’s social life, and at work. Burnout can happen at all ages, social media has just made it easier to become stressed out. Finding ways to avoid triggers whenever possible.
Don’t believe that you can just tough it out. Stress is known to do all kinds of things to our bodies on the inside, that too much stress can lead to health risks such as heart attacks!
If you suspect that you or someone you care about is a prime burnout candidate, talk to a counselor or mental health professional. As with any other health problem, prevention is always the best medicine.
I am not a doctor, so don’t take this post as treatment. Talk to a professional if this sounds like something you are going through, they can help is the best thing to do.
