Juggling a job, social responsibilities and taking care of yourself and your family can take a toll on your mental health.
If you’re taking on more than you can handle, your body may warn you that burnout is on the horizon.
However, burnout isn’t exactly a mental health diagnosis, says Molly Burrets, a licensed clinical psychologist.
“It’s more of a chronic condition that happens when we experience chronic fatigue [and] overwhelm when the demands of our life exceed our capacity to meet those demands,” she tells CNBC Make It, adding that it can increase your likelihood of experiencing mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
Spotting the signs of burnout is key for preventing it, or reversing it. Burrets says the symptoms of burnout come in three categories: physical, emotional and behavioral.
Here’s what to watch out for:
How your body tells you that you’re on the verge of burnout
1. Physical symptoms
“Some of the most common physical symptoms are things like chronic fatigue or insomnia, difficulty either falling or staying asleep,” Burrets says.
Additional physical symptoms that can indicate you’re burnt out may include:
- Frequent headaches
- Muscle pain
- Digestive issues
- Weakened immune system
2. Emotional symptoms
The emotional indicators of burnout tend to be the signs that are most commonly associated with the phenomenon. “These are ones that people are often most primed to notice and understand indicate a real problem,” Burrets says.
Those symptoms include:
- Increased irritability
- Experiencing a loss of motivation, even to do things that bring you joy
- Feeling detached or emotionally drained
- Increased frustration
- Having negative feelings about work or caregiving responsibilities
3. Behavioral symptoms
Look out for shifts in your behavior that are likely being used as coping mechanisms, Burrets says. Some of the most common behavioral symptoms include overeating, binge drinking or increased drug use.
But behavioral symptoms can also manifest as:
- Procrastination
- Withdrawal from social responsibilities
- Isolation from others
- Lower levels of productivity, especially at work
“If you notice that you are having behavioral symptoms, emotional symptoms and physical health symptoms, that’s a red flag,” Burrets says. “You are burnt out by that point.”
How to reverse burnout
Before setting out to tackle your burnout symptoms, Burrets recommends consulting with your doctor to make sure they aren’t the result of other, underlying health conditions.
Once you’ve done that, Burrets recommends reducing your work load to make time for more self care.
She recommends trying out some of the following:
- Exercise and physical activity
- Quality time with friends and family
- A new hobby
- Meditation
- Mindfulness activities
Before you add anything else to your plate, she says it’s important to “look at the demands on your time and ask yourself, what can be removed” — with a minimal impact on your life.
Though it may be hard to reduce your responsibilities and re-think your priorities, Burrets says sacrifice is necessary in order to improve your well-being.
The goal is to “take some things off our plate that are inessential and perhaps add in some self care activities in place of those, or just more downtime, more rest and relaxation.”
Making these tough choices, Burrets says, are ultimately essential for recovery. “We have to have boundaries in order to prevent burnout.”
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