There are days when I feel like a zombie. When I’m burned out… I drink my coffee and get ready in the morning. Not looking in the mirror, putting my pants on in the dark, and just hoping to make it to work without falling asleep. Then I get to work and often see people on one of the worst day of their lives.
There are days when I feel helpless and I wish I could have people see themselves through my eyes. It’s always easier when you are on the outside right?
I wish that there wasn’t such a thing as depression, mental illness, or suicide. I wish there was a magic pill that would make people’s problems go away but there isn’t. Problems are largely multifaceted which means it takes time to have them go away. Burn out creeps up on us without realizing it.
These are the signs that you can notice before you’re burned out:
1. Sleep changes
There is a difference between not sleeping enough and feeling emotionally exhausted. The lack of sleep can feed emotional exhaustion but at its core, emotional exhaustion can eat away at you. It’s the days when you feel like you’re just going through the motions and when we look back on our day we can’t draw any pleasure or feeling of accomplishment from it. Some sleep too much and some can’t sleep enough. When you’re sleep patterns change consider burn out.
2. Irritability/Agitation
When we are empty and at a loss for motivation it can feel like anything can set us off. This is the number one sign for me. When I’m feeling on edge, I know that I need to do something quickly before things escalate. I need some “me” time. Advocating for yourself and your well-being is something that needs to be learned. Speak up for yourself and your needs. With irritability, concentration is impaired and so is your activities of daily living.
3. Lack of Motivation
Motivation is more than just a fancy word to make you run faster or dream harder. Having motivation can boil down to getting out of bed, and actually brushing your hair versus just throwing it up. Motivation is the mindfulness to stay on task and it gives you the “umpfff” you need to keep moving. It should be a sign when you feel like you’re skipping certain aspects of your life because “its exhausting”. No one is motivated all the time, but it’s imperative to find ways to remind yourself of how to be motivated.
4. Isolation
Over time, I’ve seen people stop texting friends back, or being too “tired” to do anything. (Guilty *raises hand*) Friends want to go to dinner and I’ve made tentative plans to lay in bed with the dog. Not that time alone is necessarily “isolation” but feeling like going out is “too much” or too lofty of a goal is an issue. When you are doing things and you feel overstimulated it can also be a sign that you’re on the verge of burn out.
Now, How to fix burn out?
One of the most amazing thing about us, is we are humans meaning we are uniquely different. There is no one in the world EXACTLY like you. The first step in fixing anything is admitting you have a problem. (Yes, I know we’ve all heard this somewhere or another).
I have created vision boards or notebooks to remind myself of why I’m doing the work I’m doing. Another tip is to make sure to set smaller goals with an associated reward. For example, if I make it to the gym four times a week, I’ll buy myself some new shoes after two months. If your large goal is 30 years down the road it’s easy to run out of steam due to the length of the wait.
Here’s your job.
What makes you tick? Where do you get the most motivation? Is it when you’re traveling? Is it when you’re in your tub? Working out? Drawing? If you’re not sure how you unwind, it’s time to try new things. Have you ever tried painting? Or maybe it’s time to try to one of those craft projects or recipes that you pinned on Pinterest a year ago. We all do it, but those small inspirations could unlock something inside of you.
How wonderful would that be?
