Numerous individuals experience “low-grade burnout,” or a general sense of being overburdened by a never-ending stream of tasks and responsibilities. It is not just high-powered executives that get burnout. It’s common to feel trapped by this emotion and hopeless about ever getting better, but help can be found!

This is due to the fact that addressing one’s anxiety also reduces stress and hence prevents burnout. What’s less obvious, though, is that a lack of motivation could not always indicate depression but rather a form of exhaustion.

At Emerald Isle, both burnout and depression are treated successfully. Keep reading to find out more details about burnout, and what you can do to prevent it from taking over your life!

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9 Potential Causes of Burnout

1. Always Feeling the Need to Prove Yourself

Those who feel the need to constantly establish their value do it in a compulsive manner. They are easily used by demanding managers who have a hard time accepting “no” since they are not good at setting limits and are constantly prepared to go above and beyond.

2. Overworking and Overachieving

Some people suffer from an inability to turn off their computers. Things like checking email on the weekend, working excessive hours, and refusing to take time off are all examples. (However, no one becomes more efficient as a result of this; research shows that efficiency declines sharply after 50 hours of labor.)

3. Ignoring Your Necessities

It’s a running joke at medical schools that the lifestyle choices required to become a doctor are not exactly healthy. This includes not getting enough sleep, eating poorly, exercising little, and not spending much time with friends. These demands are repeatedly ignored by those who are experiencing burnout.

Exhaustion

4. Ignoring Exhaustion

The individual may feel scared, panicked, or agitated, and therefore they may engage in avoidance behavior by ignoring their difficulties.

5. Constantly Evaluating Your Work Goals

A constant re-imagining of one’s values in light of professional goals can be unhealthy. Work consumes one’s life to the exclusion of all else, including family, hobbies, and friends.

6. Not Holding Yourself Accountable for Your Bad Attitude

The individual has a low tolerance for others and increased aggression against them, viewing their coworkers as “dumb, sluggish, demanding, or undisciplined.” The person may begin to feel like work is the cause of their issues, but they only take time for work. It’s a dangerous double standard.

7. Becoming Introverted When You Were Not Before

A shrinking or nonexistent social life becomes a major concern. They withdraw within themselves or turn to drink or drugs as a means of escape.

8. Changes In Behavior Can Bring on Burnout

A noticeable shift in conduct causes concern for the person’s loved ones.

9. Avoiding Human-to-Human Contact

Negative self- and social-worth beliefs, as well as an inability to recognize one’s own or others’ needs, characterize this condition.

The Deep Personal Void from Burnout

An extreme case of burnout is referred to as “inner emptiness,” and it’s characterized by a sense of numbness or “emptiness” that may lead to excessive activities like overeating, drug or alcohol misuse, compulsive masturbation, or sexual activity as a means of filling the void.

One of the warning indications of impending burnout is a rapid onset of feelings of disorientation and uncertainty, fatigue, a pessimistic outlook on life, and a lack of motivation.

A Complete Case of Burnout Syndrome

Complete mental and physical breakdown is a common symptom of Burnout Syndrome. Seek immediate medical assistance if symptoms persist.

Recognizing An Approaching Burnout

Because we all react to life in our own unique ways, it can be difficult to recognize the warning symptoms of burnout in some people. If one person seems anxious, short-fused, and lashes out, another may look exhausted, distant, and numb.

Here are a few warning indicators to keep an eye out for if you, or someone you know, is experiencing burnout:

Detachment from Work-Related Activities

In the minds of those who are suffering from burnout, every day at work is a source of growing stress and irritation. They may lose interest in their work, become cynical about their coworkers, or both.

Physical Manifestation

Physical symptoms of burnout are common. Headaches, stomachaches, and digestive difficulties are just some of the symptoms that may result from prolonged mental or emotional stress. Symptoms of burnout include an inability to motivate oneself to get out of bed and begin one’s day.

Low Emotional Endurance

When people experience burnout, they feel exhausted and listless, which makes it hard for them to do high-quality work. People who take pleasure in their profession may experience a significant drop in both self-esteem and confidence as a result of this, leading to increased irritability and frustration.

Emotional Outbursts

Those suffering from burnout may act irrationally as a result of the stress and exhaustion they are experiencing. People under stress often turn to self-medicating behaviors, including binge eating, smoking, and excessive drinking.

Poor Performance

Those who are suffering from burnout typically have a poor outlook on their regular responsibilities, whether at work or in their personal lives. They have trouble focusing, aren’t motivated to achieve anything, and are usually unimaginative.

Workaholics and Burnout

Workaholics and Burnout

Workaholism, the pathological need to labor excessively long and difficult hours, is a significant behavioral disorder. Many people who labor excessively suffer from burnout, depression, and substance abuse.

The term “presenteeism” refers to the practice of never missing work. If you want to impress your bosses, you’ll have to get up early and stay late on a regular basis. Either to advance in your current position or to keep your current one.

Although this may appear to be nothing more than a strong work ethic at first glance, presenteeism can soon lead to burnout and physical tiredness, resulting in decreased productivity and disinterest in one’s job. The state of mind might also become compromised. Neglecting to address it correctly might have detrimental effects on one’s health.

In the following sections, we’ll outline the stages of burnout as they appear in a client.

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The Stages of Burnout

Burnout doesn’t happen all at once. In fact, it’s a saga that unfolds over the course of a long period. It’s possible to identify the earlier stages to prevent the most intense symptoms of the later stages.

THE HONEYMOON STAGE

Whenever we embark on a new challenge, we often begin with a burst of enthusiasm, dedication, energy, and originality. This holds true, in particular, during the outset of a new employment or company endeavor.

At this point in burnout, you may be starting to feel the effects of the anticipated stresses associated with your initiative. To combat this, you should begin to put into practice positive coping strategies, such as making concrete plans to support your well-being alongside your professional endeavors.

The idea is that we may stay in the “honeymoon phase” permanently if we develop effective coping mechanisms now.

Examples of typical signs and symptoms include:

  • Happiness in One’s Work
  • Quick to blame yourself
  • Long-lasting vitality
  • Intense hopefulness that can’t be contained
  • Dedicated focus on the task at hand
  • Need to constantly prove oneself
  • Imagination without boundaries
  • Superior levels of output

THE INITIAL STRESS STAGE

Realizing that some days are more challenging than others is the first step towards the second stage of burnout. As well as experiencing a decline in optimism, you may also start to exhibit some of the more familiar signs of stress in your body, mind, and spirit.

Examples of typical signs and symptoms include:

  • High blood pressure
  • Lack of concentration
  • Irritability
  • Stress and discontent in the workplace
  • Insomnia, or poor sleep quality,
  • Disconnection from others
  • Reduced efficiency
  • Irregular heartbeats
  • Anxiety
  • Putting off making a choice
  • Dietary or appetite changes
  • Fatigue
  • Forgetfulness
  • Ignoring your own needs
  • Nighttime teeth-grinding
  • Headaches

CONSTANT STRESS STAGE

Complete Case of Burnout Syndrome

Chronic stress marks the third stage of burnout. As you went from being very motivated to suffering stress on an extremely regular basis, that’s quite a shift. The symptoms you’re experiencing may be more severe than they were in stage two.

Examples of typical signs and symptoms include:

  • Not having enough interests
  • Failure to meet project goals and/or timelines
  • Having trouble getting going in the mornings
  • Illnesses of the body
  • Domestic and occupational procrastination
  • The habit of arriving late to work on a regular basis
  • Resentfulness
  • Withdrawal from one’s social circle
  • Dealing with distractions
  • Aggression or outbursts of rage
  • Apathy
  • Weakness that persists
  • Negative outlook
  • Decreased libido
  • Avoiding personal or professional issues
  • Worried or fearful
  • Experiencing overwhelming pressure or a lack of control
  • Rising rates of drug and alcohol abuse
  • Intake of caffeinated beverages has increased

THE EXHAUSTION STAGE

After stage three, burnout sets in, and symptoms reach a crisis point in stage four. As the symptoms worsen, it becomes increasingly impossible to carry on as usual. Everyone has a threshold for pain that is beyond what they can handle, so it’s important that you get help before things become any worse.

This stage includes:

Changes to one’s behavior

Migraine headaches

Constant issues with digestion or elimination

One’s own needs have been completely ignored.

Intensification or maintenance of avoidance behaviors

Suicidal thoughts

Thoughts of disappearing

COMPLETE BURNOUT

Chronic burnout is the last and most severe kind of exhaustion. Because the symptoms of burnout are so ingrained in your daily life, you are far more likely to suffer from a serious mental, physical, or emotional condition consistently, as opposed to simply feeling stress or burnout every once in a while.

Examples of typical signs and symptoms include:

  • Constantly feeling down
  • Depression
  • Persistent mental exhaustion
  • Chronic fatigue

The 5 Best Ways to Avoid Burnout

The following tips may help to avoid burnout before your situation becomes too severe.

Best Ways to Avoid Burnout

1. Ignore Your Urges to Multitask

Doing many things at once is inefficient. It reduces your focus and concentration, making you less effective on the job. The chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and age-related cognitive decline is also increased by multitasking, according to studies.

More research has confirmed that the brain is incapable of effectively juggling many responsibilities at once. Even if you manage to do two tasks, it’s unlikely that you did it with any sense of purpose or quality. As a result, it feels like time is zipping past even more quickly. In search of the illusion of extra time in your day? Only focus on one item at a time.

2. Accept Minimalism and Avoid Excessive Stress

Overachievers are often told by cognitive behavior therapists to give up their habit of writing To-Do lists because they can become a prison. When we fail to complete everything on our Daily To-Do lists, we may feel guilty, which can lead to a constant state of “being behind,” which in turn may cause us to overcompensate.

On top of that, by creating such lists, you may be adding unnecessary pressure to your own life. Instead, try making a list of the tasks you need to get done every day and stick to it. Try completing the minimum required amount of work. This will ensure that you meet the most crucial due dates without completely overwhelming you. Those working from home, where there are more opportunities for distractions, might benefit from this method as well.

It’s also important to keep your work area tidy. Any extraneous items that are just taking up space in your house or workplace should be discarded, donated, recycled, or sold. Cluttered desk = chaotic thoughts. It’s going to take a significant life change with possible help from treatment centers to turn it around – a mental illness isn’t cured in one day, and you don’t treat burnout in one day.

3. Don’t Try to Be Perfect

We, as a society, rely too heavily on time-saving technologies. Actually, these applications are making our life more difficult, decreasing our ability to focus, and increasing our agitation.

You may find that you are more able to concentrate if you refrain from using Slack, Push Notifications, e-mail alerts, and chat applications during the day, as these are all designed with efficiency in mind. They’re useless other than as a diversion.

4. Look at the Root of the Problem

Do you suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? Problems with your body? Hatred for a work colleague? How concerned are you about financial matters? Does it seem like you don’t get enough credit for what you do? Anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems all raise the risk of burnout.

We can better compartmentalize and deal with stress at work when we address the underlying emotional demands that are affecting our performance at home. Counseling can be beneficial. Using a service like Emerald Isle is a great way to obtain treatment for burnout.

5. Be Mindful and Really Consider Your Mental Health

Despite the widespread misunderstanding around the terms “mindfulness” and “meditation,” a growing body of research from meta-analyses points to the positive effects that cultivating an awareness of the present moment may have on reducing stress, sadness, and pain. Short daily meditations are a terrific approach to bring awareness and inquiry to your concern loops, which in turn helps dissolve them. Consider it “workout” for the mind.

Immediate Placement for Burnout Treatment

Emerald Isle: Your Destination for Burnout Recovery

At Emerald Isle Health and Recovery, we help clients daily who suffer from chronic stress and burnout. There’s no reason for you to continue laboring through a burnout situation. It never fixes itself. We have the perfect place for you to participate in burnout recovery.

We can even provide combination treatment for burnout recovery and substance abuse disorders. Our burnout treatment centers have a staff of medical professionals that treat everything from substance abuse issues to emotional exhaustion. We specialize in a range of mental health conditions and treat clients with everything from holistic treatment exercises to cognitive behavioral therapy.

During burnout treatment for emotional exhaustion, our staff will counsel you on a one-on-one basis. In addition, our holistic treatment helps to provide relief for the mind and soul, and effectively treats a number of different mental health conditions. If you’re suffering from stress burnout, our burnout treatment is one of the best ways to get back to optimal mental health.

With our team by your side, we’ll help you get to the root of the problem and get you rested and back to a healthy lifestyle before you know it. To find out started, contact a member of our admissions team today!