Let me start by saying living with burn out every week, every day is NOT normal and NOT OK... even if society says it is.
A person facing burnout is someone who is exhausted mentally, emotionally, physically and lacking motivation after long periods of stress and frustration.
Do you fit into this category?
I know I do!
There has been a good amount of scientific research about burnout, but if you don't have time to research what is going on with your body, then I will go ahead and sum it up for you.
Burnout comes in four stages: Exhaustion, Doubt, Cynicism and Crisis. No matter which stage you are in, it is not healthy to live in burnout every day.
Exhaustion comes in a lot of different forms: not wanting to get out of bed, feeling depressed, immediately coming home and needing to sleep; it hits everyone in various ways, and feeling exhausted is the first sign you need to let yourself rest. If you can give yourself a day or two off to hit reset, you can stop burnout in this stage. Making yourself a priority is what, in the long run, avoids future seasons of burnout.
Doubt is a very real emotion that people face every day, but when you start doubting every decision you make you are probably hitting a serious leave of burnout, and you need to take a step back. Doubt is a personal emotion. It hits you internally, and sometimes, doubting yourself is worse than doubting others. The important thing to do in this stage of burnout is to repeat affirmations to yourself. You are important. You are kind. You are strong. Remind yourself of how amazing you are, and take some time to relax!
Cynicism falls into the doubt category, but it is more people based. When you are burnt out from working hard, the last thing you need is to be skeptical of the people around you. Constantly questioning if your boss, friends, coworker, roommates etc. are taking advantage of you is probably the purest sign of burnout there can be. The constant paranoia is not healthy, so try to talk to the people around you and explain the emotions you are having. I know it's hard, but it will help so much!
Crisis is the final stage of burnout, and if you hit this stage your body is going to make the choice to rest for you. Once you hit this stage, you have probably been burnt out for a few months now, and your body is shutting down. Crisis feels different for everyone, but that main emotion I feel during crisis is fear.
I have combined exhaustion, doubt and cynicism which leads to constant paranoia, fear I forgot to do something, increased obsessive compulsions and lack of eating. Those are a few ways crisis seasons manifest in my life, but this stage looks different to everyone. If you are in this stage, I encourage you to seek help. Get the people in your life involved, take a few personal days off work and rebalance your life.
Burnout is a normalized thing in a society of hustle, and unfortunately, we all suffer mental and physical issues because of this burnout. If you are in this season of life try to take a step back and do some research on how burnout shows in your life so that you can overcome this season.
