Physical signs and symptoms of burnout
Feeling tired and drained most of the time. Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses. Frequent headaches or muscle pain. Change in appetite or sleep habits.
The problem with burnout, then, is that our bodily systems become deprioritised for too long, and as a result we can experience additional physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, fainting, heart palpitations and chest and muscle pain, among other things.
Symptoms of burnout can be both physical and emotional. Physical symptoms include headache or back pain, disturbed sleep, nausea, tense muscles and tiredness. Emotionally, people with burnout feel irritable, tense, and unmotivated.
Since burnout affects people differently, recovery time hinges on how a person experiences work-related exhaustion. Because of this variation, recovery time can take anywhere from a few weeks to several years.
It takes an average time of three months to a year to recover from burnout. How long your burnout lasts will depend on your level of emotional exhaustion and physical fatigue, as well as if you experience any relapses or periods of stagnant recovery.
Habitual Burnout. The final stage of burnout is habitual burnout. This means that the symptoms of burnout are so embedded in your life that you are likely to experience a significant ongoing mental, physical or emotional problem, as opposed to occasionally experiencing stress or burnout.
These include impaired executive functioning, attention control, and working memory; emotional exhaustion and dysregulation; and irritability, anxiousness, and physical fatigue.
Physical exhaustion at the end of the work day. Cynicism and detachment from coworkers and customers. Extreme dissatisfaction with your work, and uncertainty about how to improve and progress in your career. These are classic symptoms of workplace burnout, and more people are impacted than you think.
Making the decision to step away from a job is not always easy or feasible. But when your physical or emotional well-being is suffering and your stress isn't eased by the occasional mental health day, experts say it's generally best to start looking elsewhere. Just be sure to give it some thought before rage quitting.
Burnout is when a person reaches a state of total mental, physical and emotional exhaustion and it has some similar signs and symptoms to a nervous breakdown. Your doctor can prescribe medicines for many mental health conditions, and refer you to other healthcare professionals, such as psychologists or psychiatrists.
We wind up fully depleted in a three-way shutdown: emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness. You feel chronically exhausted, weary to the bone, soured on work and life, and devoid of motivation or the ability to fight off the feelings of dread and doom.
Physical symptoms will become intense, leading to chronic headaches, stomach issues and gastrointestinal problems. Friends and family members may also notice behavioral changes. If left untreated, burnout can become a part of your everyday life and eventually lead to anxiety or depression.
Muscle Pain
Aches and pains can also be a physical sign of burnout.
When a person reaches a phase of burnout, they may be unable to complete their responsibilities at a job or at home. The inability to take care of day-to-day obligations will lead to increased stress and eventually to a mental breakdown.
When your day to day life is an endless cycle with a plate that's just too full to carry, eventually your arms have no choice but to collapse. It's a constant battle: if you don't work hard enough everything builds up but if you work too hard, eventually your body collapses from shear exhaustion.
Stage 11: Depression
Everything becomes a blur. Life was once technicolor, but now it's gray and bleak. You're emotionally and mentally exhausted. You feel lost and unsure.
If you're “losing it,” you need eight hours of sleep plus two ten- to 15-minute relaxation breaks. “Hitting the wall” means eight to nine hours each night, plus two breaks. And once you're “burned out,” you need eight to ten hours of sleep, plus three 15- to 30-minute naps or retreats.
Schabram said, “employees who cannot leave and are not getting support can still help themselves.” Dr. Schabram's research suggests that small, deliberate acts of compassion toward yourself and others can help reduce feelings of burnout, whether it is short-term or chronic.
Burnout symptoms are usually temporary and disappear after you address them. If not addressed, these can also affect your physical health and cause heart disease, obesity, high cholesterol, and even type 2 diabetes. Depression symptoms, on the other hand, can get in the way of your daily life and are longer-term.
If you're experiencing burnout, chances are something needs to change in order to get your mental and physical health back on track. Recovery doesn't happen on its own. You may need to make some lifestyle or job changes before you can find relief.