Burnout is more than just stress.
It’s not a recognized medical condition but rather a syndrome of symptoms resulting from unmanaged work-related stress.
Unfortunately, it is becoming a more familiar part of our working landscape.
fizkes / Getty Images
fizkes / Getty Images
What Is Burnout and How Bad Is It?
Burnout can affect your mental and physical health as well as your work and relationships.
Difficulty Sleeping
Burnout can also affect sleep quality.
Improving your sleepthrough strategies like mindfulness and sleep hygienecould help with burnout symptoms.
Inconsistent Appetite
Your appetite could also be a sign of burnout.
Feeling Useless
Feeling useless is another sign of burnout.
Frequent Headaches
Headaches are another possible sign of burnout.
In one study of 3,406 participants, 65% of participants with burnout experienced frequent headaches.
Gut Pain
Gastrointestinal (gut) symptoms can be physical signs of burnout.
Vision Changes
Changes in your vision are a possible sign of burnout.
How to Recover From Burnout
Recognizing that you’re experiencing burnout is the first step toward recovery.
Below are suggestions for recovering from burnout.
Setting boundaries and consciouslyreducing screen timemay help with burnout symptoms.
Focus on Self-Care
Self-care practices can be an essential tool for dealing with burnout.
Take a Break
Taking a breakcan be one of the most powerful tools in recovering from burnout.
Be Open to Change
Be open to change in your work and home life.
Talk With a Mental Health Professional
Consider talking with amental health professionalabout your experience with burnout.
A mental health professional can help you develop coping skills and ways to relieve stress.
How Long Does Recovering From Burnout Take?
Recovering from burnout takes longer if you’re still in an environment that is overworking you.
Summary
Burnout can be challenging to identify because it’s become common in American working life.
Signs and symptoms range from exhaustion and lack of motivation to headaches, blurry vision, and gut problems.
American Psychological Association.Burnout and stress are everywhere.
American Psychological Association.2023 Work in America Survey.
2023;23:317. doi:10.1186%2Fs12909-023-04316-y
Gerain P, Zech E.Informal caregiver burnout?
Development of a theoretical framework to understand the impact of caregiving.Front Psychol.
2019;10:1748. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2019.01748
Bianchi R, Schonfeld IS.Examining the evidence base for burnout.Bull World Health Organ.
2023;101(11):743-745. doi:10.2471%2FBLT.23.289996
Sleep Health Foundation.Burnout and sleep.
2023;168:111217. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111217
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Surprising links between stress and the eyes.
2022;19(3):1780. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031780