You start a dream job, get a high salary or at least one that covers your basic needs. A whole bunch of possibilities is there for you to express yourself and develop your potential to the height. You must prove yourself, so you start working before the official opening hour. After the working hours are over, you stay for a little longer to complete at least part of your tomorrow’s tasks. And so it goes day after day, month after month until the machine blows off. Even though you are tired, you spend at least an hour during the weekend to catch up on that significant project, execute it flawlessly and impress your boss.
You go on a long-planned vacation with your family, and a moment before leaving for the beach, you hesitate and tell the others: I’m coming in a second, just checking my email. You reply to one or two messages because you know they can not be postponed. And hope your efforts will be properly bonused at the end of the year. You have an excuse to embed professional assignments in every moment of your supposed to be free time. And finally, your private life is overtaken by professional duties, work papers, business ideas.
Little by little, your steps become more and more uncertain. Exhaustion overwhelms you. You feel exhausted, lacking motivation even for your personal affairs, you lose your appetite for life. This condition might also affect your physical health. When you are under high stress for a long time, your immune system weakens, and your body gets sick.
You may have a headache, and your stomach could be in knots. The creativity of your ideas decreases, your performance weakens. Perhaps you reach the boiling point when bitterness gets into every corner of your daily life. Anywhere you turn, colours are all dark, and your attitude is gloomy. You ignore all motivating messages for work, and you encapsulate yourself with meaninglessness. When your alienation gets so extreme that you distance yourself physically as well as mentally from the serenity of the world, it’s time to apprehend the stress alarm.
- Seek professional help, not necessarily a therapist. You can start with talking to someone from the “Human Resources” department. Share your feelings because you might not realize that you have reached the limit. If your condition is getting worse and you can’t find the solution, it is probably time for professional assistance. Burnout can trigger severe depression, so don’t underestimate your status.
- Take a break. Take a leave if necessary, even an unpaid one, just set off to a place where you’ll be far away from the endless pile of duties. Start exercising or begin a special diet including more vitamins.
- Change your position or find a new job. It might sound extreme, but when at a crossroads and wondering where to – straight ahead or back, it is best to take a turn. Usually, the change is just right behind the corner of your weekdays. Fear of the unknown will fill you with adrenaline that will infuse some liveliness in your days. And when you quit your habits, you might get some refreshing thoughts.
Not every high-stress job leads to burnout. If the pressure is managed well and channeled in the right direction, there may not be any ill effects. No matter how dedicated you are to your job, no matter how much time you are devoting, watch out for “flammable substances” in your daily work routine. Figure out what could be your bucket of water to throw on the fire of stressors. Though it sounds like a conviction, burnout is a completely reversible process. Look at it from another perspective – like a severe scream from your body to save it.
Maybe it’s a kind of national psychology or misunderstood love for the job, but no – to take a break is not a sin. Free time and hobbies re-charge your brain so you can keep on working with pleasure. Be respectful to the interests that are waiting for you outside the office, and you won’t step on the wrong side.
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