In today’s fast-paced and competitive world of academia and corporate, you need to take care of yourself. More and more people are finding that they encounter burnout at one point or another. If you don’t want to destroy yourself by trying to continue when you physically and mentally cannot – you should be on the lookout for early signs.
Lack of Motivation
Motivation is really important for every professional and amateur worker. Most people have reasons to push themselves to get work done: money, status, for the sake of art, or for the need to provide for their family are a few of the most common. When you reach a point where even your big reasons to work will not provide you with any motivation, that should be a big red flag indicating burnout. Another red flag is a brand-new vacuum of motivation for tasks that you used to have no problem taking care of.
Depression and Anxiety
Burnout is primarily a taxing mental state; so, it makes sense that other mental symptoms would manifest themselves. Pay attention to your mood. Depression and anxiety are two common mental problems that many adults struggle with regularly. Depression can include a lower sense of self-esteem, chronic exhaustion, brain fog, and suicidal thoughts. Anxiety can include experiencing panic attacks and feeling as if one is in a chronic state of fight-or-flight. If your depression is severe, you may consider spending some time away from work. Please use whatever resources you can–therapy, medication, or even just some time for self-care–to stabilize your mental health.
Fatigue
When you are drained mentally your body is going to respond. No matter how well-rested your body is, a stressed and overworked mind is going to mean a lack of energy. Thus, physical fatigue can be a symptom of burnout. Chronic physical fatigue often goes hand-in-hand with brain fog and/or mental fatigue. Even a full night’s sleep may not alleviate the symptoms in severe cases. If you keep pushing yourself beyond what is reasonable, your body and mind are going to grind to a halt whether you like it or not. The best thing you can do is preemptively take care of yourself.
Burnout is real and serious. Thousands and thousands of students and professionals are being forced to postpone their progress because of it. Don’t let hustle culture make you feel forced to continue when you need a break; the most important thing you can do for your future is to take care of your mind and body. Enhance your brain fitness, tap your intuition, and learn to communicate more effectively with BrainTap.
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