By Jacki Haworth, Clinical Intern
Burnout is caused by having an elevated stress level for a prolonged period of time. This is the reason that burnout can in some ways sneak up on people. Burnout is when a person has such an exposure to stress that things or tasks they enjoyed become dreaded and despised.
The most common type of burnout is work burnout. Burnout is very common in high stress jobs and high stress job environments. Some signs of burnout are: becoming emotionally distant from the stressor, headaches, stomach aches, lack of energy, being unable to cope with stress, and decreased work performance.
Burnout can be disorienting to experience, but there are ways to treat and prevent burnout. Some ways to combat burnout are to practice self-care, develop healthy coping skills, get a healthy amount of sleep and rest. Another way to combat the effects of burnout can be to take a vacation to get a brief break from the amount of stress that you are experiencing. Experiencing burnout can make you feel so overwhelmed that nothing can be done. Talking to someone about what you are experiencing can be incredibly helpful to developing the skills to decrease burnout.
To find out more about burnout and skills to manage your stress
Call Owens & Associates at (847)854-4333 for a free 15-minute consultation.