The term “burnout” was introduced in the 1970s to describe the result of severe stress and high expectations experienced by people in “helping” positions, such as doctors or nurses. In today’s fast-paced culture, however, burnout seems to affect everyone. While the term “burnout” is not a medical diagnosis, it might resonate with how you’re feeling, emotionally and physically.
It’s no surprise that work, where you spend a significant portion of your time, can contribute to burnout.
Occupational burnout
You’ve probably been told to find a job that you enjoy. But, it is rare to find a job where everyday is enjoyable. Job burnout is a kind of workplace stress that causes a person to doubt their role or the value of their work.
Some signs that you might be experiencing job burnout include:
- Increased cynicism
- Overly critical of oneself and coworkers
- Lack energy to be productive
- Trouble focusing
- Feelings of disillusionment around the job
- Irritability
One of the first things to do is to try to pinpoint what is leading to the burnout. Are you not getting enough support at work? Is your work-life balance in check? Are your job expectations reasonable and clear? If any of these are off, seek support both from your professional and personal network. Talk to friends and family about your feelings, and talk to your supervisor about potential ways to address what is causing you to feel burnt out.
Support systems are a great way to cope with feelings of stress and burnout. Regular physical activity may also help, if that is not currently part of your regular routine.
But, if the very thing that is supposed to fuel and energize you is what’s causing your burnout such as diet or exercise, that can be discouraging.
Diet burnout
With the “all-or-nothing” attitude in dieting, it’s not uncommon for people to get sick of restricting their diet. If you are eating the same or similar meals over and over or just have no creativity left when it comes to meal planning, it’s easy to get burnt out.
Some signs that you might be experiencing diet burnout include:
- Feeling negative about healthy eating
- Jumping from crash diet to crash diet
- Binge eating
If you’re getting sick of “dieting,” stop dieting and instead focus on healthy eating. Focus on incorporating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins into your diet. Shift away from cutting out “unhealthy” food completely and instead pay attention to portion size, and recognize that each food group has a spot in your diet, in moderation.
Fitness burnout
Fitness inherently pushes us past our physical and mental limits. Even though the positive effects are prevalent, exercise can be difficult to schedule into our routine, exhausting and sometimes discouraging.
Some signs that you might be experiencing fitness burnout include:
- Feeling less than energized after a workout
- Lack of motivation
- Disinterest
- Fatigue
- Dissatisfaction with results
If you haven’t given yourself any time off, do it. It is okay for your body to take the occasional break to rest. In fact, it is encouraged to help muscles repair and recover. Another great way to curb fitness burnout is to add a little variation. If you’re a runner, try some different locations or distances. If you train with weights at the gym, incorporate a bit of bike work for added cardio. Take advantage of the strength in numbers and try a fitness class or find a fitness buddy.
A go-getter attitude is a great quality to possess, but when we take it too far, it can sometimes lead to burnout. If you ever experience burnout with any activity you participate in, remember that taking a step back, and taking a bit of time off can do wonders for both the body and mind.
