Reading the Signs
When somebody is emotionally burnt-out, they often find themselves falling into a stage of both physical, emotional, and psychological exhaustion. You find yourself detaching from the world, and your work and social life can suffer for it. To get ahead of this all-too-common sensation, here are 10 signs to look out for, and 10 pro tips to managing the feeling.
1. Feeling Drained
The easiest and most obvious sign of emotional burnout is feeling drained. This means waking up feeling physically tired or getting ready for work only to find your brain feels slow and sluggish.
2. Mood Swings
Additionally, the tenseness and anxiety can lead to frequent mood swings. You might be feeling alright and happy one minute, but this can suddenly shift into a feeling of negativity and dread the next. If it's hard to pinpoint a different trigger for the swings, it could be emotional burnout.
3. Motivation Loss
You might find yourself struggling to find motivation for your hobbies and interests. Similarly, activities that once meant a lot to you, like weekly sport practices or spending time with a loved one, can suddenly lose their intrigue.
4. Dips in Performance
Additionally, both physical and work performance suffer due to emotional burnout. You might find yourself struggling to manage all your responsibilities and might notice things like your grades slipping or a poor performance review for the month.
5. Inability to Focus
Lending to the dip in performance is the inability to focus. You might have had strategies that helped you stay on task, but now, you find it hard to concentrate or even recognize your thoughts and responsibilities.
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6. Feeling Irritable
All of these feelings can lend themselves to increased irritability as well. Tiny things that didn’t once matter are now a source of frustration. You might find yourself also lashing out when things don’t go your way.
7. Physical Ailments
The emotional turmoil of burnout can also manifest as a physical symptom. For instance, your muscles might feel tense, or you might be experiencing headaches. This can all be a result of prolonged stress.
8. Overwhelmed
Naturally, with everything seeming to go wrong, it’s all too easy to feel overwhelmed. The constant burdens of the day-to-day, paired with the fact that you need rest and time to recover, can make mundane life difficult at best.
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9. Increased Negativity
Additionally, emotional burnout can be a bit of a loop, with the tension contributing to negative feelings, and the negative feelings circling back to more tension. You might find your outlook on life to suddenly feel more cynical than it usually does.
10. Avoiding Socializing
With so much on your plate and the recent frustrations, many people avoid social interactions altogether. You might feel disconnected from your loved ones and feel as if they can’t understand you or won’t want you around at your worst.
Now that we have talked about 10 common hints of emotional burnout, here are 10 things you can do to restore much-needed balance in your life.
1. Don’t Overcommit
Don’t try to double down on the emotional burnout by pushing yourself to do even more work or perform even harder. Instead, decline tasks you would normally take on so you can give yourself time to achieve balance.
2. Take Time Off
In fact, consider using some of your time off or vacation days to block out work for a bit. Recharging is essential when it comes to emotional burnout, and that’s what those days are for anyways.
3. Fit In Physical Activity
Although you might feel physically tense and tired, a bit of light activity is a great way to boost your mood. Take a brisk walk, and most importantly, get outside and get some fresh air. A change of scenery can be a great help.
4. Practice Mindfulness
While meditating isn’t for everyone, you want to find the right relaxation technique for you. You could also try some light yoga or just spend a few minutes every night journaling your thoughts.
5. Catch Up on Sleep
It’s also essential to catch up on much-needed sleep. If you’ve been waking up tired, this could be because you’re not getting enough sleep – or possibly you’re getting too much! Aim for 8 hours, but don’t be afraid to do little power naps throughout the day to keep your energy levels up.
6. Relax!
All work and no play can lead to burnout fast! Which is why it’s so important to just relax. Easier said than done, you can try taking some vacation or spending time doing quieter cozy hobbies at home while you recharge. Read a book, watch a new TV show, bake some cookies – there’s plenty to do.
7. Delegate Tasks
If there are some responsibilities that simply can’t wait, don’t be afraid to delegate tasks. Ask your household members or loved ones to pick up a bit of slack while you work on building yourself back up.
8. Be Kind
To avoid the negativity, remember to be kind to yourself. Don’t get bitter or angry or lash out at your inabilities. Remember, you’re only a person, and you need time to recharge and heal too.
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9. Celebrate the Small Wins
Make a big deal out of the little victories! If you did laundry that day, celebrate with a little rewarding snack. If you managed to attend a gym class, make sure to give yourself a pat on the back. Even the smallest sense of achievement is a great way to boost your mood.
10. Ask for Help
People aren’t built to handle things in life alone, so be sure to surround yourself with your loved ones in this trying time. If you’re still feeling exhausted or frustrated, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’s nothing wrong with needing to talk out your feelings or vent to someone you trust.
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