So here I am, me, myself and burnout.
As I’m writing this, I’m stumped on how I reached the point of burnout. It reared its ugly head at a time which I did not expect!
Let me take you back a few weeks. I was called to get my COVID-19 vaccination done and I felt so good, finally we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and a return to some sort of normality. A week went by after I had my vaccine, but I felt very disconnected, tired and very really emotional. I started questioning what it could be? Was it the vaccine, or something else entirely? Being a mum of 3 and working full time, you are programmed to just get on with the task at hand and not really think about ourselves. As it turned out, it wasn’t the vaccine but something else. I couldn’t even see the signs of burnout and to be honest, I couldn’t have told you a month ago what the signs were.
At work, I was so up and down with emotions – but I just honestly thought everything was down to the home-schooling. What I have learnt is that burnout isn’t solely about feeling tired, burnout has a root cause, and this is where we need to dig deeper to find out where it’s coming from.
My signs were (please note that everyone is different, and burnout can manifest in different ways):
- Very emotional
- Disconnected
- Exhausted
- Generally felt unwell
A couple of situations which point to the signs of of burnout and what you could do to prevent it:
- Your workload
- The sense of losing control
An insightful Workplace Stress Survey done conducted by PerkBox in 2020 showed that – In 2020, of British adults in employment – a staggering 79% commonly experience work-related stress. This is 20% higher than 2018’s findings. To find out more about this survey please head over to – https://www.perkbox.com/uk/resources/library/2020-workplace-stress-survey
Sometimes we need to assess how we’re feeling and if we can, have a weekly check in with ourselves. Some questions which you could ask yourself:
- Are there any external factors which are affecting your day-to-day life?
- How do you find your day-to-day life? Do you feel fulfilled?
- Do you feel relaxed? Are you getting enough rest?
- Are you getting enough support?
I’m not saying to quit your job – but simply assess what your current situation is and where you can make changes to enable you to live a life where you are able to take and maintain control, rather than allowing a foe, such as burnout, to take control of you.
Be kind to yourself!
