Symptoms of Burnout

Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. It’s not always easy to spot. Symptoms tend to build up over a period of time after you’ve had ongoing exposure to stressful situations.  

Burnout can have mental, emotional and physical symptoms. If you think you may be suffering from or on the edge of burnout, here are a list of some symptoms you might be experiencing.

Symptoms of Burnout

• Feeling tired and drained most of the time
• Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses
• Frequent headaches or muscle pain
• Change in appetite or sleep habits
• Sense of failure and self-doubt
• Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated
• Detachment, feeling alone in the world
• Loss of motivation
• Increasingly cynical and negative outlook
• Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment
• Withdrawing from responsibilities
• Isolating yourself from others
• Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done
• Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope
• Taking out your frustrations on others
• Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early
* from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm

Please make sure that you get the right support for you if you’re struggling.

 

My Burnout Symptoms

In my case my GP told me that I had severe physical symptoms of anxiety.

I experienced:
• Tightness in chest
• A persistent tingling feeling in my right arm. This one really concerned me. I’m not one to worry excessively normally but I knew that with my stress levels, lack of sleep and pace of life, I was a prime example of someone at risk of a stroke. This is what made me seek medical advice and check-ups.
• Mood swinging between periods of low mood and periods of anxiety
• Panic attacks
• No sleeping. I wasn’t overly worried about that as I hadn’t slept properly in years but I knew lack of sleep was exacerbating other symptoms.
• Mouth ulcers. All the time.
• Sense of failure and I just couldn’t see a way out
• Tension headaches
• Detachment. I felt very alone.
• No enjoyment in anything
• Isolating myself
• Procrastinating. I’m the queen of procrastination anyway but I can see now that during this time I procrastinated on taking action that could have helped me sooner
• Using food and alcohol to cope

From Breakdown to Breakthrough tells of the moment when I realised I was completely BURNT OUT and realised that I needed to make serious changes. I share my experiences of overcoming Burnout and finding peace, balance and a lifestyle that brings me health and happiness. 

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