While many may argue that stress is just one of the hazards of having a job in the modern world, according to research conducted by Career Builder in 2017, 61 per cent of American workers reportedly feeling ‘burnt out’ by their current job, and over a third have admitted to high or extremely high levels of work related stress and anxiety.
Not only in America, but workers around the world, at some point or the other, feel burnt out by their current job.
In an article published in The Daily Mail, psychologist Dr Sherry Benton who is also the founder of online therapy service TAO Connect, shared that while depression is a diagnosable disorder, managed by medication and treatment, career burnout can contribute to low mental health that often goes undiagnosed.
Here are a few tell-tale signs:
Insomnia and exhaustion: Disrupted sleep patterns are a clear sign of career burnout according to Dr Benton. She suggests that working should leave a person feeling energized and that getting a job done should feel rewarding at the end of the day.
No support: Bad management or not having enough support staff can also contribute to burnout in the workplace. Although working long hours may be inevitable in some jobs, 'professional workaholics' are doing more damage than good in the long run.
No sense of pride: Often people can experience burnout when they work in a job that isn’t meaningful or doesn’t give a person a sense of pride - a 'lifestyle mismatch'.
Trying to be perfect: Striving for perfection and feeling frustrated when this cannot be achieved can quickly lead to burnout as well. Dr Benton explained when that is the mindset one arrives to a point of diminishing return. The person’s concentration falls apart, it gets harder to focus and every task becomes more difficult and complicated.
One actually becomes far less effective, and makes oneself less competent by not having that balance in their life.'
No downtime: Having time for friends and family or a creative outlet not associated with work is the key to achieving work life balance according to Dr Benton, citing 'multiple sources of well-being' as essential to avoid career burnout.
