As the world becomes more and more competitive, stress has become an inevitable part of our lives. But extreme stress can lead to one having a burnout. Burnout refers to a condition where an individual experience’s extreme mental, physical and emotional exhaustion due to various stressors in their life. Work life is one of the leading causes of a burnout, but various other factors could also lead an individual to have a burnout. Various life instances like having to take care of an ill family member for a prolonged period, having a stressful work environment, overburdening oneself with various tasks are few examples of instances that could lead one to have a burnout.

What are the Few Symptoms of a Burnout?

Let’s divide the symptoms into three main divisions including:

Physical Symptoms:

Emotional Symptoms:

Behavioural Symptoms:

Burnout Vs Stress

Burnout and Stress might seem like the same thing but there is a clear distinction between the two. When an individual is stressed, they might still feel in control but in the case of burnout, an individual might feel they have lost complete control over everything.  Example, a student who must study for their exams can be stressed for it. They do have anxiety but, in most cases, they have plan of action and are able to execute it properly. But if the same student is taking care of their ill family member for couple of months, this could lead them to having a burn out. In such cases they don’t have clear a clear action of plan and feel like they have lost control over the situation.

If one recognises these symptoms in themselves, the next important step for them would be Recovery.

Few ways of recovery from Burnout include:

1.Identifying the problem

The first step that one can take for recovery is to understand what is leading them to a burnout. As mentioned above there are various life instances that could lead to one having a burnout. Recognize the problem and find ways to tackle it. In some cases, one cannot necessarily control it like for example, having a demotivating boss. One cannot necessarily change their boss, but they can work on how to deal with them. But in some cases, they can control the factor, like in the case of feeling neglected in a relationship. They can communicate with this person and work on improving their relationship with them.

2.Take a Break

One of the most important things to do while experiencing a burn out is taking a break. Taking a break need not always necessarily mean taking a luxurious trip to another place but it could be something simple as taking a nap in comfort of their own home. Taking part in various new hobbies during a period of break could help one recover and help them engage in a healthy manner.

3.Self-Care Activities

Self-Care activities can help one feel energized after periods of distress. Take care of oneself physically and mentally is important.

Few Self-Care Activities include:

-          Engaging in a physical activity {dancing, going for jog}

-          Grooming Oneself {Putting on a face mask, pedicure, manicure}

-          Doing something that one’s inner child would enjoy.

-          Getting in touch with one’s emotions {Journalling, meditation}

-          Enjoying an activity in solitude.

-          Going outside for some time.

 4.Support from one’s social circle

Taking time for oneself can be helpful in certain cases of burnout but in some cases talking to a loved one can help a lot. Discussing one’s problems with others can have so many benefits as it can help one feel lighter about the situation as well as getting various perspectives on the same situation. In some cases, unhealthy relationships could be a cause of a burnout, so one must always reach out to a social circle that can help one feel supportive and protected.

5.Talk to a professional

In certain cases, dealing with a burnout could be overwhelming and thus reaching out to a professional could be helpful. Professional help is proven to beneficial to many as a professional in discovering the problem and finding ways to work on it.

There are many ways to reach out for professional help.

Here are few:

Mental Health Professional

Diagnostics

Burnout can be challenging to deal with but getting the right kind of help and taking care of yourself can make all the difference. If you do notice that you have the symptoms of burnout or see any of your loved one facing any of the symptoms, then ensure that you take it a little slow and try working on it.