What Does Burnout Look Like?

What does burnout look like? It might surprise you to know that burnout isn’t necessarily a mental breakdown. It’s not you ending up in bed, sick, because you pushed too hard for too long. Burnout isn’t even always a midlife crisis. 

Sometimes burnout looks like a short-temper and irritability. 

It might be a lack of patience or empathy. 

It might look like increased frustration with the little things. 

It might look like chronic exhaustion.

Maybe it’s a reaction that is much bigger than the problem at hand (think toddler tantrum over a red cup instead of a blue cup: small problem, big reaction). 

Sometimes it looks like putting in less than your best at work. 

Sometimes burnout is not having the desire to enjoy the things you used to enjoy, be it a hobby, a relationship, or even adults-only time with your partner. 

Burnout may also look like you running headfirst into another project because you feel this need to overachieve. 

It might be you just going through the motions without any heart in your work. 

It might look like a “zero-cares given” attitude inside your household. Kids want to leave their dirty dishes everywhere, fine. Husband piles his laundry on the floor, fine. They want pizza for supper for the third night in a row, fine. You know that feeling. That throw your hands up, wave your white flag, and say “whatever.” 

Burnout is when you no longer have the energy, the capacity, or the bandwidth to care about the things that you used to care about. It looks different for everyone up close, but if you “zoom-out” a bit, you’ll see those “don’t-give-a-damn”  tendencies coming out. 

Take a look back at your life in the last 6 months; can you identify with any of the situations listed above? Maybe multiple? Please know that isn’t just the way “adult life” has to be.  It is the way we have allowed it to be, but the best part about being an adult is that you get to decide what your life looks like. From the way you dress, to what you eat, to what time you go to bed at night. How you allow yourself to feel is up to you too. From deciding to say no a little more often, to reserving some time for self-care, to sleeping 8 hours every night… it is all up to you. 

If you read this list and thought to yourself, “shoot I am burnt out!” Then it’s time for a call with me. Let’s identify your top stressors and I’ll give you my favorite way to work yourself out of them. Book a FREE half-hour call with me here!