I see a lot of clients who have problems with their jobs.
They tell me they feel burned out at work. I define this kind of burnout as: job-related mental and physical exhaustion that has a negative effect on your personal life.
Here are some signs you may be approaching (or experiencing) burnout:
You’re emotionally, mentally or physically fatigued: you’re too tired to do much at work or after. You spend you a lot of your free time “recovering” from work.
You’re experiencing anhedonia: this is a fancy psychological term for loss of interest in things you normally enjoy. Your friends say you’re no fun anymore and you find yourself turning down invitations to social events.
Your job is boring: you’ve been doing the same thing for too long or you were overqualified from the get-go.
Your boss is a jerk and no matter what you try, you two just don’t get along.
You have a bad attitude: you used to be pretty upbeat, now, it’s just the opposite.
Your performance ratings keep going down: when you hate what you do, you can only fake it for so long.
You can’t stop talking about how much work sucks: it’s taking over your life.
You’re having all kinds of health problems: your body is trying to tell you something!
What can you do about this awful stuff?
- Create a plan to get out. Even if it will take you four years to get a college degree, come up with a way out: you’ll feel so much better knowing your situation is only temporary.
- Find some ways to relax. It doesn’t matter what you do: meditate, kick-box, hike, play with your cats or doggies (I like this myself)…any way to ditch some of that stress.
- Do something outside of work that’s worth your time and energy. Find a Meet-Up group and/or volunteer at something that’s meaningful to you. You need stimulation!
- Sleep about 8 hours a night, and make it good, restful sleep. You may need to cut back on food/alcohol and get off your phone. Everyone has their own way of getting enough rest, experiment to find something that works for you.
- Get help. Ask for it. You perfectionists will hate this – but – you can’t do it alone. Ask your friends or family for emotional support. If you’re struggling with depression or anxiety that won’t go away, get professional help.
What if you need to stay at the job?
Many of us depend on the money and can’t just quit. Maybe things could get better (e.g., your boss-from-hell may be transferred) if only we could hang in there. In that case, consider these ideas:
- Try something new: ask for new work or a shift in responsibilities. Try taking on a project that scares you (that’s a good boredom killer!)
- Make an effort to connect with your coworkers: Listen to and encourage them (it’s bound to come back to you). If you can’t change your job, change how you relate to the people there.
- Have a heart-to-heart with your boss: some bosses are beyond approach, but 95% of them are not. Ask your boss how you can help each other. You may be surprised at what you hear.
- Find something good at work and pump it up: there are always good people/activities/challenges. Focus on those. Get involved with projects that encourage you to interact with new people.
- If your job pays for you to further your education, take that money and use it to make yourself more marketable.
- Clean up your office: is your desk/cubicle a disaster? Decluttering always feels better. It gives you something tangible and physical to focus on. Once, I had a temp job that was so awful that I spent a lot of time cleaning the desk and everything on it. I couldn’t change my awful boss or the boring work, but I could make a nice, clean workspace for myself. It helped.
Job burnout is something you can avoid if you are willing to wake up and make some changes.
Don’t wait until it’s too late and you end up telling the boss exactly what you think of her/him (and get fired on the spot: that actually happened to me).
Take action now.
Michael Kimmel is a San Diego-based, California-licensed psychotherapist (LCSW 20738). With over 25 years of counseling experience, he brings warmth, practical insight and a healthy sense of humor to his work. You can reach him at 619-955-3311 or at Life Beyond Therapy.com.
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