3 main symptoms of Burnout - how to identify them?
When we think of the main symptoms of burnout, we tend to assume that it refers to overworked and exhausted people, however, burnout is more nuanced.
In 2019, the World Health Organisation classified it as a syndrome resulting from chronic work-related stress that is not successfully managed.
To identify it, we must know that Burnout is characterised by three main symptoms :
- Feelings of exhaustion or energy depletion
- Negativity or cynicism related to your work
- Reduced professional efficiency
As we can see, regardless of the root cause, burnout often occurs in combination of internal and external signs.
Internal symptoms include emotional exhaustion, cynicism, detachment from work and personal life, feeling ineffective in one's role and being burnt out even before the start of the working day.
As part of these, there is a general pessimism and loss of motivation.
External symptoms of the person experiencing burnout include: physical exhaustion and pain, insomnia, weakened immune system, and there may be increased use of drugs and alcohol as a form of escape and a drastic change in appetite.
There are also sometimes problems with memory, concentration and increased irritability.
