10 Signs You're Burning Out

Before you can treat and even prevent burnout, you need to recognize the warning signs so that you’ll know when it’s time to take action. Here they are, in no particular order.

1. Health problems

Burnout has a massive, negative impact upon your physical and mental health. Whether you’re experiencing back pain, heart disease, obesity, or you’re just getting sick a lot, you need to consider the role your work is playing in this.

2. Cognitive difficulties

Research shows that stress hammers the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for executive function. When you notice that you’re making silly mistakes, forgetting important things, having outbursts of emotion you’re likely burning out.

3. Difficulty with work and personal relationships

 Stress makes many people more likely to snap at others and get involved in unnecessary conflicts. Often it’s your relationships that suffer.

4. Taking your work home with you

When you can’t stop thinking about work when you’re at home, it’s a strong sign that you're burning out.

5. Fatigue

Burnout often leads to exhaustion because of the toll stress takes on your mind and body. The hallmarks of burnout fatigue are waking up with no energy after a good night’s sleep, drinking large amounts of caffeine to get you through the day.

6. Negativity

Burnout can turn you very negative, even when you’re usually a positive person. If you find yourself focusing on the down side of situations, judging others and feeling cynical, it’s clear that it’s time for you to do something about it.

7. Decreased satisfaction

Burnout almost always leads to a nagging sense of dissatisfaction. This dip in satisfaction makes work very difficult, because no matter what you’re putting into your job, you don’t feel like you’re getting much out of it.

8. Losing your motivation

 In a burnout state, you struggle to find the motivation to get the job done. You may complete tasks well, but the motivation that used to drive you is gone. Instead of doing work for the sake of the work itself, your motivation stems from fear of missing deadlines or getting fired. 

9. Performance issues

It’s crucial to monitor your slippage. How were you performing a month ago? Six months ago? A year ago? If you see a dip in your performance, it’s time to determine if burnout is behind it.

10. Poor self-care

Life is a constant struggle against the things that feel good momentarily but aren’t good for you. When you experience burnout, your self-control wanes and you find yourself succumbing to temptations more easily.

(Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/274790)