Stress is common for most people. Still, if you’ve felt off-kilter at work lately, it could be burnout instead of temporary job stress.
How to Identify Burnout From Work
Essentially, job burnout is unmanaged work stress — although that’s not a medical diagnosis. Job burnout isn’t the same as depression or anxiety because the former is specific to work situations while the latter two are not.
If you’re burned out at work, you may be unable to concentrate, irritable, experiencing relationship conflicts, lacking in energy or having other issues. You could also have physical symptoms including muscle tension, insomnia or pain. If you’re feeling overworked, cynical and detached or incompetent, you likely have job burnout.
Ways to Ease Job Burnout
Recognizing burnout is only part of the solution. The only way to relieve burnout is to make changes (and possibly a few hard choices).
Small changes could include getting more sleep, hiring help at home or prioritizing self-care. Of course, not all solutions are simple, especially if you have caregiving responsibilities and a limited budget.
You may need to take time off work, if possible, or add breaks to your workday. Or, you could discuss your workload with your boss to ask if additional personnel could be hired or certain tasks reassigned. If your employer won’t work with you, you may need to find a new job.
How Can We Help?
Many health insurance policies provide mental health benefits that can help with burnout, such as reduced-cost therapy and meditation apps. If you have any questions about your coverage, we’re here to help.