When it comes to our mental health, knowing specifically what we’re experiencing can be helpful so we can get better. But the symptoms of burnout, stress and depression so often overlap. Someone can feel severely overwhelmed and not necessarily be struggling with burnout. The same goes for the physical symptoms associated with burnout, like fatigue,
headaches or insomnia. It can be hard to identify the root cause of our issues — so how can we tell if we are facing burnout?
Burnout is an ongoing deep state of exhaustion. It often inhibits feelings of accomplishment and enjoyment — especially at work, as it typically derives from prolonged work-related stress. For women in leadership, it can be easy to ignore signs of burnout or dismiss them as something else, especially when they feel external pressure to keep pushing forward, even when symptoms arise.
Dr. Valerie Taylor is the department head of psychiatry at the Cumming School of Medicine. As an expert with extensive experience in how mental health relates to the body, she knows the intricacies of burnout and how it shows up. The issue is that the symptoms of burnout can just as easily be signs of a different underlying cause.
As a starting point, Taylor suggests getting any physical symptoms, like weight loss, pain or cognitive changes, checked out by a physician to rule out any medical concerns. There’s no use in assuming your sudden changes in appetite and sleep patterns are linked to burnout when they may need to be uniquely addressed.
On the other hand, people often think depression is the cause of burnout when, in reality, it’s more often the opposite, explains Taylor. It’s a little trickier to decipher the root cause, but Taylor explains burnout is more situational, whereas depression is less so, affecting more areas of your life and going as far as causing thoughts of self-harm.
It’s difficult yet vital to identify exactly what you’re experiencing in order to find the right treatment and solutions to heal. Taylor suggests revisiting what you’re feeling through a new lens.
“I often try to tell people, ‘If you saw the symptoms that you’re experiencing or the things that you’re feeling in your friends, what would you do?’ Often, that type of self-reflection can be helpful,” she says.
To help you find out if you’re struggling with burnout, the Mayo Clinic offers the following questions to consider.
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- Do you question the value of your work?
- Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
- Do you feel removed from your work and the people you work with?
- Have you lost patience with co-workers, customers or clients?
- Do you lack the energy to do your job well?
- Is it hard to focus on your job?
- Do you feel little satisfaction from what you get done?
- Do you feel let down by your job?
- Do you doubt your skills and abilities?
- Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to numb how you feel
- Have your sleep habits changed?
- Do you have headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints with no known cause?
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If you answered yes to any of the questions, consider the possibility of burnout. Examine your work environment and reflect on whether that may be the cause of any of the above issues. Get a doctor to check your physical symptoms to rule out any different medical or mental health issues.
“Pay attention to your pain. If you don’t feel well, try to understand where that’s coming from, whether or not there’s another underlying physical cause, or if something is going on within your work environment or home environment. Don’t push it off and try to white-knuckle your way through it. That has rarely worked,” affirms Taylor.
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