Are you experiencing burn out? - Signs you are on the slippery slope to exhaustion

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Do you feel completely exhausted a lot of the time and do you struggle with low motivation and a sense of hopelessness? In today's episode we are looking at the symptoms of burnout, a term that was coined  by the psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in the 1970s. Burnout is not a medical term but describes a cluster of symptoms that are experienced on a physical, emotional and behavioural level.

Burnout is not the same as stress; it is usually the end result of too much stress. While stress usually involves having too much of something (work, tasks, demands), burnt out often presents as  having too little: too little motivation, hope, energy or care.

You may well be experiencing burnout when you display any of the following physical symptoms: feeling exhausted and drained, getting ill a lot - having a compromised immune system, struggling to sleep, over- or under- eating or you are getting frequent headaches, stomach pain or muscle ache.

Emotional signs that you are in the grip of burnout may include: experiencing low self esteem and high self doubt, feeling lonely in the world, feeling helpless and hopeless, having a negative view point most of the time and experiencing little joy or feeling quite detached from the world.

In terms of behaviour you may be withdrawing from people, start to use alcohol or drugs to cope, having lower tolerance for others, getting irritable or skipping work.

The first step to manage burnout is to notice the lead up to it. You need to recognise it, reverse it by learning to manage stress more effectively and to build more resilience to stress by taking care of yourself.

Burnout will inevitably affect your relationship. When burnt out you struggle with connection.

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Struggling with a lot of conflict and arguments in your relationship? Learn about communicating effectively and addressing common relationship problems in our Stop Arguing, Start Loving mini course.

Learn everything you always wanted to know about building and maintaining loving relationships in our comprehensive course The Relationship Maze, starting with understanding yourself in relationships to understanding your partner and understanding what makes for a successful relationship. We look at common causes of relationship problems and offer solutions. Learn how to address relationship problems and questions without breaking up.