Burnout: Stress, Abuse, and Toxic Environments at Work
Every year the American Psychological Association (APA) conducts a Stress in America report. The most recent report (2021) showed that among adults employed, Work was the highest source of stress, surpassing Money, Family Responsibilities, and Relationships. And this makes sense! Work is one of the most significant parts of our daily waking lives, has one of the most significant impacts on our quality of life, and can ultimately dictate and shape the rest of our life. Work can be a fantastic experience for people, but unfortunately for many, it’s not. When work stress becomes too much to handle, it can lead to significant burnout.
Burnout occurs after repeated stressors at work do not get resolved. It is a common occurrence because it can be challenging to change your work environment. You’re left at the mercy of needing that paycheck to pay your rent, utilities, and bills, making it hard to speak up out of fear of losing your job.
Signs of burnout
One of the first steps to healing is recognizing the signs that you may be experiencing burnout. Once we can identify this problem, we can start taking steps to recover.
Signs of Burnout may include:
- Too tired to work
- No longer enjoy your job
- Feeling unable to do your job well
- Constantly irritable by coworkers and managers
- Trouble concentrating and focusing
- Feeling emotionally exhausted after each day
- Not feeling connected or engaged with your work
- Feeling cynical about the future of your role or company
- Lack of trust in coworkers or managers
Contributors to burnout
Several things can contribute to burnout and look different from person to person and company to company. In general, when your basic safety and acceptance needs are not met, it’s a sure indicator that burnout is here or on the way.
Some items that could contribute to burnout include:
- Not feeling physically or mentally safe at work
- Working more hours than you should
- Lack of appreciation for the job you’re doing
- Inability to take time off or being made to feel guilty when you do
- Harassment by coworkers or managers
- Gaslighting
- Emotional abuse
- Abuse of power
- Lack of agency or control over your work
Burnout at work can quickly escalate into a downward spiral, where you’re finding it difficult to perform your job well, which could lead to added pressure from managers and more intense burnout symptoms. It’s essential to try to break that cycle to take care of yourself. Additionally, burnout symptoms don’t always end when your shift ends and can easily carry over into the rest of your life, affecting friendships, family, overall health, sleep, diet, exercise, and enjoyment of hobbies.
Defending against burnout
Defending against burnout isn’t always an easy thing to do on our own. There are a few steps that you can start to take and evaluate.
Know that you are not alone and nothing is wrong with you. Burnout is common among working adults, especially in a world of additional stressors.
Set boundaries around work. Work the schedule that works best for you. Try to separate work from the rest of your life. Make sure you have enough time outside work to care for yourself and the rest of your life.
Take care of yourself. Sometimes when work stress gets too high, it’s hard to manage the rest of your life—Check in with yourself on eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and getting some exercise each day.
Explore other job opportunities. When burnout takes too big of a toll, it may be time to find another job. However, not everyone has the privilege or access to do so quickly. There are ways to build skills to help you cope with your current role. One of those is to work with a therapist.
Work with a therapist. If you’re having difficulty feeling motivated at work, exhausted, stressed out, or unable to relax, it may be time to check in with a mental health expert. Many therapists and counselors specialize in Burnout, including the ones here at Better Life.
