7 Signs of Burnout & 11 Actionable Steps to Get Out of It
I believe that so many people are burnt out these days. And often, people are burnt out without even realizing it. It is common for us to not realize that we are experiencing burnout until it gets really really bad. So my hope with this article is that it will bring awareness to the signs so that if you’re noticing these show up in your own life, you can begin to take actionable steps to stop the burnout from progressing and start the journey back to your revitalized self.
I also want to say that just because you’re experiencing one or more of these signs does not necessarily mean you’re burnt out. Most of us will experience these from time to time in small amounts or for short periods of time and that doesn’t mean we are burnt out. However, if you’re experiencing these chronically for long periods of time it may be a sign that you are indeed burnt out.
This is not meant to be medical advice and if you do feel like you may be burned out or have any concerns about your health & wellness I suggest you get support from a qualified coach or health care professional.
Burnout is becoming more & more common these days.
I hear so many people talk about feeling exhausted and having low motivation within their daily lives. Simple, daily activities feel like such a struggle. I think it’s also very common for most people to feel like they are the problem and that maybe they are just lazy or there’s something wrong with them. This isn’t true. We live in a culture where burnout behaviours are encouraged, celebrated and sometimes quietly expected.
It’s now become normal for most people to experience low grade fatigue all the time and I am here to remind you that this is not normal. This is a sign that you are on the road to burnout.
So I want to help you discover the signs early so you can take simple, actionable steps that will really make a difference.
Burnout is not something that happens overnight. It is chronic, unmanaged stress that is going on for weeks, months, even years. It’s so important to understand how stress and the way your body’s stress response works. Small amounts of acute stress is normal and actually good for our body. For example, stress before big presentation. That’s a good thing. It helps you perform better & helps your brain become sharper. And then when you have time to rest & recuperate after, your body builds resistance within your nervous system. This is all positive.
However, with burnout, you’re getting regular stressors but you’re not getting the opportunity to recover in between. So your capacity to handle stress is constantly being stretched, and you’re not getting the time in between to complete the stress response cycle and bring your system back to neutral. (Elastic band example) This reduced our capacity & lowers our resistance to stress.
Okay so let’s get into the 7 Signs of Burnout:
Disconnection from the people around you. This could be disconnection from your colleagues, your family, your friends. You start to go inward more and more often and don’t want to be with or around other people. Oftentimes this can be paired with some unhealthy behaviours.
I will note here that there is a difference between taking some quiet time for yourself to recharge and disconnecting from others altogether.
I am an introvert. I love being alone. Having alone time is key for me to recharge & rest especially if I have a busy social calendar. If I don’t get this time I can become irritable and then I know I need some quality Kels time. This isn’t me disconnecting altogether. It’s me taking a small chunk of time (maybe a few hours) to be alone so that I can come back to the people in my life as the best version of me.
Feeling like you want to disconnect from people altogether is problematic. They’ve done studies that show that the feeling of being lonely is as harmful to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. We aren’t meant to be alone. We were designed to live in community. In the past, if you weren’t with your tribe, you were vulnerable to attack. Your body knows it. When you are disconnected, your body feels a threat and then activates a stress response to handle said threat.
Disconnecting can also be detrimental to your relationships which are the key to getting you out of burnout. I’ll touch on this again a bit later in the episode.
2. Emotional exhaustion. This is a sign that many people don’t think of when it comes to burnout. Small things start to irritate you. Things that normally wouldn’t. For example, your partner asks you to make them a cup of coffee. Normally you’d love to do this for your partner but suddenly you realize how much this irritates you. Another sign of emotional exhaustion is you just become cynical about other people and the world & in general. You start to experience feelings of hopelessness. Lastly, you could be having little outbursts of anger. Oftentimes these go hand in hand with the irritation over the little things. You lose it over the smallest things and cannot figure out why. This could be a sign that you’re simply burnt the heck out.
3. Lack of creativity. You just don’t have it in you. You start to experience trouble problem solving at work and are struggling to do your job well. You may even experience something similar at home. Simple, everyday tasks seem that much more challenging. Coming up with new a ideas for a project feels impossible. This one can be a bit more subtle so pay attention if you start noticing this become a pattern.
4. Inability to gain pleasure from simple everyday things. Maybe you just feel like staying in bed all day. The little things you used to enjoy doing everyday, no longer bring you joy. For example, drinking your morning coffee on the patio. The simple, everyday things that you used to have so much gratitude for no longer light you up.
5. Procrastination. You know what you want to do but you don’t take action. You want to take action but you just don’t have it in you. Maybe you’re also experiencing an inability to make decisions. You hum and hah, reviewing your options over and over without pulling the trigger. Procrastination alone isn’t necessarily a sign of burnout but if you’re experiencing this combined with a few other signs, you could be burnt out.
6. Your self care starts to disappear. This could look like making poorer choices around food & nutrition. Maybe you’re comfort eating on a regular basis. Indulging in salty or sweet foods in the evening while watching TV. This makes it even more challenging to end the burnout cycle. When we are not focusing on nutrient dense foods.
Maybe you’re experiencing the opposite of this and you have actually stopped eating or have lost your appetite. Maybe you’ve stopped your regular movement routine or your personal hygiene starts to slip. The lack of self care looks different for everyone. This is your reminder that it’s the things that make you feel good that you need the most when you’re experiencing burnout.
7. Physical exhaustion. This is probably the most widely recognized sign of burnout. You simply have no get up & go. Not motivation to do anything at work or at home. You have no energy to do the things you love. No energy to spend time with the people you care about. The thought of getting out of bed to do anything can feel like the most daunting task. There is definitely a wide spectrum on how physically exhausted you can feel during burnout. I’ve experienced a range just in my own times of burnout and let me tell you. It’s incredible how physically exhausted I’ve felt. It’s actually shocked me. I’m a healthy, young woman and when you don’t have the energy to get up and make yourself breakfast, you know you’ve let the burnout get bad.
You may also experience brain fog and or lose clarity and self awareness. This lack of self awareness can cause you to double down on the activities that got you here in the first place. You may start to work even harder. Stay up even later. Try to push through even more. This is a huge indicator of burnout.
So those are the main 7 signs of burnout. If you’re starting to notice a pattern of these in your own life I’m going to walk you through an 11 step action plan you can begin to implement.
I want to say please do not try to do all of these at once. That will likely be incredibly overwhelming and if you’re burnt out, adding an overwhelming list of things to do is going to feel impossible. Listen to the action steps and feel into what would feel good for you to try implementing. Which ones resonate most and feel like a simple step in the right direction that could begin to create some momentum for you. Maybe take some notes and then when you’re ready to implement action you can make a plan of what may feel good to implement when.
These are the steps that I have taken personally and what have successfully worked for me and my clients.
Awareness. Awareness is key, because like I said earlier, people often don’t realize they are burnt out until it’s become so bad. So acknowledging and accepting that you are experiencing burnout is step one.
2. Intentionally engage with another human being. I truly believe that you cannot get out of burnout by yourself. Share what is going on with someone you trust. You never know, they may have gone through a similar experience and could have some insight to share. Either way, confiding in someone else is incredibly helpful and will provide you with support. Schedule time with a friend or your partner. Maybe it’s a weekly meet up or date night you have scheduled in your calendar. Something you both look forward to each week. Make it a routine and ensure it’s in the calendar every week. The domino affect of this intentional, quality time that you spend with a loved one can impact your burnout recovery significantly. For example, maybe you schedule in a walk or a hike with that person each week. You’re now getting outside, getting fresh air, moving your body, getting those endorphins flowing. Alll the good stuff. Maybe you’re meeting for coffee at your favourite coffee shop down the road. This is getting you out of the house, again getting fresh air and back enjoying a simple cup of coffee with a loved one. Connecting and spending time with people that love and support you is key.
Another cool way you can intentionally connect with other people is through a community walk or run club. These have become so popular and I see them popping up in so many cities. Again, this is something in your calendar each week or month, providing you with a sense of purpose, inclusion and community. Incredibly powerful stuff.
3. Prioritize Sleep. Sleep is key! If this is an area you’re struggling with, can you start to incrementally get more and more sleep? You don’t need to suddenly start getting 8 hours of interrupted sleep every night—this may be unrealistic for you but whatever little bit more sleep you can get would be great. Start with even an additional 15 minutes per night.
Sleep impacts all areas of your health: physical, mental, emotional. It’s also incredibly important to set yourself up for success when it comes to sleep. Getting outside first thing in the morning and getting sunlight in your eyes helps to regulate your circadian rhythm. It also helps to boost your mood and keep you alert throughout the day. When your circadian rhythm is regulated, your ability to fall and stay asleep is significantly improved. So just as morning sunlight is good for our sleep, having a winding down routine in the evenings is also very important. This signals to your body that it is bedtime and your body will start producing melatonin in preparation for sleep. So for example, turning off devices and blue light activities at least one hour prior to bed. Maybe you read a book with some warm light instead of watching TV and exposing your eyes to so much blue light. I would also suggest you stop eating a few hours prior to bedtime so your body can focus on rest & healing as opposed to digesting food. This will greatly improve your sleep quality and your recovery functions. When you’re in burnout, it’s especially important to ensure all the incredible functions that happen within your body while you sleep can indeed be happening, so setting yourself up for success by making these small adjustments can be incredibly impactful.
Another thing I’d like to stress here is to be mindful of separating work activities from pleasure activities. For example, I suggest you don’t work from bed or even your bedroom if your space allows it. When you’re working from bed, it’s hard for your body to differentiate what is work time and what is rest time if it’s all happening in the same spot. This creates additional stress on your body that could be easily avoided.
Lastly, I want you to pay attention to your caffeine intake. Don’t worry I’m not going to tell you to stop drinking coffee. I LOVE coffee. This is such an important ritual in my mornings and I would never tell you to give that up. What I will suggest is that you keep caffeine intake to the mornings. If you’re experiencing burnout and extreme exhaustion, you may likely be using additional caffeine throughout the day as a way to cope & manage your fatigue. Try to avoid taking in caffeine in the afternoon or evening as this will impact your ability to sleep. You may think that the caffeine isn’t impacting your sleep because you are able to FALL alseep, but the science shows that caffeine intake later in the day greatly impacts our QUALITY of sleep. So instead of coffee in the afternoons, I would recommend you ensure you are hydrated with electrolytes. If you really want the taste of coffee later in the day, try switching to decaf.
4. Do something that you love every day. This is really important. Even if it’s just for a few minutes do something just for you. What is one thing that you really enjoy that you can do just for you every single day. For example, it could be reading a book, watching your favorite comedian on YouTube, listening to music or even playing an instrument. Maybe it’s going for a run around your neighbourhood. What hobby or passion have you let fall to the wayside that you can pick back up again? I really want to encourage you to do this even if you don’t feel like you have time. Especially if you don’t feel like you have time. When you feel like you don’t have time to do anything good for you, that takes an incredible toll on your wellbeing. When you are able to do just one thing that is just for you, even if it’s for only 5 minutes, it will make you more resilient to stress and will help you gain pleasure from simple things again.
5. Learning how to say no. This one is so key because so often we are doing things for other people at the cost of our own wellbeing. How many of you are nodding along to that right now. Just to be clear, I’m not saying to not do things for other people. Of course helping each other out is so important. What I do want to draw attention to is when this is happening all the time, asking yourself why you may be sacrificing your wellbeing for others on a consistent basis. Are you feeling like in order to be liked or loved you need to do something for someone else? Oftentimes, if you don’t feel good enough in yourself, the feeing you get from doing something for someone else can temporarily fill that void. But that is not sustainable long term and is absolutely adding to your burnout. Maybe you need to make no your default answer for a little while. You don’t need to explain why it’s a no. If you want to explain just be honest with how you’re feeling and that you need to take some time for yourself. But again, I will reiterate there is no need to explain to anyone why you are setting a boundary.
6. Schedule rest. Okay so hopefully you have a bit of extra time on your hands because you’ve started saying no to some things. So now you can fill that time with rest. Put it in the calendar. Literally schedule it into your calendar everyday or each week. Whatever feels doable for you but make it a non-negotiable. This demonstrates self worth & value.
Once you’ve scheduled your rest, think about what type of rest would be most beneficial for you? For example it could be an evening bath 3 nights per week with the door closed or maybe locked. Maybe you’ve decided that instead of working late each night, you’re going to take time for yourself and watch a show. One thing I want you to be mindful of here is the type of content you are consuming. This was a big one for me during my burnout recovery. I love true crime and I used to consume a bunch of true crime podcasts and shows. But I started noticing how much all that dark & negative content was impacting how I was feeling in my body & impacting my NS. So I stopped watching and listening to true crime and switched to something much lighter. More comedy, more nature docs, and so on. I really recommend you pay attention to how you feel in your body after watching a show. You’ve carved out this time for rest, so make sure it actually feels restful and is not adding to your stress.
7. Movement. Movement is guaranteed to change your state. If you’re feeling pent up energy or stress, going for a run or lifting weights could help you burn that off. If you’re feeling low energy, a gentle walk outside will GIVE you energy. Movement is always a win.
When I was working my corporate job, I loved taking a walk after eating lunch. It really helped prevent me from hitting that mid-day wall. Getting fresh air and sunlight always felt so good. Also just physically removing myself from my office even if it was just for 15 minutes made such a difference. I highly recommend getting out for a quick walk in the afternoon. Try to not bring your phone with you either. Just you out for a walk with you. Oftentimes, if I was trying to troubleshoot something I would pop out for a walk and I would often gain clarity during that time. It’s similar to when I’m in the shower—I always get the best ideas when I’m walking or in the shower. My mind is quiet. No distractions, no agenda, it’s just me and my thoughts.
8. Nutrition. Paying attention to the foods you are consuming when you’re burnt out is so important. When you are experiencing such intense fatigue, it is extremely tempting to reach for the ultra processed foods. They are quick, they are easy, they are comforting. BUT they are not serving you or supporting your healing. I also want you to be mindful to pay attention to when you are eating because you are hungry and when you are eating from an emotional response. Are you eating to comfort yourself? I get it. I’ve done this soooo many times and I’ll admit I still do this although a lot less often. Comfort eating feels so good in the moment but it comes with a cost. So I highly recommend you set yourself up for success with healthy groceries and prepped meals when you can. Get your groceries delivered if that feels more achievable. Maybe ask a loved one to help you with meal prep. Do what you can to make the best food choices possible.
When you’re getting ample nutrition & satiation with your meals, you will be way less likely to each for the ultra processed snacks. ALSO if you prep healthy snacks so they are ready to go, and you remove the chips and ice cream from your house, well then you are even less likely to have those because you now have to physically leave the house to go get them. This is a game changer. Supporting your body with the most nutrient dense foods is so crucial to your burnout recovery.
9. Define the end of your work day. Okay so this is one step that you can implement right away. This one is so important. Especially these days when we have access to our emails and work apps 24/7 on our phone. By the way I highly recommend you take email notifications off your phone straight away as well.
With more and more access to technology at our finger tips it’s so easy to slip back into work mode even after work hours are over. Also, with the rise in work from home culture, it makes it even more difficult. When you’re not going into the office, it’s so easy to start working the moment you wake up and then continue to check & respond to emails up until you go to bed. This is significantly contributing to the rampant burnout culture we are seeing today. So I highly suggest you create a schedule for yourself. Define what your working hours are and stick to them. When is your end of the work day? Are you going to stop work at that time even if you didn’t get everything done that you wanted to? Perhaps you need to prioritize the things that you absolutely need to get done that day first, so that when the end of your day rolls around, you can call it and get to the less important tasks tomorrow. You don’t feel guilty for stopping work because you got everything done that you needed to. Release the perfection. Your done is good enough.
10. Determining your values. What are the values that encompass who you are and who you want to be? Does your work or your job align with these values? I’ve noticed for myself, that the times when I was becoming frustrated or starting to resent my work or my job, it’s because my values were being violated. Something had shifted and I no longer felt in alignment. This is such a tough feeling. And maybe it just means that you have to get clear on where your values are being violated and determine if you can make a change within your workplace. Maybe you need to have a conversation with your boss and set a boundary. It could be a small adjustment, or maybe you realize that your values are no longer in alignment with your current job and you need to make a larger change. You may not be able to make changes right away but once you get clear about what your values truly are, it gives you the opportunity to see what areas you can make small shifts or a game plan to live more in alignment with these.
You can start asking yourself, how often you are living in accordance with your values and what areas of your life are not?
When more of your life can be lived in a way that is congruent with your values, this has such a huge impact on your overall health & wellbeing.
11. Regulating your Nervous System. Your body cannot get out of the stress response cycle if it doesn’t feel safe. Learning how to signal safety to my body and nervous system has had such a profound impact on my ability to overcome burnout. Again, this goes back to those feelings of disconnection and our body sensing a threat. When you are able to implement daily practices that signal safety to your body, this will end that stress loop.
For example, if you’re feeling stress or anxiety creep in you can do a simple orienting & grounding exercise. Start to notice your environment. Slowly, take in what the room around you looks like. What do you hear? What do you smell? Notice the feeling of your feet on the ground. If you’re sitting, notice your sit bones on your chair. Notice how you are being held and supported. Use all 5 sense to take in your environment. List off, in detail what you notice and remind yourself that you are safe.
And then bring your attention to your breath. Is it quick? Don’t try to change it just notice it. If it’s shallow and quick still, go back and continue to take in your environment again, even more slowly.
And then wait for when it feels safe for a deep breath and exhalation to occur. Maybe making an audible sound as you exhale could be helpful. Whatever feels comfortable and natural to you. Repeat this entire exercise a few times if needed and you can even try it in different positions: standing, sitting, inside or outside.
Okay friends! There you have it. These are the 11 action steps you can take to start to overcome your burnout. Again, I do not suggest trying all of these at once. Pick one or two that you can start implementing right away and pay attention to how you feel. If those are feeling good, you can start to include another one and go from there.
K xo