It's A Sweaty Life: Burnout 2 Breakdown

Have any of you ever just felt like you are so mentally and physically exhausted that you are on the verge of a breakdown. Be it because of work or life, it just seems that you are so burned out that your attitude has changed and “Positive Polly” has gone into hiding and “Negative Nancy” has emerged?

Thanks to my friend Tessa - she found this sign at a store and I think it exactly describes how I am feeling right now!

Not being able to get through a workout tonight without severe stomach pain (stress) and feeling like I was on the verge of crying, I decided to do some research..

Doing some research (helpguide.org), I have come to the realization that there is a big difference between burnout and just plain being stressed.

1st sign - Physical, Mental and Emotional Exhaustion

You may be on the road to burnout if:

Every day is a bad day.
Caring about your work or home life seems like a total waste of energy.
You’re exhausted all the time.
The majority of your day is spent on tasks you find either mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming.
You feel like nothing you do makes a difference or is appreciated.

Burnout may be the result of unrelenting stress, but it isn’t the same as too much stress. Stress, by and large, involves too much: too many pressures that demand too much of you physically and psychologically. Stressed people can still imagine, though, that if they can just get everything under control, they’ll feel better.

Burnout, on the other hand, is about not enough. Being burned out means feeling empty, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations. If excessive stress is like drowning in responsibilities, burnout is being all dried up. One other difference between stress and burnout: While you’re usually aware of being under a lot of stress, you don’t always notice burnout when it happens.

Preventing burnout

If you recognize the warning signs of impending burnout in yourself, remember that it will only get worse if you leave it alone. But if you take steps to get your life back into balance, you can prevent burnout from becoming a full-blown breakdown.

So, I've learned what the definition, symptoms and prevention techniques are, but what if I think it's too late and I am in a full blown burnout? Is it too late?

Recovering from burnout

Sometimes it’s too late to prevent burnout – you’re already past the breaking point. If that’s the case, it’s important to take your burnout very seriously. Trying to push through the exhaustion and continue as you have been will only cause further emotional and physical damage.

Either way, burnout, creative or otherwise, is a common problem, especially for those who work hard and function at a high level. You simply can’t keep working without resting. Burnout happens for a reason. It’s your mind and body telling you to take a break and as a first step towards getting back on track, that is exactly what I think you should do if your dealing with burnout..

With that said... I will be visiting the hot yoga studio...