“It happens to me every Monday morning, and believe me, doctor, I have come to dread my Sunday evenings too because I look at them as harbingers of the next week’s grueling work again,” averred Rajan*.
“At the beginning of every day, I usually open my work desk disinterestedly, with an apprehensive mindset that I may not be able to survive another week in this job,” says Lily*.
When you feel that you aren’t keeping pace with your job and procrastination becomes a habit rather than an exception, it’s time to take stock of your mental and physical health. As more and more tasks pile up, you begin with a disinterested mind. Your motivation vanishes. You start playing with the idea of going on a vacation or looking for another job. But even that doesn’t happen, as your body, mind, and brain all seem locked up in ennui.
This is exactly the time to seek help from a professional to understand whether it is simple stress or the beginning of depression. But more important is to analyse if it is a burnout situation, which can often be misunderstood as depression.
When Your Efficiency Curve Declines
The efficiency curve of humans is like any other performance curve with various stages of physical, emotional, and mental output. The curve has a rising phase, where work performance can be quite mood-elevating, bringing with it expected rewards and revenues. But soon, stagnant work performance and declining strength and output catch up with you. Your body and mind feel exhausted, and a regular sitting job in front of a laptop or computer seems very taxing. Whenever that happens, you feel quirky, irritated, or disinterested. A short break does help with rejuvenation, but repeated situations like this need to be analysed and understood.
This is where the journey of prolonged stress begins, and exhaustion or burnout creeps in without you realising why or what is happening.
How Do You Know If It’s Stress or Burnout?
There’s a difference between being stressed and being burned out. Stress happens when you’re engaged in work and sometimes get overly involved. Burnout, on the other hand, means being disengaged.
Burnout feels like you’ve checked out of your life emotionally and have nothing left to give. This severe and chronic condition goes beyond feeling overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated, or fatigued. You might even experience physical effects like muscle tension, headaches, or digestive problems.
You can tell burnout from stress by noticing whether you’re avoiding work, frequently tired, and easily distracted. You also feel like a heavy load has been placed on your body and mind. People who are stressed believe things will improve once the source of stress is resolved. In burnout, nothing seems to work, and you feel like you can’t handle anything.
Signs You May Be Dealing with Burnout
Burnout occurs gradually over time. It creeps into your mental, physical, and emotional being and drains your energy completely. You sleep erratically and wake up wishing daylight had been delayed. You know you’re stuck in a vicious cycle—either of sleeplessness or oversleeping and avoidance.
Work piles up, phone calls remain unanswered, deadlines are missed. Headaches, body aches, and a general sense of listlessness and disinterest take their toll on your psyche.
When you browse the internet or seek advice, it can often be misunderstood or misdiagnosed as depression.
We advise you to get in touch with us if you need a professional assessment of your situation. Self-assessment or assumptions won’t give you an accurate diagnosis.
Our psychologist can assess, diagnose, and help you manage your burnout more effectively.
*Names and details have been changed to protect privacy.
Alka Mansik Pramarsh Foundation Clinical Psychologists-Family therapists Indore 0731-4263087,9179383554 