The Symptoms of Job Burnout

I have touched upon my mental health issues due to my current exhaustion from my work in one of my previous posts. I want to explore these issues in this post.

Therefore, through my independent research and from a visit to my family doctor, I am currently suffering from job burnout. Burnout is the feeling of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion due to stressful workplace conditions. Burnout can lead to reduced workplace productivity, as well as other negative emotional issues that can affect co-workers and other people outside of work.

As I was reading various online articles on job burnout, I asked myself the questions of whether I had the symptoms associated with job burnout.

Have you become cynical or critical at work?
Yes. I have noticed myself taking a more negative attitude towards co-workers and the work itself. I think that for all the work I put in for this US customer, I will not see the benefit or appreciation from the company, which reduces my morale.

Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
I dread coming into work now, knowing that the conversation is going to be about this US customer, and knowing that your efforts are seemingly in vain. I also hate having to come into work and get into arguments with my co-workers.

Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers?
Yes. I find myself having a shorter fuse talking with other co-workers and sometimes snapping at them. I also believe that I am constantly complaining about work problems to my co-workers, for which I am positive they are tired of hearing about.

Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
Yes. As I feel that my efforts for this project are not sufficiently noted, I have developed a general sense of apathy towards my job.

Do you find it hard to concentrate?
Yes. As my mind is constantly racing and thinking about ways I can get my point across in arguments with other co-workers, it is difficult for me to focus on my work.

Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
Yes. I feel a lack of satisfaction because of a lack of appreciation of my efforts internally and externally. I feel that I have directly saved my company from losing millions of dollars in business, but the company cannot invest in their hard-working employees.

Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
Yes. I hate that I do not feel like I have a place in my department. I hate the fact that I am everyone's second option and that I am only useful if one of my co-workers is not here. I hate that I do not have that sense of fulfillment in my position anymore.

Are you using drugs/alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
I am relapsing into taking more drugs in order to feel better because of my job stresses, and it is something I need to cut out.

Have your sleep habits changed?
I have not been able to sleep some nights because I constantly think about work and dreading to go back into the office.

Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach problems, or other physical complaints?
I have had migraine headaches stemming from my work stresses for the better part of two weeks. I have also had bouts of chest tightness throughout those two weeks.

I want to mention other things about my burnout. Because of my burnout, I am further isolating myself from my department co-workers for various reasons. Because of my self-worth and my perception of a lack of achievement in my position, I feel like I am not worthy of being with my department for get-togethers. As I feel that I am becoming bitterer and talking more about issues about certain issues and within the department, I feel like I am not welcome to be with the department for get-togethers. I also feel that I do not receive the same respect and appreciation as other co-workers in our department despite my continued efforts to solve issues, so why do I want to be around people who clearly do not respect or appreciate me? The department get-togethers also feel like corporate-mandated fun and it does not feel like fun to go.

I have the tendency to take on a lot of work (and maybe more than I can really handle), but this is because I am eager and want to learn in order to better my career. I am now taking steps to delegate the after-hours work to other people in my department, whether they like it or not. I try to be everyone to everything.

I constantly feel undermined by a senior member of my department, which diminishes the respect I feel that people should give me. The fact that I have to be on the system to deal with issues is severely affecting my social life and work-life balance.

So what can I do/what have I done to combat this burnout? I will discuss in a blog post in the near future.