Recognizing burnout: physical and emotional symptoms

How do you recognize burnout?

Burnout does not happen overnight. It is an accumulation of symptoms and the result of a prolonged period of stress.

Do you have certain symptoms (fatigue, hyperventilation, crying spells...) and think they will go away by themselves? Then you need to pay attention.

It could indeed be that you are just tired or sleeping badly and the symptoms will go away again when you are calmer. But it could also mean that you are heading toward overworkedness or burnout.

So it does not necessarily mean that you have or will get burnout if you recognize one or more of these symptoms. It is, however, a sign that you need to take a little better care of yourself, because they may show that you are in one of the phases leading up to burnout.

Consult a (company) doctor or psychologist if you want medical advice about your situation and health. Always take your symptoms seriously!

Extreme fatigue

A burnout is characterized by both physical and mental symptoms. The basis of this is extreme fatigue. This fatigue greatly affects your body and mind and causes many other symptoms.

And it's not the fatigue you feel after a weekend of partying. It is a feeling of complete exhaustion resulting from a prolonged period full of stress.

This causes you to be totally exhausted and have no puff left to do anything. Making a cup of tea or brushing your teeth actually takes too much effort, let alone going to work or taking care of your children.

Physical burnout symptoms

The symptoms you feel dominate your life and can no longer be ignored. They prevent you from functioning properly - physically and mentally. The extreme feeling of exhaustion affects your body a lot.

Just think how you feel when you haven't slept well one night or lie in your bed with a hangover after a night out. All the energy is gone from your body and you can't bring yourself to do anything. You feel tired, listless and suffer from headaches, haziness, palpitations and insomnia.

During burnout, these symptoms are so severe that they interfere with your daily activities and you can no longer do the things you used to do.

Examples of physical burnout symptoms

• Restless sleep. Many people with burnout sleep poorly. They have difficulty falling asleep, don't sleep deeply enough or don't sleep for long periods of time. This is extra annoying because sleep during burnout is essential for proper recovery. Your body must be able to rest optimally.
• Stomach and bowel problems. Stress can have a lot of impact on your organs. If you are tense for an important appointment or presentation, you often get a stomach ache or a knot in your stomach. Prolonged stress can cause unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms, such as cramps, a rushed feeling in your stomach or messy bowels.
• Headaches or migraines. Tension headaches are common with stress. Especially if you have poor sleep and are extremely tired, your brain cannot properly rest. Stimuli affect you more this way and you suffer from headaches more quickly. In the extreme case, you may even suffer from migraines.
• Muscle pain. Your entire body reacts to stress. Extreme stress can also overstress your muscles, causing muscle pain in your neck, shoulders and back - especially if you are tense for a long time.

• Rapid breathing or hyperventilating. When people experience stress, they often start breathing incorrectly. Your breathing goes into high gear and becomes more shallow. As a result, you may feel dizzy, experience a rushed feeling or experience palpitations.

Mental Burnout Symptoms

But this extreme fatigue also affects you mentally. When you are so extremely tired you cannot think clearly. Concentrating becomes difficult, you want to withdraw more often, you have less desire for social contact and you feel down or irritable. You are emotionally and mentally exhausted.

And these symptoms don't arise directly either. It is a result of not listening to your body well enough. If you take on too much for a short period of time, you can still handle it. But do you never take the time to recharge in between - so you never recharge your battery? Then at some point you won't be able to cope.

Examples of mental burnout symptoms

• Concentration problems. You recognize it. If you had a bad night's sleep you suffer greatly the next day. You are tired and have trouble concentrating. As a result, you lose more and more control and grip on your work.
• Storm in your head. Stress makes you feel increasingly restless. You keep thinking about all sorts of things and find it hard to put your thoughts on pause. You start overthinking and fretting.
• Hurried feeling. You feel like you are on a fast train that just keeps thundering along. You are constantly "on" and on edge. This makes you feel rushed, panicky and stressed.
• Panic attacks or hyperventilating. Continually experiencing a stress reaction can cause you to panic faster or see the situation as increasingly bleak. The effects of extreme fatigue caused by stress (think palpitations or hyperventilation) can also cause panic.
• Difficulty relaxing. When you are constantly on high stress, it is hard to relax, when that is what you need most. People with burnout therefore find it very challenging to relax and sometimes do not even know how to do it.
• Gloomy and irritable. You don't feel like doing anything and you feel restless, you can no longer really enjoy yourself and your thoughts become increasingly negative. This can manifest itself, for example, in unexpected crying fits. You can also become irritable towards your colleagues, partner or children.

How do you prevent burnout?

Do you experience incipient burnout symptoms? Then it is important that you take a break in time.

There are several things you can do to prevent burnout, and one of the things that can have a positive effect on burnout is meditation.

1. Meditating lowers stress

A burnout is "a state of mental exhaustion resulting from prolonged stress. One of the ways to work on your burnout recovery is by reducing and eventually completely removing stress from your body and life.

And let meditation be a perfect way to do just that! In fact, meditation can help you relax properly when you have (unconsciously) built up a lot of tension in your body as well as your head.

By regularly - preferably every day - taking a short moment to sit in silence and create peace in your mind, you will also become calmer, calmer and more balanced. During meditation you push the pause button. All those thoughts, voices and stimuli calm down for a few minutes.

2. Meditating calms your body

Not only does meditating give you peace mentally, it also relaxes you physically. When meditating, your breathing plays an important role. Your breathing becomes calmer and deeper. This lowers your heart rate, relaxes your muscles and brings you into a deep state of rest.

By focusing on your breathing, you bring your attention to the "here and now" and your mind becomes still and relaxed. You always have your breath with you, so you can apply this meditation anytime, anywhere.

3. Meditating makes you more positive

Many people who use the Meditation Moments app report that it makes them more positive and happy. Especially gratitude meditations can give you a nice feeling of happiness.

Gratitude is very powerful. When you are grateful for who you are, what you have or what you do, you raise your energy frequency. You automatically emit positivity which makes you feel more positive about life yourself.

Can you be extra susceptible to burnout?

You may be more susceptible than average to burnout. This doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you. Some people are naturally sensitive or make high demands on themselves. These are not bad traits, but they can sometimes work to your disadvantage. You may be prone to burnout if you:

• Make high demands on yourself
• Find it difficult to set boundaries
• Are sensitive by nature
• Are very involved in something (work, children, family, etc.)
• Are negative about your own performance
• Are easily stressed or nervous
• Difficult to ask for help

It is important to accept qualities like the above about yourself. Being sensitive (to stress) also brings qualities. Perhaps you are very empathetic or are known as someone who never goes for half-measures. Think of these as fine qualities that you need to be careful of. So where necessary take a step back to protect yourself.