Stress & Burnout
Burnout is the result of long-term stress that causes total mental and physical exhaustion. It’s most often seen in job settings but can also affect people with stressful responsibilities, such as being the caregiver for a sick or disabled family member. Mind Matters can help you identify what burnout looks and feels like so you can start to feel like yourself again.
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Signs of Burnout
Your mind and body warn you that you’re on the edge of burnout. Burnout shares similarities with depression but is not a diagnosable medical condition. Depression isn’t always dependent on environmental triggers, while burnout always occurs as a result of them.
Physical Signs: Headaches, High blood pressure, Difficulty sleeping, Heartburn or other digestive problems
Mental Signs: Trouble concentrating, Fatigue, Decrease in performance and productivity, Loss of interest in things you usually enjoy
Dangers of Long-Term Stress & Burnout
Experiencing stress and burnout frequently or over an extended period can seriously impact your health and well-being. People who never fully recover from burnout are likelier to lose their jobs or retire prematurely. Chronic high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, and the weight gain associated with extreme stress can cause Type 2 diabetes. You may also experience more severe symptoms of existing anxiety or depression.
The 5 Stages of Burnout
Burnout isn’t an all-or-nothing condition. It occurs in stages, allowing you to take control of the situation before it becomes debilitating.
- The Honeymoon Phase: When you start a new job or project, you have lots of energy and enthusiasm. You likely feel confident and have high job satisfaction. It’s important to develop coping strategies for future stress during this stage so you don’t experience burnout when you come down from this initial high.
- Onset of Stress: This is when you start to have rough days and may experience mild anxiety or trouble sleeping. It can be easy to ignore these symptoms since they aren’t life-altering, but it’s essential to begin practicing relaxation strategies at the first sign of continuing stress.
- Chronic Stress: The experiences of stage two are more frequent and severe. You’re likely to feel constantly tired and irritable with colleagues. If you don’t address your stress at this point, burnout will follow.
- Burnout: This is the critical point when stress affects your professional and personal life. In addition to feeling exhausted, you may feel detached from your workplace and day-to-day responsibilities. Take this phase seriously by making appropriate changes, including therapy and adjusting your work-life balance.
- Chronic Burnout: The feelings of burnout have become a part of your daily life. Stress, anxiety, and other physical and mental symptoms occur regularly. The only way to bounce back from chronic burnout is to make significant lifestyle changes, rely on your family and friends for support, and seek professional counseling.
How to Recover from Burnout
Acknowledging signs of burnout and taking steps to distance yourself from stressors is the first step to recovery. Make self-care a priority, ensuring you get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, and are physically active. Recovery also relies on setting and maintaining boundaries at work and with people in your personal life, learning to delegate tasks, and improving time management skills. There’s more to life than work; making time to do things you enjoy is essential.
How Long Does it Take to Recover From Stress & Burnout?
The time it takes you to recover depends on how long you’ve been experiencing burnout. If you catch the problem early and take steps to treat it, you’ll usually feel better within one to three months. More extreme or long-lasting burnout recovery can take as long as a year, so you must notice the initial signs before they become significant problems.
Stress Management Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy, aka talk therapy, is the most effective stress management treatment. Your therapist will help you identify things that trigger stress responses and find healthy ways to cope with those triggers. The most effective therapy also teaches you how to prevent stress from building up through relaxation strategies, such as meditation, deep breathing, and grounding exercises.
The Mind Matters Difference
Our team of therapists knows that your mind matters, and we can help you harness its power so you can live a happier, more balanced life. You’re more than just a client file to us; we don’t have a cookie-cutter approach to cognitive behavioral therapy. Mental health is vital for everyone, and our goal is to make treatment accessible and welcoming to anyone who needs it.
Therapy Near Lexington, Kentucky and Columbus, Ohio
Take control of stress and feelings of burnout before they control you. The therapists at Mind Matters understand the necessity of work-life balance, and we can help you find yours. Contact us today to schedule an appointment. We offer therapy services in Lexington, Kentucky, Columbus, Ohio, and the surrounding area.