Stress at work and home impacts people all over the United States. Around the nation, at least two-thirds of all adults say that their lives are impacted by stress at work. They report that work-related stress causes them a lot of problems at home and elsewhere. About one-quarter of the American workforce has reported taking days off from work as either “mental health days” or just sick days. Every day, one million workers around the nation call in sick because of stress they experience at work. If you are concerned about how job stress is impacting you, here are some of the stress burnout symptoms:
- Increased fatigue. This is one of the first stress burnout symptoms that people experience when they have a stressful job. There are a few reasons people experience fatigue when they start to experience signs of job burnout. When people feel they need to get more done, one of the first things they cut back on is the amount of sleep they get. Moreover, people who are worried about how well they are doing their job often develop insomnia as a result.
- You find you cannot stop worrying. Everyone worries from time to time but when your brain prevents you from stopping the cycle of worrying, feeling depressed or anxious, you could be experiencing one of then stress burnout symptoms. Many people ignore these signs of emotional exhaustion but that is really a mistake. Your mental health and physical health are linked. When you do not pay attention to your mental health and the worry you are feeling. It is important to be able to mentally leave work at work and have a decent work-life balance. If you are always worried about work, you should pay attention to that and take action to deal with the problem.
- You may find you are more forgetful than usual. Constant and chronic stress can causes changes in your brain. Part if this is just the constant presence of cortisol, which is called the “stress hormone.” If you are having problems remembering things that you never had a problem remembering before, it may not be early onset dementia or Alzheimer’s, this can be one of the stress burnout symptoms. This forgetfulness is often a sign that you are pushing yourself and your body too hard. One common problem that people who are under a lot of stress experience is an increase in problems with their memory. They can also experience a decrease in their ability to focus or to concentrate. This is another symptom that you should not ignore. Practicing mindfulness meditation can do a lot to help you lower your stress level and get your concentration back.
- People also suffer from physical stress burnout symptoms. There are the psychological symptoms associated with work burnout but there can also be physical problems that crop up as a result of all of the stress. Some people find that when they get really stressed out, they suffer from bad headaches and can even have chest pain. Other physical symptoms of being overworked can be shortness of breath, heart palpitations, nausea, and syncope (fainting). To add to these scary symptoms, many people who are under stress neglect to eat healthy foods. The combination of not eating well and not getting enough sleep can hurt your immune system. That leaves you vulnerable to infectious diseases.
- You may feel detached from your life. Many people who suffer from the stress burnout symptoms experience depression, anxiety, mood swings, and other problems. If it is left untreated, work-related burnout can lead to the feeling of being detached from your life and the people in it. This can cause a cycle that makes you feel more depressed and anxious, which leads to further isolation from your life. It is important to get help from your primary care doctor or another medical professional if you are feeling any of the signs of stress burnout.
Most Americans work a lot. Not only do we not take all the vacations we are entitled to but when we go on vacation, we take our work with us. All of this leads to burnout. It can be treated. Help is available.