Signs Of Workplace Burnout And How To Deal With It

Way too many people are burning the candle at both ends these days by no choice of their own. Jobs are demanding more and more of workers without giving much. Here are some signs of workplace burnout and how to deal with it before you drain yourself of joy.

Sure, your job and career are important. It's your paycheck and perhaps it's something you've worked decades to build. But, there comes a time when the employer takes and takes and the environment becomes toxic. Maybe it's management. Maybe it's incompetent co-workers not pulling their weight. Or, maybe it's a load of new tasks that give you no chance at a work-life balance. These could be signs of workplace burnout.

Whatever the case may be, you may see yourself in these signs of workplace burnout. According to an article from coursera, burnout occurs when you have experienced work related stress over a sustained period of time. And, their research suggests this is actually a form of depression. But, here are ways to identify signs workplace burnout and actions you can take to help.

Among the signs the article mentions are being irritable with co workers or managers...maybe they deserve your irritability, I might add. Feeling disenchanted about the career path, having less energy, a lack of satisfaction, dread going to work, trouble concentrating or using drugs, alcohol or food to cope with the negativity. Does that include a big pizza and margaritas? Asking for a friend.

They suggest workers examine what the source of the stress and exhaustion is. Look at workload, high expectations without appropriate resources, low office morale, poor relationships and more.

So, the first solution according to the article is to communicate the problem. However, many workers feel that this is not a viable option due to the strained relationships, egos and toxic environment. I.E...it's not a safe place to express your concerns without worrying they'll be met with anger, accusations and negative consequences. So, for many, that's a no go.

They also suggest cultivating your social life. Great idea if you have the funds from said job to afford a social life. Not always the case. Furthermore, protect your time away from work. Great idea. However, some jobs demand you keep that email or phone handy on the weekends or after hours.

There are more suggestions I'll let you read for yourself in the full article. But, the last option is knowing when it's time to move on. Someone once told us to quit trying to put that square peg in the round hole and quit beating yourself up over it. It took us a long time to heed that advice. But, it's worth recognizing. Someone else's failure is not your responsibility or fault. And, never let someone gaslight you into believing it is.

Good luck. Look for signs of workplace burnout before it turns you into a stress ball. And, don't let your job define you. It's what you do...not who you are.

It's something we all could probably work on, I know I need to. Work-life balance. I'll stand by the belief that employers can get more productivity out of workers in a smaller amount of time. Burned-out employees who lack motivation and aren't taking care of their physical and mental health are not helping companies grow and thrive. On the contrary, employees who have healthy lives outside of the office show up energized and ready to take on the day. It can be hard, in the work-centered environment that we live in, to find the appropriate work-life balance. Especially if you are in a career where the more you work the more money you earn. So where are the best places to work if you want time to have your own life outside of work? After all, they say work to live don't live to work. Well, our friends at CoworkingCafe ranked some of the largest U.S. cities by their capacity to foster a healthy work/life balance. These rankings are based on economic, cultural, and infrastructural factors, as well as their psychological influence. And two North Carolina cities ranked among the best, for a more positive work-life balance.

It's not Charlotte, so if you're reading this is the Queen City stressed out (as I am) don't throw something across the room. I genuinely think it being dark when I wake up, and by the time I get home from work is making my days feel overwhelming only to work. Luckily the days are getting longer and daylight savings time will be here soon. To find the top cities in the country that offered the best foundations for a healthy work/life balance CoworkingCafe looked at 100 cities with at least 200,000 residents. They assigned each location scores based on mental health metrics, such as the amount of green space and recreational amenities; air quality; and, of course, work hours. Cities were also scored on income, affordability, remote working prevalence, commute times, and how many residents had health insurance. Then they combined and weighted these scores to create an overall work/life balance index. This index focuses heavily on mental health, as it should. Keep reading to see which two North Carolina cities offer the best work-life balance. Read the full CoworkingCafe study here.

Mental Health Score: 94

Affordability Score: 18

Remote Work Score: 79

Commute Score: 56

Overall Score: 64.4

Mental Health Score: 82

Affordability Score: 37

Remote Work Score: 64

Commute Score: 81

Overall Score: 64.8

Mental Health Score: 62

Affordability Score: 64

Remote Work Score: 77

Commute Score: 59

Overall Score: 65.3

Mental Health Score: 78

Affordability Score: 69

Remote Work Score: 47

Commute Score: 75

Overall Score: 68.8

Mental Health Score: 61

Affordability Score: 99

Remote Work Score: 44

Commute Score: 62

Overall Score: 69.1

Mental Health Score: 91

Affordability Score: 61

Remote Work Score: 33

Commute Score: 78

Overall Score: 69.1

Mental Health Score: 59

Affordability Score: 91

Remote Work Score: 63

Commute Score: 57

Overall Score: 69.2

Mental Health Score: 87

Affordability Score: 41

Remote Work Score: 91

Commute Score: 41

Overall Score: 69.4

Mental Health Score: 37

Affordability Score: 95

Remote Work Score: 100

Commute Score: 82

Overall Score: 71.5

Mental Health Score: 84

Affordability Score: 83

Remote Work Score: 31

Commute Score: 86

Overall Score: 73.3

Mental Health Score: 83

Affordability Score: 100

Remote Work Score: 36

Commute Score: 35

Overall Score: 73.9

Mental Health Score: 93

Affordability Score: 53

Remote Work Score: 93

Commute Score: 45

Overall Score: 76.2

Mental Health Score: 77

Affordability Score: 94

Remote Work Score: 45

Commute Score: 93

Overall Score: 77.3

Mental Health Score: 81

Affordability Score: 87

Remote Work Score: 61

Commute Score: 76

Overall Score: 78.3

Mental Health Score: 99

Affordability Score: 62

Remote Work Score: 76

Commute Score:58

Overall Score: 79.2

Mental Health Score: 92

Affordability Score: 89

Remote Work Score: 32

Commute Score: 94

Overall Score: 79.3

Mental Health Score: 69

Affordability Score: 97

Remote Work Score: 88

Commute Score: 54

Overall Score: 79.7

Mental Health Score: 98

Affordability Score: 92

Remote Work Score: 20

Commute Score: 97

Overall Score: 80.5

Mental Health Score: 100

Affordability Score: 70

Remote Work Score: 69

Commute Score: 91

Overall Score: 83.9

Mental Health Score: 90

Affordability Score: 84

Remote Work Score: 85

Commute Score: 67

Overall Score: 84.9