The Classic Symptoms of Burnout
Let’s say you have a battery-operated toy car. After playing with it for too long, the car eventually stops driving when the batteries run low. What happens to your energy when you work too much without taking breaks? This is called burnout. Just like the car needs recharging, you need to relax and have fun to refuel your energy so you can feel cheerful again. Burnout is a state of extreme fatigue that affects your body, mind, and emotions. It’s often caused by prolonged stress from work or other responsibilities. Let’s explore two scenarios to understand this better:
Is It That Serious?
Imagine two gym trainers, Dona and Nina. They both work in the same gym but have very different experiences:
| Nina’s experience | Dona’s experience |
|---|---|
| She feels overwhelmed by too many clients, works late, and suffers from frequent muscle pain and headaches. | She loves her job, manages her schedule well, and stays enthusiastic and passionate, following a balanced fitness routine. |
| She prefers staying at home most days, has stopped talking to her friends, and even misses appointments sometimes. | She interacts with everyone around the gym, has a vibrant social life, takes breaks, and spends time with her family. |
| She doesn’t take rest days and avoids interaction with Dona and other colleagues. | She celebrates clients’ milestones and sets both short-term and long-term goals. |
| She lacks motivation and often skips meals. | She effectively manages her time, meets all client appointments, and stays organized. |
What Nina is experiencing are classic symptoms of burnout. Burnout impacts not just personal life but also professional life, and in extreme cases, can lead to mental health issues. Before addressing burnout, one needs to recognize and acknowledge the symptoms.
What Are The Signs You Can Look Out For?
Let’s revisit Nina’s situation and break down the symptoms:
- Constant Irritability: Nina gets frustrated when clients make small mistakes or when equipment breaks down.
- Disturbed Sleep: Nina struggles to fall asleep and stays up worrying about work and her clients. According to Eurofound, poor sleep quality is a significant factor in burnout across Europe.
- Social Withdrawal: She avoids hanging out with friends or coworkers, choosing isolation over social activities.
- Reduced Efficiency: Nina often forgets important client information and struggles to schedule personalized workout plans.
- Lack of Motivation: She frequently skips her own workouts and struggles to find the motivation she once had. A Gallup poll highlights how lack of motivation due to burnout can lead to disengagement in American workers.
- Low Self-worth: Nina doubts her ability to help her clients, despite evidence of their progress, often thinking, “I’m not really making a difference.”
- Emotional Exhaustion: Nina feels drained before she even starts her day, no longer finding joy in helping clients reach their goals. Emotional exhaustion is a key symptom, as described by Maslach & Leiter.
- Physical Symptoms: She experiences muscle tension, fatigue, and headaches, even after a solid workout.
- Overwhelm with Daily Tasks: Nina feels burdened by simple tasks like scheduling workouts or cleaning equipment.
- Apathy or Disengagement: Her once-encouraging attitude has turned negative, and she often criticizes clients instead of supporting them. The American Psychological Association emphasizes how burnout can lead to apathy and diminished work performance.
Burnout is not just a personal struggle; it’s a widespread issue, especially in physically demanding professions like gym trainers. Nina’s energy and passion for her job disappeared when she became overwhelmed, and her well-being started to decline. To prevent burnout, it’s crucial to recognize the signs early. Just as a toy car needs to recharge, we too need regular breaks to avoid exhaustion. Let’s embrace the “Recharge Revolution” and take inspiration from Dona, who maintains a healthy balance between personal and professional life while celebrating her clients’ successes.
References:
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2022). The Burnout Challenge: Managing People’s Relationships with Their Jobs.
Retrieved from Guilford Press
Eurofound. (2021). Burnout in the Workplace: A European Perspective.
Retrieved from Eurofound Publications
American Psychological Association (APA). (2019). Workplace Burnout Is Real: Here’s How to Know if You’re Experiencing It.
Retrieved from APA
Gallup. (2020). Employee Burnout, Part 1: The 5 Main Causes.
Retrieved from Gallup
Schaufeli, W. B., & Enzmann, D. (2020). The Burnout Companion to Study and Practice: A Critical Analysis.
Retrieved from CRC Press
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