How You Know You’re Teetering on the Edge of a Burnout

It’s been a long time since I sat down and actually wrote a blog post. In fact, it’s about 5 years since I felt compelled enough to feel like writing.

As I sit here on a Friday afternoon ten months into global pandemic, I’m feeling really reflective and completely exhausted having taken a mental health day to rest.

Being honest about things, I found myself teetering on the edge of burnout in this last lock-down.

This is not a new experience, it has happened many times in my life before but what’s different about it this time round, is the level of awareness and the early warning signs that have popped up.

In this (awkward feeling) article, I’ll do my best to articulate the warning signs that I’ve caught to stop me going the whole way, and that give us a chance to come back to feeling on a healthy level again.

High Sensitivity Levels

Are you normally a pretty relaxed and easy going person? Me too ;-)

I love people, adore the world we live in and feel enthusiastic about life.

When you are feeling happy, healthy and confident. You’re doing all the right things for you and it would take a lot to knock you down.

That’s where we love to live life from.

One of the first signs of burnout I see in myself is when my sensitivity levels are effecting my day to day life.

It can be something as small as the way someone looks at you, how you perceive someones words or more dangerously, how you are perceiving yourself in everything.

In the past, I would have gone into a dark place of beating myself up for being so sensitive and soft, for reacting and judging but today I know that being sensitive is one of my super human powers — when it is cared for!

If you feel like you could be a Highly Sensitive Person, take this test with Elaine Aaron and if you are, tell me in the comments below.

The first sign of heightened sensitivity levels come when you feel uneasy in the world around you. The signs are clear and you’ll know.

Raised sensitivity is a warning sign!

Not Seeing others Model of the World

One of the most compelling lessons I’ve leaned in the last year was during my QTT (Quantum Thinking Therapy) and NLP certification.

I always wanted to be a life coach and help people just like me. Good people, smart people, driven people, loving people but people who are too hard on themselves and over compensate in all they do.

Here was the opportunity at the age of 41 to see the world through other people’s eyes.

Maybe that sounds very obvious to others but it wasn’t to me. I’ve lived most of my life from a subjective viewing point. Don’t most people?

If you find yourself not understanding other people’s point of view, feeling offended, maybe pointing the finger (in your head), being overly impatient then this is another warning sign that you’re not at the peak level of feeling good.

How can you help anyone from that place? Let alone yourself!

I know when I am here, I tend to judge myself and others. Then I will fill with guilt and frustration and end up emotional, empty and exhausted.

Trying Hard to Avoid Making Mistakes

Finding yourself trying hard to be perfect at everything you do?

This is a big flag.

Why?

Because you are a human, and you’ll make mistakes.

The key is to identify them, learn from them and take action and iterate from those learnings.

Go easy on yourself, have compassion. If you let this build up into a mountain, your self-esteem will take an extra beating on the way down.

More Signs

• Sense of failure and self-doubt.
• Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated.
• Detachment, feeling alone in the world.
• Loss of motivation.
• Increasingly cynical and negative outlook.
• Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.

What to do about it

Honestly, the first step is to acknowledge that you are feeling the burnout. That act of surrender to yourself is the gift.

It’s ok to find yourself here, because there is a way back. There is a way forward! After that, you can establish what a personal care plan looks like for you.

Have you suffered burnout before? Share your thoughts, experiences and care plans below.

Let’s start a conversation that effects 7 out of 10 people in our world.