Work from Home Burnout: What it is and How to Deal With It

Ever since the pandemic started in March 2020, workers have become frazzled, sleep-deprived, and some have started feeling weary and exhausted from the changes that have taken place.

Some people, like me, have seen their spouses get laid off and have to take lower-paying jobs. This leads to more stress because other changes often have to be made. This stress can lead to burnout. Luckily there are ways to deal with it.

What is work from home burnout?

Work from home burnout happens when people can’t separate their work life from their home life. People who have never worked from home before may have a hard time with this because their two lives seem like they’re intertwined.

How can you recognize it?

There are several signs of it. None of these signs by themselves signify work from home burnout, but if you see someone who’s usually dependable start displaying many of these symptoms, talk to them. They may be suffering from work from home burnout.

• They lose track of their tasks.
• They’re not completing work on time.
• Their moods are changing — they may feel irritable, sad, or angry.

• They’re feeling or showing symptoms of depression, like hopelessness, loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy, or fatigue.
• They feel discouraged or apathetic about work.
• They’re not sleeping well or having a hard time falling asleep.
• They’ve started drinking alcohol or they’re drinking more alcohol than normal.
• They’re having chest pain, headaches, more illness, heart palpitations, dizziness or fainting, or gastrointestinal pain.

As an employee, how do you know if you have work from home burnout?

Pay attention to how your body feels because burnout might show up physically before you feel it emotionally. If you start feeling any physical symptoms mentioned in the list above, and they’re not normal for you, see your doctor. You might be able to rule out work from home burnout before it starts affecting your work.

How do you recover from it?

Once you’ve determined you have work from home burnout, take control of what you can. Eat healthfully, watch your moods, and talk to your boss. Set up at least one 15-minute video or phone meeting with your boss every month so you can discuss what’s going on in your work and personal life. If their schedule is too tight for that, email them regularly to let them know how you’re doing.

Create boundaries and a routine at work.

Only work during certain hours. Don’t respond to work-related emails outside of those hours. If your work email is separate from your personal email, don’t check it outside of your working hours. Consider shutting off notifications or removing your work inbox from your phone if needed.

Take a lunch break away from your computer.

There are a lot of easy, quick meals you can make. You could make a sandwich or reheat leftovers from last night’s dinner if you have any. You can find other ideas here.

Take a 15 to 30-minute break away from work, other than for lunch, every day.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed by work demands when you work from home because you don’t have as much contact with your co-workers. That’s why it’s important to take a 15 to 30-minute break away from work other than for lunch. What you do during this time is up to you; one suggestion I would make is that you do something healthy, like take a short walk or do a short yoga video.

Work flexible hours.

Work with your boss to see if you can work different hours so you don’t burn out as much. If you’re a valuable asset to the company, your boss should be willing to work with you.

Create boundaries and a routine for work.

If you’ve never worked from home before, it’s just as important to have a routine for work when you work from home as it is when you work in a brick-and-mortar office. This could include taking a few short breaks away from your desk and writing up your plan for the next day at the end of the day.

Let others know you can’t be disturbed when you work from home.

Shut your door if you can, and put a voicemail message on your phone that gives your work hours. Don’t answer personal calls you receive during those hours, but do return all messages as soon as you can.

Schedule “me time” every day.

This is time outside your workday when you take time to do something just for yourself. Some ideas include working on a creative project, exercising, reading a book, watching a favorite TV show, meditating, or doing other mindfulness exercises. It’s important for our brains to take a break every so often so we can reset.

Connect with other people who are working from home.

It’s important to connect with other people who work from home, especially if they’re at your company. If you don’t know the other people from your company who are working from home, ask the human resources manager at your company if they know of any resources that will help you.

It’s important to deal with work from home burnout when it comes up. Connecting with others in your company can help — maybe other employees are going through the same thing. If you don’t know anyone else, ask the human resources person at your company if they know of any resources you can take advantage of.

Also, talk to your boss, and create a work-from-home routine for yourself so you know when you’re starting and ending your workday. If you follow these tips, you shouldn’t have any problems staying sane while you work from home.