Yes, "burnout" is a real thing

Just today, I woke up with a headache and a stomach ache. I was tempted to call in to work, but had already used way too much sick time for the year--already in February. I knew I had no other option but to go to work. But I didn't want to. We are in the middle of the busiest quarter at work. January seemed almost never-ending. Now waiting for March to come and go feels like it's light years away.

I know realistically that it won't always be like this. I just need to tough it out for a little over a month. I can do it.

But, still as I walked into my bathroom before leaving for work, I broke down bawling. I didn't have any real reason to bawl. But it just hit me out of nowhere and I couldn't stop. I'm tired, I'm frustrated, and I don't care.

I am burned out.

"Burnout" while not a technical medical diagnosis, is very real, and almost always caused by over-working one's self. Everyone experiences it at one point or another. So why do we keep acting like it doesn't exist?

If you try to use the excuse "I'm burned out" for poor work performance, absences, or apathetic mood--nobody really listens or seems to care. But they should, because burnout is no joke. It can have many adverse effects on your work, academic, social environment, and most importantly--your mental health. Just a few of the side effects include:

• Isolation from family and friends
• Apathy
• Poor work performance
• Excessive absences from school or work
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Significant weight gain or loss--due to under or over-eating.
• Lower motivation overall
• Feeling hopeless, joyless, unable to enjoy things that usually spark joy

And many others. "Burnout" isn't just about "not feeling like working"--it's about not taking care of yourself because you've worked too hard and don't feel like doing anything, even outside of work.

Treating and Preventing Burnout

"If your job stresses you out so much, just quit! Your mental health is more important!" While it's a nice thought, and people who say it usually mean well--let's be realistic. Most of us are not in the position where we can just up and quit our jobs with little to no consequence. We all have bills to pay and mouths to feed. All jobs have stressful aspects and busy seasons--if everyone quit the second they felt stressed out, nobody would ever be able to hold down a job for longer than a few weeks.

So here are some more realistic ways to help treat and prevent burnout:

Leave it at work. Every job you ever have will tell you "Once you walk in the door, leave your personal problems at home." But they don't tell you that it's okay to do it the other way around too: Once you are off the clock, what's going on at work is no longer your problem. So don't check work emails, mute the work group chat, and don't go in on your days off!

If you are able to do so, take a sick day or PTO day. The world will not come crashing down if you take a mental health day. Will your co-workers have more work to do? Maybe. But, like I just said, you're not at work; so that's not your problem.

Take a step outside during your breaks and lunches. Not only will it get you away from the work atmosphere for a few minutes, but having a nice breath of fresh air can be very invigorating, as well.

Talk about it with a coworker. Having work friends is great, especially when you are feeling burned out. Nobody is going to understand or empathize with your stress as well as someone who is also suffering alongside you.

Treat yourself every day. You don't need to buy yourself lavish gifts every day (unless that's how you like to treat yourself!) but when you do have free time--spend it doing something you love that will help you unwind: Watching a movie in your pajamas, sip some hot cocoa, take a long, refreshing nap. Anything you enjoy doing! Give it to yourself as a gift for getting through another day.

Have an "artsy" hobby. Creativity has been proven to be great for reducing anxiety and clearing a cluttered mind. You don't need to be the next Picasso or Shakespeare to flex your creative muscles, either. Just coloring, doodling, editing photos you've taken, still count as creative outlets!

Work and school are one of the many necessary evils of life, and we can't really prevent them from being stressful when it is their season. But if we recognize the signs of over-working and fatigue, and take the necessary measures to prevent it--we can hopefully prevent ourselves from crashing and burning.