Before we can talk about burnout, we must define exactly what that is. Burnout can be defined as having a sense that one cannot do another thing without collapsing.

It is usually caused by excessive stress, or over work and can manifest itself mentally, physically and emotionally. Chronic burnout and associated stress plays a key role in heart disease, diabetes, addictions, anxiety, and depression.

It is a phenomenon of doing too many things that are unpleasant and failing to do those things that relax us and make us happy.

Burnout happens to highly paid executives who don’t have enough time to be with their families and to overworked individuals who are working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. Burnout happens to overwhelmed moms, students, and even kids who are overwhelmed with busy schedules. Continue reading →

Burnout does not happen all at once. It occurs after a person finds himself or herself subjected to chronic stress for prolonged periods of time. Burnout can occur over a series of weeks or several years. How long it takes a person to experience burnout depends on the types of stressors involved as well as the physical, mental, and emotional constitution of the person in question.

Consistent exposure to stressors in the workplace and possibly at home, without a means to mitigate them, causes burnout. Since burnout has a causal relationship with a person’s environment and daily activities, there are discernible signs of the condition.

Some or all of these signs may be present when a person reaches their burnout level of mental and physical fatigue. Continue reading →