You may have the job of your dreams, but you feel that you are losing your strength a little more each day. Everything seems to be fine on the surface and yet deep down inside you, stress and anxiety are eating away at you. An overload of work, the desire to always do more and to achieve unachievable goals:be careful not to forget yourself! Burnout is characterized by different symptoms. If you don't pay attention to the signals that your body sends regularly, it will know how to sound the alarm. The most frequent symptoms are at the beginning an almost permanent stress, causing irritability and anger. Some women affected by this pathology have muscle pain, back pain or stomach pain. The nights then become complicated:difficult to fall asleep, more and more frequent insomnia...
In addition to physical and behavioral symptoms, there is also a change in behavior in people with burnout. Psychologically, they become fragile. Many women say they lose self-esteem and no longer have confidence in themselves. Another important symptom of burnout is the feeling of being in a state of almost permanent sadness:anxiety overwhelms the individual. Most people affected by burnout do not realize what is happening. They think that this state of sadness will pass and that it is a temporary phase of depression. But beware, burnout is not depression, the latter is one of its manifestations. We must therefore be very attentive to our feelings and our internal suffering.
Doctors and psychologists have established four relatively constant phases in the course of a burnout. The first phase is that of pleasure at work:a lot of commitment, very intense involvement and constant efforts to achieve your goal. Stress then begins to be felt more and more often. The second phase is in continuity. The body adapts to this work overload and stress, and little by little work invades the private sphere:no time to play sports or go out for a drink with friends! The third phase is that of the rupture:the relentlessness is so intense that the stress becomes chronic. Anxiety and anxiety are very present and the person loses self-confidence. The fourth phase is characterized by physical and moral exhaustion. The anxiety is permanent and the person collapses before cracking. Although everyone may have different experiences, these symptoms are important to identify. It is very important to consult your doctor if you feel you are slipping down the dangerous slope of burnout.
