Decoding Burnout: Recognizing the Signs
Remember when you were a kid, and summer days seemed to stretch on forever? Now, it feels like someone's pressed the fast-forward button on your life. Weeks seem to fly by in the blink of an eye. You find yourself perpetually hurrying from one task to the next, juggling mounting responsibilities, yet never feeling like you've done enough. Your calendar is a blur of deadlines and commitments, and it’s getting harder to recall the last time you felt truly energized by your work. At the end of each day, you struggle to feel a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction. Rest feels like a luxury you can’t afford, and when you finally get to bed, a familiar dread creeps in – tomorrow, you’ll do it all over again.
If you're nodding along, thinking, "This sounds like me," it's time we had a talk about burnout.
What is Burnout?
As a financial planner who specializes in working with Millennials, I often hear about how burnout is overtaking their lives. My clients' stories, alongside my own journey, shine a spotlight on the urgency to tackle this generational challenge. But to tackle burnout, we need to start by defining it.
Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. It’s a natural result of attempting to adapt to chronic, compounding long-term stress over time. Left unchecked, it consumes your energy, enthusiasm, and sense of purpose.
Burnout is an officially diagnosable condition by the World Health Organization (WHO). While you can absolutely experience burnout outside the workplace, the WHO defines burnout as a syndrome that results from chronic, unmanageable workplace stress. It characterized by three dimensions:
1. Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
2. Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism toward one’s job;
3. Reduced professional efficacy.
What Burnout is Not: Common Misconceptions
Burnout is not a sign of weakness or personal failure. In fact, burnout is common among passionate, ambitious people who are deeply committed to their careers. It often affects high achievers who push themselves to excel. These individuals tend to be resilient and capable, but anyone can be worn down by unrealistic demands.
Burnout is also not just "being tired" or "having a bad week." It's a cumulative condition that develops over time, often catching people off guard because they've been coping for so long. Recognizing burnout for what it is – a response to chronic stress – is the first step towards addressing it effectively and compassionately.
Common Signs of Burnout
Burnout symptoms exist on a spectrum. You might experience some mildly, others more intensely, or in ways not listed here.
Here’s what burnout can look like:
A persistent feeling of exhaustion, both physical and emotional
Uncharacteristically overwhelmed by your responsibilities
A sense of detachment from your work or personal life
Difficulty concentrating or being productive
Increased irritability or impatience with others
Physical symptoms like headaches, insomnia, or digestive issues
A nagging feeling that what you do doesn't matter anymore
Engaging in escapist behaviors
A Glimpse Into My Personal Burnout
Burnout doesn't announce itself with a bang, and mine crept in slowly, disguising itself as dedication until I could no longer ignore its impact. Here’s a glimpse into my personal burnout symptoms:
My sense of control over my life eroded as my workload became impossible. Gradually, it consumed more and more of my time, eventually leaving no room for anything else. The “Sunday Scaries” became a daily occurrence, later escalating to panic attacks, and anxiety became a constant companion. Anything fun – like rest, hobbies, time with family and friends – felt like procrastination. I became a broken record, constantly saying, “I have to work when I get home”. I wondered whether this was just what it meant to be an adult.
Imagining my escape from work, I found myself regularly returning to a favorite daydream: fantasizing about winning the lottery. As a financial planner, I had plenty of ideas for how to allocate millions, and walking through my plan became a bedtime story I’d tell myself to soothe my racing mind at night. Physical symptoms emerged too: digestive pain and heart palpitations that genuinely scared me. Perhaps most painfully, my personal relationships suffered as my emotional bandwidth dwindled to zero, leading to some very low moments that are still difficult to reflect on. I felt like a shell of myself.
Sharing this isn't easy, but this chapter of my life became a turning point. It ignited my passion for addressing burnout. When my "burnout brain" finally sat down for a strategy session with my "financial planner brain," I discovered that there are powerful, often overlooked tools for recovery. I'm excited to explore these insights, hoping they'll illuminate new possibilities for those struggling with burnout.
Financial Planning: Your Unexpected Ally in Burnout Recovery
Most strategies for overcoming burnout focus primarily on rest and stress reduction. While these are undoubtedly essential, true healing requires us to examine and adjust multiple areas of our lives, including our work environment, boundaries, personal relationships, self-care practices, and yes, even our finances.
In my experience as a financial planner, I've come to understand that financial planning can play a major role in charting the course beyond burnout. It's not just about managing financial stress, although that can certainly be a factor. More importantly, a solid financial plan can help you visualize and create a tangible path forward. It can provide the framework for making significant life changes, such as reducing work hours, changing careers, or taking time off.
In my next post, we'll delve into how financial planning can serve as an ally in reclaiming your life and energy from burnout, by helping you move from "what if" to "here's how."
