Post by t-bob on Apr 21, 2024 20:00:58 GMT -5
Excerpt by Ten Percent Happier
Burnout is also a spectrum, not a binary. At the early stages, it might just show up as having an excessive drive and pushing yourself to work harder and harder until you start neglecting personal care and needs. We might depersonalize others, seeing work colleagues purely in terms of their roles, for example, or we might depersonalize ourselves, seeing ourselves as to-do list ninjas rather than human beings.
At later phases, many people experience inner emptiness, depression or collapse. It can look like intensive depression or like anxiety, depending on the person. Burnout can contribute to substance abuse and even, in extreme cases, to suicidal ideation.
As anyone who has experienced it knows, severe burnout is also a full-body experience. Recent research on burnout has focused on how burnout impacts our bodies, from enlarged amygdalas to changes in hormones and gastrointestinal problems. Other physical symptoms include hair loss, hormonal changes, even changes in one's speaking voice.
Lastly, as we emerge from the pandemic, it's also worth emphasizing that burnout takes a long time to recover from, like trauma. Burnout has a real impact on our self-worth and our ability to function even at basic levels.
Burnout is also a spectrum, not a binary. At the early stages, it might just show up as having an excessive drive and pushing yourself to work harder and harder until you start neglecting personal care and needs. We might depersonalize others, seeing work colleagues purely in terms of their roles, for example, or we might depersonalize ourselves, seeing ourselves as to-do list ninjas rather than human beings.
At later phases, many people experience inner emptiness, depression or collapse. It can look like intensive depression or like anxiety, depending on the person. Burnout can contribute to substance abuse and even, in extreme cases, to suicidal ideation.
As anyone who has experienced it knows, severe burnout is also a full-body experience. Recent research on burnout has focused on how burnout impacts our bodies, from enlarged amygdalas to changes in hormones and gastrointestinal problems. Other physical symptoms include hair loss, hormonal changes, even changes in one's speaking voice.
Lastly, as we emerge from the pandemic, it's also worth emphasizing that burnout takes a long time to recover from, like trauma. Burnout has a real impact on our self-worth and our ability to function even at basic levels.