Are you just busy or is it burnout? Experts reveal the key signs to look out for
When professional pressures begin to build up, the term “burnout” is frequently heard in workplace conversations.
However, what does burnout actually mean in practice? And how can someone distinguish between simply managing a demanding schedule and experiencing genuine burnout?
Medical experts have identified key differences to watch out for, while offering practical guidance on how to address and recover from this state of mental, physical and emotional depletion.
Defining the condition
The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) evaluates burnout across three core dimensions, measured through a series of specific questions.
“The first criteria is emotional exhaustion and a sense of energy depletion on a regular basis,” says Dr Somya Pandey, specialty doctor in psychiatry at Cygnet Health Care.
“For a diagnosis, we’re talking about emotional exhaustion at work, not in other areas of life, because burnout is defined by ICD-11 (the International Classification of Diseases) as an occupational phenomena.”
The second dimension is depersonalisation.
“What MBI means by this is a feeling of being detached from work and becoming more cynical with regards to your work and/or colleagues,” explains Pandey.
The third indicator involves a reduced sense of personal achievement.
“For example, you might feel like you are working harder but your performance is going down, and you don’t feel as productive as you used to be,” says Pandey.
Key differences between being busy and experiencing burnout
“People that have had a tough week or a busy couple of weeks will generally bounce back very quickly. They will recover after a relaxed weekend of downtime and will come back with all guns blazing,” says Dr John Briffa, author of The Performance Prescription: The Science of Sustainable Success.
“However, people with burnout generally don’t bounce back quickly because they are so depleted that a couple of days of rest and sleep doesn’t really revive them.”
Dr Briffa notes that individuals going through burnout often suffer a loss of motivation and direction.
“These people generally become a bit detached and a bit cynical about having to work too hard, and can even lose their sense of purpose,” says Briffa.
“Whereas, people who are just busy and tired don’t normally lose their purpose. They can see why they do what they do and can see the value of it.”
A dramatic reduction in productivity is another critical sign.
“These people often become very unproductive and are not able to maintain the output that they were previously – and this change can be very sudden,” says Briffa.
“They often cannot get themeselves either emotionally motivated or physically into a place where they can manage the work so that their output reflects the effort they are putting in.
“Whereas, with people who are just a bit tired and busy, if they need to push through and work through the night, for example, they can manage this.”
Physiological changes associated with burnout
Dr Briffa explains that persistent stress can alter the body’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
“When stress, threat or a challenge is sensed by the hypothalamus, it activates the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol,” he explains.
“However, the adrenals are only really designed to cope with a relatively short defined period of stress, so if someone is in a constant state of stress this system can weaken.”
He draws a comparison to a battery running low or a bank account becoming overdrawn.
“What happen is that these people have run out of battery charge or their bank account has become overdrawn,” explains Briffa. “Therefore, they need to restore the money in their bank account or get the charge back up in the battery and need to spend less than they earn.”
Practical steps to overcome burnout:
Sleep
“Recovery comes from sleep and proper rest which can add charge back into the battery,” says Briffa. “So, it can helpful to manage sleep and optimise this as much as possible.”
Breathing exercises
“There are certain breathing techniques that can be very helpful for deactivating the stress system in the body,” says Briffa. “For example, slower breathing with an extended out breath.”
Prioritising and scheduling workload
“Prioritise what tasks need your attention, and then plan when these things are actually going to be done,” recommends Briffa.
“This technique helps tell the brain that the task will get done at a certain time, so you don’t have to keep thinking about it or reminding yourself about it.
“Prioritising and scheduling tasks can make the difference between someone staring at the ceiling at 2 o’clock in the morning, or drifting off to sleep at half past 11, which makes a huge difference to recovery.”
Incorporating cognitive rest
“Think about how you can incorporate cognitive rest into your life, and what that might look like for you,” advises Pandey. “Think about when your brain feels like it’s resting and isn’t “switched on” all the time.
“What activities make you feel that way? Is it painting? Is it guided meditation? Is it music? Is it a sports activity, like swimming or tennis?”
When to seek professional advice
“If you feel tired all the time, feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself, and take annual leave but that doesn’t help you recover and these feelings persist for days, I would recommend seeking out some counselling or support,” advises Pandey.
“If you keep thinking that you can manage everything by yourself and it keeps getting worse, that could lead to complications of burnout, such as depression and anxiety.”
