The 3 Warning Signs That You Are Close to Burnout (and How To Get Out of It)
You must learn to listen to the signals your body sends you.
A few weeks ago, I woke up one morning and I was already exhausted and the day was just beginning. What was my first reaction? I simply said to myself that I needed to have a stronger coffee to start my day.
As the day progressed, the fatigue intensified, and I had quite a headache. My reaction? I took some aspirin and drank another coffee. A little fuel to get things going again. After all, I have so much to do that I don’t have time to waste listening to the signals my body is sending me.
And yet, it is precisely these signals that should alert you and make you react. It can be simple temporary fatigue due to a change of season, or a winter that is harsher than usual. Nevertheless, all the signals that your body sends you must be listened to very carefully.
You should not make the mistake of listening to what my father used to tell me: “Be tough, and keep going”. Thanks, dad, but it doesn’t work in the long run.
Personally, after a few days of denial, I always end up understanding that my body is sending me these kinds of signals for a simple reason: I’m overheating and I need to slow down for a while. This is the only way to last in life when you have high goals to achieve.
Those who refuse to listen to their body always end up paying the price sooner or later. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time. And when they open their eyes to the reality of their exhaustion, it may already be burnout. At that point, it will take you even longer to get back on track. It is therefore in your best interest to take it easy to avoid getting to that point, which is not your goal.
Since I have just convinced you of the importance of listening to the warning signs that you are getting closer and closer to burnout, I will give you the three main ones that alert me to the need to slow down and give myself more time to rest.
1. Only treating the consequences of exhaustion
I’ll start again here with the introductory example of my article. You are getting more and more tired, but instead of trying to understand why, you will only treat the consequences. You will drink more coffee or take an aspirin. You’ll take vitamin C or some other dietary supplement that will keep you going longer without asking the real questions about why you’re exhausted.
This is a huge mistake. Dare to ask yourself the real questions, but even more so answer them! Your exhaustion is not random. It is a red flag from your body that you need to take a break. Enjoy nature, exercise more, get out more with those who make you feel good, eat better, and sleep more. In short, put things in perspective to make your well-being the number one priority.
2. You constantly blame others for your problems
When things tend to get complicated in life, you have two choices: take responsibility for your progress by doing better, or blame others. I’m pretty clear on this point, and I watch my attitude so that I stay within the framework of what makes progress.
But when I’m burned out, I sometimes lose my clarity and take the easy way out by blaming others for things that are my fault. It’s easier to blame someone else for a failure than to assume one’s shortcomings. It is however the only way to move forward in life.
When I fall into this trap, it is often a signal that I am losing my temper and that I am overheated. This is something I invite you to watch carefully in your behavior with others.
3. You feel the increasingly constant need to be perfect
Fatigue tends to obscure the absolute necessity of focusing on the things you can control. You will start to focus on the outcomes when in reality, they are out of your hands once you have done all you can beforehand. The more exhausted you are, the more you will try to be perfect, thinking that this will bring you closer to the goals you are pursuing.
You will enter an endless vicious cycle. Again, the best thing to do is to step back and realize that your anxieties come from the fact that you no longer consider failure in the right way. Failure is part of the process of achieving success in life. You must accept it and use it to move forward.
If you can’t understand this, it’s time to take a step back and refocus on yourself. You will come to understand that your job is only to try to be a better version of yourself day by day. No more, no less. That’s ambitious enough that it’s hard to achieve. There is no need to go further and seek a perfectly utopian perfection.
Final Thoughts
We live a life where everything can go very fast when we have ultra-ambitious goals. You must learn to listen to your body to avoid reaching the point of no return: the burnout stage. Finally, there is always a way back, but the time it takes to get back to a good mental state will be longer than the time you neglected to listen to your body beforehand. It is up to you to focus on yourself by keeping in mind the 3 warning signs I have just revealed to you.