Workplace burnout: Recognising the signs

Project professionals are notorious for remaining calm under pressure. They may work long hours, but they pride themselves on perfectionism. Generally speaking, it takes a lot for a project manager to become visibly stressed, making it even more challenging to notice when they are experiencing burnout. Here we take a look at how to spot the signs of burnout and mental exhaustion, and how to deal with it.

What is burnout at work?

A common misconception is that those suffering from burnout will hit a type of breaking point. This will come out as a ‘car crash’ moment or meltdown when the stress gets too much; but whilst you are coping with stress you are just fine. In fact, quite the opposite is true, and reaching a disastrous breaking point can be avoided by diagnosing burnout early.

How do I know if I’m suffering from burnout?

Burnout is essentially chronic stress. It simmers away in the background and it can go unrecognised as the sufferer battles to cover it up – whether to save face, or in order to trick themselves into thinking that nothing is wrong.

Just some telltale signs of burnout include:

Exhaustion and lack of motivation

Even when you want to do something, getting going can become challenging and you don’t have the enthusiasm you once had. In work terms you may find your performance declines despite working longer hours than ever.

Lack of self-care

One of the first things to slip for those experiencing burnout is their self-care. Looking after number one no longer seems important and this will show itself in various ways with different people – it may be that they no longer make any effort with their appearance, stop taking exercise, or partaking in hobbies they once enjoyed.

A pessimistic attitude

Stress can easily have a negative effect on our attitudes. Whilst we may paint on a smile to cover it up, that can only last so long before our negative thoughts rear their head. This can come out as snappiness towards others, deteriorating relationships with those around us, or simply as disengagement from everything.

How does burnout differ from mental exhaustion?

Burnout and mental exhaustion are in essence the same thing. Stress, negativity or obsessive thoughts can become all-consuming during burnout. For sufferers, despite all efforts to carry on as normal, these stresses are always taking place in the brain and this will inevitably result in mental exhaustion.

Mental exhaustion can show itself in physical ways. At work, you may find that whilst you are physically p