“I Knew I Was Experiencing a Burnout When…”

We’ve talked time and time again about work-related burnout – and yes, we are still talking about it! In fact, ever since the pandemic, it’s been talked about more and more as we experience anxiety over our future, the loss of self, and yes even from the stress of new working norms (WFH day till night, anyone?)

But sometimes, you never know it’s happening to you until it does. What exactly is work-related burnout after all? According to Psychology Today, it occurs when prolonged stress leaves you feeling completely mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. Burnout at work can make you feel hopeless, ineffective, cynical, and filled with dread.

Sounds familiar? Not always! We often get so caught up with work that we don’t realise all that stress we are experiencing is related to being burned out! So we asked around and some of you shared what your personal burnout red flags were. Here’s what you had to say:

“For me, it was when I was almost in tears at work for something minor. We were having a discussion about a project that was recently completed. It was stressful to begin with so when a colleague made a passing remark about how I could have handled a certain situation better, I felt hot tears springing at the back of my eyes. I willed myself not to cry but everyone could see that I was on the brink of it. That’s when I knew that the stress and anxiety of work had finally caught up with me.” – Yee Ching

“I used to look forward to waking up and going to work on time to start my day bright and early. Now, not so much. I’d just wish I could stay in bed – forever.” – Mohd Azli

“I worked as a sales assistant once. My manager was awful to me and often rebutted me for things I didn’t do. At first, it was just little things then it became larger and more serious accusations. I knew it reached the point of red flag warning when I started taking it out on customers, not giving them good service and being rude. It was time for me to quit.” – Sally

“I was constantly working, day and night. One late night, I got locked out of my computer. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember the password to unlock it – even though I’ve used it every single day. My brain was just blank. I just couldn’t think.” – Brian

“I broke out in hives! At first, I thought it was something I ate or something I touched but I didn’t really do anything out of the ordinary. I went to the doctor and he asked if there was anything causing stress in my life lately. Yes, work! I had a new manager who was giving everyone a hard time on top of the excessive workload. Guess my body decided enough was enough.” – Radzul

“I was so angry all the time. With everyone and at even the littlest things. Work was making me angry, sarcastic, and snappy. I finally took a break and during my holiday, I found that I was in a better mood instantly! When I went back to work, colleagues remarked how they’ve not seen me angry for a while. So when work gets too much, I shut down and go for a break.” – Sushila

Photo by mhrezaa on Unsplash.