There are several reasons for feeling burned out. No one can downplay or minimize the stress and trauma that they might have been through over their lives. We live in a culture where we are always pushed to be more and do more, which makes this entire work-life balance nearly impossible.

Before we know it, we might be burnt out. Here are some of the essential signs that you might be burned out in life.

Keep reading.

Burnout – An Overview

Burnout in itself occurs when the reward for what you are doing isn’t equal to the effort that you put in. This aspect indicates that it is crucial to feel rewarded, which can happen through recognition, money, the ability to help, and many more aspects.

So, if this reward goes down or vanishes completely, you slowly but surely start to feel burned out. The following signs are strong and indicate that you are going through burnout right now.

Moodiness

The first signs that you might be going through burnout right now are feelings of moodiness, cynicism, and irritability. You might start to feel irritated about everyday things that you normally have to deal with and handle fine.

The things that usually provide you with a sense of fulfillment and joy might start to get on your nerves. So, if your mood increases, it might be time to pack up for the weekend, check your car, get the soft cooler bags to pack your snacks, and plan a weekend getaway with a road trip.

You will get to reflect on life, find the much-needed break, and return home with a positive outlook on life.

Sleeping Trouble

The second sign that you are burned out in life is when you start to experience difficulty sleeping. At night, you might feel very restless, and you might experience racing thoughts at night. You might find yourself in a situation where you are not able to take full breaths, and you are not able to calm down.

If you get overwhelmed at night with the thoughts that your to-do list is only getting longer and there is no time for rest, you will have a hard time getting that rest, which is why you might experience insomnia.

Cognitive Problems

When you are experiencing burnout in life, you might experience some sort of cognitive difficulty. This aspect includes that you might have trouble focusing and remembering things. You might also feel like you cannot make decisions.

It might feel like you have brain fog. When you feel overly exhausted to the point of burnout, you might just keep digging in your mind, trying to pull out the information you need, only to find nothing. You might not be able to focus or recall things, which can be quite disturbing at times.

Increase of Alcohol Intake

Another potential sign that you are burned out in life is when you resort to excessive use of alcohol and drugs. When you are going through burnout, you mostly don’t know what is happening in life, and you turn to alcohol or drugs to help you manage other symptoms of burnout, such as irritability, brain fog, and cognitive problems.

Simply because you are not feeling like yourself, you might turn to these things as a way to cope – only because you might feel like you don’t have other things that you could potentially use. If you don’t feel like yourself, you might need to book the flight and plan a fun trip to your favorite part of the world.

Lack of Motivation

When you are burned out in life, it can feel impossible for you to get out of bed sometimes. This aspect includes that you might have an incredibly hard time starting new projects. You might sit down to get going, only to find out that you just cannot start working.

You might try to get the work started, and five minutes into it, you might already feel exhausted. You might feel as if everything that you are doing in life is simply taking too much effort. This aspect makes it perfectly self-explanatory why untreated burnout can lead to more serious mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

You Feel Like a Failure

Another tell-tale sign that you are burned out and need to take a step back and allow yourself the time to relax and rejuvenate is that you might feel like a complete failure. The underlying reason is that you are simply not feeling rewarded. Since you aren’t feeling rewarded, you might find yourself not accomplished and satisfied.

If you have trouble getting yourself motivated and everything seems like it is too much energy-consuming and you no longer feel like what you are doing is fulfilling anymore; then, of course, it can start to feel like a failure.