Although burnout is not classified as a medical condition, it is a syndrome, which means it's a group of symptoms linked to a specific health-related cause.
It causes physical and mental exhaustion, which can happen if you're under long-term stress or pressure.
Dr Claire Ashley, author of The Burnout Doctor: Your 6-Step Recovery Plan, says, "Burnout happens when you're stuck in fight-or-flight mode for too long.
The stress hormones that help you to successfully tackle short-term challenges stay stuck in the 'on' position, draining your energy, focus and motivation.
"It typically begins with feeling like you're running on fumes, where you're completely exhausted no matter how much sleep you get and the smallest things push you over the edge.
You're likely to experience poor memory and focus alongside physical sensations such as headaches and muscle pain.
Your performance starts to drop off and, eventually, you end up in an unrecognisable state of apathy, cynicism, hopelessness, disillusionment and despair." Burnout can contribute to depression and anxiety, so it's vital if you have symptoms to seek help and look at ways to recover.
"If you're feeling stressed, but don't think you're burnt out yet, then you're in a wonderful position to make changes to avoid burnout now and in the future," says Dr Ashley. "If you realise you're burnt out, the good news is that recovery is possible. With the right support, coupled with changes to how you manage your stress, you can and will feel better."
STRESS MANAGEMENT
There are several methods to help you keep your stress levels under control: listening to music can help you relax, scheduling some downtime into your day will give you time to recharge your batteries, writing a to-do list can make you feel more in control of things and taking a short nap can give you a muchneeded energy boost.
FIND THE ROOT CAUSES
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Quality sleep, a healthy diet and exercise are very helpful in the latter stages of recovery when...