In today’s stressful and frenetic workplace job burnout is an increasingly common phenomenon. But while most of us expect some job stress, how can you tell when you’ve lost the ability to manage the sources of that stress and when they’re leading to a more serious reaction - job burnout?

This is a response to work stress that leaves you feeling powerless, hopeless, fatigued, drained and frustrated. But since job burnout is not an overnight occurrence, it’s important to recognize its early signs and to act before the problem becomes truly serious:

Look at the questions below and answer them quickly
1. Do you find yourself dreading going to work in the morning?
2. Are you regularly experiencing fatigue and low energy levels at your job?
3. Are you easily bored with your job?
4. Do work activities you once found enjoyable now feel like drudgery?
5. Are you depressed on Sunday afternoons thinking about Monday and the coming week?
6. Have you become more cynical or bitter about your job…your boss…the company? Do you find yourself easily annoyed or irritated by your co-workers?
7. Are non-work relationships (marital, family, friendships) affected by your work feelings?
8. Do you find yourself envious of individuals who are happy in their work?
9. Do you now care less than you used to about doing a “good job” at work? If you answered yes to five or more of the above, you may be suffering from job burnout. Unfortunately, for many who reach the burnout stage, the steps out of it can be difficult. Burned out individuals often feel as if there is no hope. The fatigue and despair associated with burnout makes it hard to explore solutions. Burnout often leads to isolation, leaving someone feeling alone in their predicament.
10. The difficulty of dealing with full blown job burnout is why it is important to recognize early signs and take action before things become too serious. One starting point is to recognize the stresses and factors that may be leading to job burnout. Theories about job burnout say tedious and boring jobs appear to be one source. Another is facing a job that’s beyond your ability to do it well. Lack of recognition for the work you do can be another serious source of job stress.

Learn more about the symptoms of burnout and how to prevent them by sending an e-mail to burnoutreport@aweber and request your free report Your name and contact details are protected and safe.