How to Recognize and Rectify Career or Business Burnout

When you first started your present career or opened your business, you were most likely filled with excitement and entertaining visions of future career/business growth, challenge, and increased Moola (aka $$$). But somewhere along the line, the day to day challenges with which you've been constantly faced may have had a tendency to wear your excitement and anticipation down to a bare whisper.

Career burnout tends to progress slowly from a mild stage, to a moderate more noticeable stage, and left unchecked, career burnout can eventually progress to a dangerous, severe stage that takes the pleasure out of life and living.

It's amazing how many folks do not recognize the signs of burnout before they are leaping off of the milk truck. The following are some of the most prevalent signs of career/business burnout.

• Increased workplace stress.

Are you stressed out? The more stress you are under at work, the more apt you will be to wear down and begin experiencing the burnout blues.

• Decreased workplace performance.

If your work performance has slipped markedly, and you are procrastinating or experiencing a lack of motivation to increase your work performance, you have entered the burn-out zone!

• Working long hours.

There is a reason there are so many country songs about being overworked and underpaid. Working overly long hours can lead to increased stress, depression, and big-time career burnout.

• You dread Mondays.

Believe it or not, it is not normal to dread the first workday of each week. If you get the feeling of disappointment and dread about going back to work each week, you are experiencing the burnout blues.

• Boredom.

If you are no longer brimming with excited anticipation about your work, you are most likely bored and in one of the initial stages of career burnout.

• Negative thoughts or comments about your business/career.

If you find yourself repeatedly thinking or verbalizing negatively about your business or career, you are stuck in a downward spiral that leads to the bottom of the murky career burnout lake.

• Avoiding Responsibility.

A big sign of being burned out at work includes avoiding new or additional responsibilities. After all, added responsibility would require you to be engaged in your work process.

• Playing the Blame Game.

If you find yourself blaming others for every possible problem that exists in your workplace, than you may be in the burnout loop of blaming others to make up for and hide your lack of enthusiasm and caring for your work.

• Working fewer hours.

Are you progressively reducing the number of hours you work each week because you just can't stand to do your job? Hello!!! You are burned out!

• Intense emotions of depression or rage.

Left unchecked, severe career burnout can manifest itself in to serious signs of depression and/or nearly uncontrollable anger or frustration. If you feel that you are at such a breaking point, get some professional advice from a therapist.

Avoiding or Overcoming Career Burnout.

If you realize that you are burned out with your career, this doesn't make you bad or alone. Most folks have experienced career burnout at least once in their work lives. However, it is not a fun or freeing feeling. Luckily, you can avoid or overcome career burnout. The following are suggestions to help you stay away from the big, bad burnout!

• Form meaningful relationships with clear boundaries with your associates.

Get to know and appreciate the people with whom you interact. Also, set and maintain clear boundaries for expected behaviors and communications with your associates. The closer you are to the people whom you interact with daily, the more enjoyable your work life will be, and the more you will look forward to future daily interactions with these same people.

• Be creative.

Is there a new, creative way to add a twist to what you do? Constantly look for ways to implement creativity to your daily responsibilities and tasks. This creativity will help you stay engaged in your business or career.

• Change your environment regularly.

Rearrange and clean your work environment. Change your daily routines. Change whatever you can afford to change. This regular change will keep your energy renewed and excited.

• Find a way to have fun.

Tell an occasional joke. Find the humor in different situations. The more fun you and your associates have, the more productive and happy you will all be.

• Challenge yourself regularly.

Do not get stuck in the same old grind. If you can do your work with your eyes closed, it is time to look for a way to challenge yourself to somehow improve your performance. Setting and achieving specific work goals will help challenge you to stay excited and engaged in what you are doing.

• Let go of unrealistic expectations.

Are you putting undo pressure and stress on yourself by having unrealistic expectations of what you are capable of producing? If so, stop biting off more than any one human being could possibly chew. The key is to challenge yourself while still maintaining realistic expectations.

• Be grateful and appreciative.

When you focus on what you have to be grateful and appreciative for, you will continue to get more of what can be appreciated. Gratitude and appreciation are powerful positive motivating factors that will help you continue to enjoy your career.

• Communicate and clear up miscommunications or hard feelings.

Relationship discord, miscommunications, and/or hurt feelings left unresolved become hardened to the point that they clog up the work atmosphere and make your relationships unstable, resentful, and petrified.

Communicate your discord, perceptions or hurt feelings directly with the person involved. If that still doesn't work, address your issues with your human resources manager or any other person who can support you in resolving your workplace discord.

• Take regular vacations.

Give yourself well needed time away from your work. Regular vacations serve to revitalize your energy and your attitude. Pulling away from your work from time to time also helps you to gain a well-rounded positive perspective towards your business or work.

• Get a different job or open a different business.

If you've tried everything you can imagine to renew your passion for your work, but continue to experience career burnout, it may be that your soul is calling you to a new career or business opportunity. In this case, do your homework, and attain a different job, career, or business that suits your needs and your personality.

As you go through your career travels and experiences, just remember that no job or career is 100% perfect. There are challenges in every situation. However, it is up to you to create the mindset and attitude about your work such that your heart can sing with feelings of joy, excitement, and accomplishment.

Don't allow career/business burnout to eat at your core. Recognize it, and deal with it in a positive way.

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