3 Types of Burnout at Work and How to Avoid Them 🙏

The word ‘burnout’ is used in most work-related conversations today, but where did it really come from?

Burnout originally came from the effects of working in a high-pressure environment for long periods of time. For example, if you feel like your job is getting to you, it might be time to take a step back and see what's hurting your mental state at work.

It’s natural, healthy, and important to find ways to combat the effects of burnout. There are many factors that contribute to burnout: stressors at work, lack of support from colleagues, or being overextended. But in this article, we'll discuss 3 types of burnout and how you can avoid them in the future.

Without further ado, let's start with Type 1: Overload Burnout.

Overload Burnout

The most common type of burnout that people suffer is overload burnout. It happens when at work you push your limits just to achieve your goals and get recognition without caring for your physical or mental wellbeing. If you feel this need to work endlessly, it could be because you feel obligated to reach a certain level of 'success'.

If you feel overburdened and unable to balance what takes up your time - work, family, ‘me time’- that’s a sign that you’re experiencing overload burnout. But don’t worry, just know that you should take small steps of improvement and take your time when needed. It’s an ongoing process!

Moreover, people who work in toxic-productivity cultures face overload burnout often. It’s crucial to set boundaries wherever you can and always remember you don’t need to sacrifice your health to prove your worth for the company. Be careful to chew only what you can swallow! 

Under-challenged Burnout

Coming to our second type of burnout, under challenged burn out is when you feel demotivated and bored in the workplace. If you think about it, it’s the opposite of overload burnout and happens when you do too little and your surroundings are not challenging or giving you growth opportunities. 

If you feel as though your task is too repetitive or boring, you may react by losing the will to do the task and become distracted and disconnected from your work. Since the pandemic, you may have worked primarily from home (or still do). As sweet as it feels to work remotely, it may be causing you your mental health.

A great fix would be to get dressed like you would for work and take your work from home to a café or coffee shop! A change of environment is always helpful to get your mind straight and reconnect with life. Try socializing with some new people and make a work-group if possible. Remember, humans are social creatures. Sometimes you have to push your comfort zone today for a better mental state tomorrow! 

Neglect Burnout

Have you ever felt like you aren’t been given enough guidance or help at work? If yes, you may have gone through neglect burnout. This type of burnout leaves you feeling helpless, uncertain and unskilled- as if you are not enough for the job. 

I remember I felt at my first ever internship. I felt lost and hopeless since I was left unguided and had to forcefully find some tasks to do. With neglect comes a sense of imposter syndrome, where you feel you’re not given work you aren’t good enough or can be trusted with important tasks, even if that might not be the case. Make sure to assure yourself as many times as needed and be an active communicator with your senior, they may need guidance from their seniors as well!

I know it gets tough to keep going in these times, but such times shape you to become a better version of yourself! Sometimes you can try push through, on other occasions, try to find alternate avenues of help. Remember you’re not alone in this journey, so never be afraid to ask for help!

3 Quick Tips to Avoid Burnout

Having gone through burnout in my previous job, I realize how important it is to pull yourself out of it. What’s more important is preventing it in the first place. Here are three tips to avoid burnout that I wish someone told me earlier:

1. Fighting burnout on your own can be difficult.  Try seeking professional help from psychologist to understand what type of burnout you have so you can find ways to cope with YOUR burnout. You should also discuss this with your manager to share your thoughts and reasons for burnout and come up with a plan together to combat it. Some companies also provide mental health days at work or policies for employee mental well-being, don't hesitate to ask for what you need.
2. Learn to prioritize better. Try to manage your workload by making a daily or weekly plan, however works best for you. That way, you’ll make sure it is not too burdening and neither too under or over whelming, thus helping you stay motivated in your job!
3. Prioritization tip # 2: Create a map where you see what work is actually urgent and what isn’t. Most work we think is urgent can be pushed to a better time. If you don’t have any urgent work pending, then take time out and spend it on stuff you like to do. It could be something as simple as taking a walk in the park, going for a haircut, sipping a cup of tea with your family, and so on.

Summary

Burnout isn’t when you work for long periods of time, that’s only one type of it. It can be also be triggered if you don’t challenge yourself (aka do boring, monotonous tasks) or if you feel left out in work. 

It’s good to take a step back and identify the causes of your burnout because if you don’t, it can easily flip your inner and outer world upside down! Make sure you make time for yourself, your family, your social life, and especially your physical & mental health. Your future self will thank you!

And remember, life has its fair share of ups and downs. Make sure you stay persistent and true to your values. Your time will come! 🙏