Signs you're about to have a workplace meltdown

We all have those days when we'd rather skip work and stay in bed watching Netflix all day. But when those days happen more often than not, it might be time to take a closer look.

Stress is a natural part of work. But when it gets too much and starts to impact every other aspect of your life, you could be looking at burnout.

Caroline Sandford from The Career Development Company says it's important to figure out how to manage and balance stress so it doesn't become a bigger problem in the future.

"Work-related stress isn't always a negative because a certain amount of stress can motivate an individual to achieve a goal," she says. "However, too much or prolonged stress can become debilitating and result in burnout which can negatively affect an individual's mental, emotional and physical wellbeing."

Causes

One major contributor to burnout is a lack of job security in our ever-changing professional world. A demanding role, bullying or conflict with someone at work, not having much control of their work or how they manage it, or where the effort put into a job isn't rewarded or recognised sufficiently are also common causes.

Symptoms

So how do you know if you're suffering from burnout? Chances are stress has started to impact your physical body.

"Symptoms could include lack of energy, feeling depleted and tired most days, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, or trouble concentrating," says Sandford.

"Anxiety and depression are also possible results of prolonged stress. Becoming more irritable and negative with the likely loss of enjoyment from work can not only affect your working life, it can also impact other areas of your life."

More serious symptoms could include chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches or heart palpitations. These symptoms could indicate other health issues so it's very important to get advice from a medical practitioner.

Action Plan

If you feel like you're on the cusp of burnout or you want to nip it in the bud before it becomes an issue, Sandford has some suggestions:

1. Tune into your body. Prioritise getting enough sleep every day, exercising regularly, eating well and taking the time to breathe slowly, deeply and mindfully.

2. Stress less. Try some stress-reducing techniques like meditation, going for a walk or talking to a friend or a professional.

3. Work/life balance. Are you spending too much time at work and not enough time doing activities that you enjoy, like spending time with friends and family, going to the movies or getting away for the weekend?

4. Evaluate your job. Can you share your workload if it's too heavy? Can you take some time out or reduce your hours? Do you need more training or resources to help get your work done?

5. Time out. Taking time out is an excellent way to step back from the situation and assess it critically. When you're in the middle of it all, it can be challenging to see the options available. Calling time out can give you mental space to make a good decision for yourself.