At times I reflect back to my past goals and wonder what I didn’t achieve.  What held me back?  What were the reasons certain goals were achieved and others were not.  A couple of years I self diagnosed career burnout from working long hours, not having a work-life balance (if that is at all possible!) and from not recognizing the significance of the goals and milestones I had achieved!  This experience has helped me significantly when speaking with clients also suffering from burnout.  However, when it is clear to me, it is not always so clear to the sufferer.

Career Burnout manifests itself in many ways. 

Here are list of just some of the symptoms:

• Desire to escape 
• Inability to make decisions 
• Erratic emotions 
• Careless attitude 
• Feeling as though you have no control of your life 
• Reduced or very limited motivation 
• Decreased desire for things you once desired  
• Physical problems  
• Mental health problems such as depression

What is Burnout?
Burnout is a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest and is caused by overload in the workplace.  Usually burnout manifests itself as emotional exhaustion, a reduced sense of personal accomplishment, has an effect on job performance and can cause physical and mental health issues.

How to Prevent or Resolve Burnout?
There are many ways to prevent or resolve burnout.  The first is to recognise that it has become a problem.  Burnout occurs when there is a disconnect between the individual and the purpose of their work. Here are some of the things you can do to identify burnout:

• Write down a list of symptoms you identify in yourself from the list above
• Estimate how much time you spend at work versus the time you spend doing the things you love
• Write down the last time you rewarded yourself for a goal you achieved
• Write down the last time you made a difference in someone else’s life
• Now evaluate the list and be honest, could things change to be in your favour?

If you feel you could be suffering burnout, we recommend that you see a health professional or a career counsellor to determine a plan for moving forward to a positive and more rewarding future.