You are working long hours, have many projects on the go, often feel tired but you are telling yourself: “I’m ok, I can do this, I will be fine”.   But how do you know, truly, that you will be fine?

Over the past 3 years, burnout cases have tripled, and this is only the visible part of the iceberg, the official cases among employees.  No need to say, the reality is most probably much grimmer.

So, is it short-term fatigue or high risk of burnout?  How do you know and act before it is too late? Because acting before is fairly simple if you know how but once you have collapsed into burnout, you need at least one year to recover, in the best of circumstances. The question is therefore essential and hiding your head in the sand is the worst possible strategy.

What signs should really worry you?

• You are working very long hours.

• You have little or no time for breaks, sometimes even skip a meal or forget to pee.

• You have more and more trouble focusing and concentrating.

• You sometimes have aches and pains, skin rashes, muscle tensions, headaches or other.

• You snap at people, feel more anxious or irritable than usual or start crying for no apparent reason.

• You feel completely drained sometimes, your energy levels go up and down.

• Your sleep is disrupted or not refreshing.  Often, you wake up early, your to-do list unrolling in your head.

• You stopped doing sports a long time ago or conversely, you are doing more sports than usual and may even be thinking about running a marathon or climbing a famous mountain.

• Your loved ones or colleagues seem to worry about you and suggest you should slow down.

If a majority of these signs are present, especially if they have been for more than 6 months, it is time to react.  Acting now can prevent you from months or even years spent in burnout, unable to work or function properly.

The first thing to do: stop, take a break for a few days, or even a few weeks.  Then review your general rhythm, slow down, take proper breaks, learn very simple tools to use in your daily life that will make a huge difference.

If you are still not certain to be at risk of burnout, why not test yourself with our Burnout Barometer?  It is quick and easy.  And feel free to come back to us with any questions on the subject.

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