Job Burnout

Job burnout is a real problem in the U.S. Even before the national outbreak of Covid-19, the United States experienced some of the worst job burnout rates, coupled with generalized anxiety. According to the Mayo Clinic, Job burnout happens when there is a felt sensation of chronic job stress. Chronic stress can affect your mental and physical well-being. Job burnout is associated with exhaustion, feelings of inadequacy, and often an overwhelming sensation of hating your job. 

Job burnout can happen in any career field but occurs most often in the helping professions such as nursing, first responders, social workers, and psychotherapists. I am willing to bet that post-covid research will show that teachers and restaurant workers will join the likes of first responders experiencing job burnout. However, I’m confident that anyone who experiences the symptoms I outline below can feel job burnout in any position. 

What causes job burnout? 

Heavy workloads create an impossible level of exhaustion. When a company downsizes, they often expect the same workload to increase while operating with fewer employees. Operating with fewer employees often creates unreasonable deadlines that instill a feeling of inadequateness around colleagues and peers. Having a boss with the personality of sandpaper can add work-related stress that can contribute to hating your career. I’m pretty confident most of us have felt the sensation of being done with a job and wanting a new career to start over. 

Some professionals experience tertiary trauma from listening to the stories of others. Whereas some experience real-life traumatic events such as death, accidents, and destruction. A sexually pervasive boss can also elicit first-hand trauma for those they attack in their lust and drive for power. One of the most significant factors is when employees don’t feel supported by their employer or peers. When the communication structure is not present in the work environment, employees can fill in the narrative gaps, creating discord. 

How do you know if you are suffering from career burnout? 

As mentioned before, the three most significant factors are feelings of inadequacy, exhaustion, and overwhelming sensations of hating your job. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. Folks who suffer from burnout experience anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion, and difficulty sleeping. Burnout can cause people to feel overwhelmingly pessimistic. They may begin to distance themselves from co-workers or work-related events. Many people also experience physical symptoms like headaches, digestive issues, low energy, and other health problems. Brain fog and difficulty concentrating may also be present.

Physical effects of job burnout

Physical effects of job burnout are an increased heart rate, irregular bowel movements, and increased muscle strain. But, first, increased heart rate and blood pressure often always cause symptoms closely related to anxiety. I’ll address this in the psychological effects. When your heart rate increases with the thought of going to work in a chaotic environment or a sexual pervasive work setting, or even as a front-line employee, your nervous system begins to overreact. When your nervous system overreacts, your body begins to reject the nutrients you put into it, OR you begin to feed your body foods it doesn’t like. 

This introduction of foods your body doesn’t like (beer, alcohol, fatty foods, excess sweets) continues to frustrate your biological system and your nervous system. As a result, your muscles can spasm or cramp. When your muscles cramp, your interconnected nervous system kicks into the fight, flight, or freeze, and instantly the anxiety manifests. Your heart can begin to race. Your thoughts then take a negative downward spiral. And so on, and so on, and so on.

Psychological effects of job burnout

Anxiety. A leading cause of all of the aspects mentioned above. Judson Brewer has a fantastic book titled, Unwind Anxiety. In his groundbreaking work, he discusses how humans have a trigger-behavior-reward action. It might sound weird to think of your brain craving the reward of anxiety, but it does. Let’s not forget, the brain is the only organ to have named itself. 

Let’s break it down. First, Your alarm goes off. Next is the smashing of the snooze button. You follow up with the grumblings of “shit” again. Subsequently, your muscles begin to tighten. Maybe your stomach begins to get upset. The nauseous feeling is a reaction from your vagus nerve being overly stimulated. Furthermore, you fumble around in bed looking for a reason to miss work. That’s usually the process your body goes through in preparation for the day. 

The above-outlined process also sets the tempo for the day. Now, you wake up in a pissy mood, snap at the dog or your partner, and get on the road and deal with the traffic and all the a-holes causing you to be late. You get to work, you have to park 2 miles away, and when you get through the door, “Johnson, where the hell are your deadlines!!!!” It’s cyclical. 

Not everyone who has a high-stress job experiences job burnout, so what’s the deal? 

Stress management and support are the keys to preventing job burnout. A firefighter, for example, has an overwhelmingly stressful job. Suppose they manage their stress well and get the support they need from their employer, peers, friends, and family. In that case, they will likely not experience burnout. On the other hand, there is also the idea that some folks are predisposed to burnout. Possibly depression is already present, or they have a very pessimistic attitude from the start. These last two issues require us to have the “chicken or the egg” conversation with ourselves. 

There’s another cause of career burnout that I didn’t mention before that is important. You! You are probably adding to your burnout. Are you a people pleaser? Do you need to do everything perfectly? Do you say “yes” when you should be saying “no?” If you answered “yes” to any of these, you could be contributing to your career burnout. Therefore, it is in your best interest to work with a qualified career coach to determine what your future holds. 

I am experiencing career burnout! What do I do? 

Self-care strategies like eating healthy, exercise, meditation, and taking some time off are big helpers. Getting support from family and friends can also benefit those struggling with burnout. If you have tried getting the support you need at work but to no avail, it may be time to think about a job or career change. A career shift is a difficult decision that may impact many people and many areas in your life. To some, this choice comes easy, but to others, not so much.  

I tend to think of Brené Brown’s concept of a strong back, soft belly, and wild at heart when I think of career happiness and self-care. Does my soft belly allow me to take in nutrients and nourishment from my environment (support)? Does my strong back support me from being mulled over in my career or by others? Am I wild at heart enough, to be honest with myself and explore the limitlessness of my desires and joys in life? 

A non-biased view can help you get back on track, especially if you are a people pleaser or a perfectionist. Consider this, if you feel torn between a job that is killing you and the need to care for your family, perhaps your family is missing the best parts of you, and your career contributes to the worst parts of you. The answers are inside you, and together we can help uncover them. Let’s talk!

Jeremy R. Allen
Son. Husband. Father. Coach.

Guest blog from the clinical director, Jeremy R. Allen, LPC, LMHC, GPCC, MA

Jeremy specializes in couples coaching and combat PTSD. Over the last ten years, Jeremy has worked extensively with combat veterans and couples. Additionally, his years and training in Gottman Couples Counseling and Emotionally Focused Therapy enhance his ability to bring couples together and navigate numerous conflicts. Finally, his specialized training in gestalt therapy and coaching has taught him the wonders of connecting back to the body and understand the pervasiveness of traumatic reactions.