Here's how you can recognize signs of burnout in your career.

Recognizing fatigue is crucial in identifying burnout in your career. Persistent tiredness, even after adequate rest, is a key sign. You might feel physically and emotionally drained, struggling to find energy for daily tasks. If you find yourself dreading work or feeling a lack of accomplishment, these are red flags. Acknowledging these signs early can help you take proactive steps to manage stress and seek support, preventing further burnout.

When facing signs of burnout, you need to pay close attention to your body. Notice any physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, digestive issues, or changes in sleep patterns. The interesting aspect about mindfulness is what it's able to teach us about the mind-body connection. To become self-aware, the simple truth is you need to establish a deep connection to our body. One of the primary reasons for this is because our body and what's being experienced through it is always happening in the present moment. In the body, you can't feel what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow. This awareness allows you to take proactive steps to address stress before burnout escalates and significantly impacts your career.

> Constant fatigue, lack of motivation, and a growing sense of dread about work can signal burnout. > Feeling cynical about your job, losing passion for the travel industry, and becoming emotionally withdrawn from colleagues and clients are red flags. > Skipping breaks, neglecting healthy habits, and increased headaches or illnesses can be signs your body is saying "enough."

Mindfulness is a key tool in identifying chronic fatigue, a common indicator of burnout. It's more than simply feeling tired; it's a persistent state of exhaustion that rest alone cannot alleviate. By cultivating awareness of your body's signals, you can recognize when fatigue becomes a constant presence. This allows for early intervention, preventing burnout and maintaining optimal performance.

Mindfulness can help you tune in to your body's fatigue process and sequence: when it's most prominent, how it shows up, what choices you make because of it, how you respond to it, and the emotions and thoughts attached to it and that develop because of it. Once the symptom of fatigue is analyzed, it can transform into a curious part of you to be explored, understood, even appreciated as a sign, your body's protective strategy, and/or a call for help. So, begin by recognizing fatigue, and then exploring it, understanding it, and welcoming it into your system so it can inform you rather than control you.

Loss of motivation due to burnout isn't laziness or just a bad mood. Some signs of burnout include: - Lack of purpose and meaning in work - Apathy and indifference toward job duties - Difficulty motivating oneself to complete tasks or arrive on time - Decreased sense of efficacy in work - Procrastination and postponing tasks - Morning fatigue and reluctance to go to work - Reduction in leisure activities and hobbies - Increased somatic symptoms - Disbalance in healthy routine - Denial of existing problems at work or home Recognizing these symptoms is crucial for addressing burnout and seeking necessary support.

The loss of motivation can be a sign of burnout, but not always, it could be also be because you lost interest or your job is no longer aligned with your passion. If loss of motivation is related to ongoing chronic stress and overwhelm, it is definitely a red flag and an early symptom of burnout. You should immediately take preventive measures.

When you are in burnout or pre-burnout stage, you may find that you have become more sensitive than before, if you practice mindfulness you will immediately see these changes. Any small demand may feel overwhelming or even minor set back builds up frustration. Your emotional resilience has been compromised by ongoing stress and fatigue and you need to prioritise self-care and restore your nervous system.

As a manager it's important to be mindful about burnout symptoms of your employees. Notice any changes in their problem solving skills, when a person is approaching burnout the cognitive skill can be affected, you can observe loss of concentration and quality of deliverables. Be observant and empathetic in order to take the right approach, if the person is in pre-burnout stage any constructive feedback and performance reviews can result in additional stress and will not improve the employee's quality of work. Have an open discussion about potential reasons to identify the root cause.

Our body has all the wisdom, we just need to tune in with our body's intelligence and interprete it's signals. The first signs could be subtle, but if we keep ignoring them, they become lauder and lauder until you start taking action and prioritise your mental and physical health on daily basis.

Social withdrawal is a way to detach and disconnect. That's exactly the point: to detach and disconnect. Why do our bodies need disconnection, detachment, dissociation? Only when to connect is believed to be a threat to our wellbeing. Our bodies will likely reject connection out of a belief that re-engaging is a risk we are not willing to take. So...start slow. Begin by having compassion for the part of you that is detaching as a way to feel safe. Reflect on the reason for this lack of sense of safety and then negotiate with that part of you to try small, re-connecting strategies. Wait for internal permission to socially engage and check in. Slowly, re-introduce engagement as you get more comfortable with each connecting step.

Several factors contribute to burnout: - Excessive workload and mismatched skills lead to emotional and physical exhaustion, especially when required emotions don't match personal feelings. - Uncertainty, lack of resources, and large responsibilities in limiting conditions devalue personal accomplishments. - Demoralizing compensation imbalances undermine achievements. - Lack of positive relationships and unresolved conflicts increase exhaustion. - Unfair practices and discrimination foster cynicism and negativity. - Jobs conflicting with personal values cause emotional strain. Mindfully reflecting on these factors can help prevent potential burnout.