Recognize your burnout!

Of course it helps if you can spot for yourself that you're heading downwards in a way that can eventually lead to a complete burnout. In this process you can go through seven several stages, starting from slight excitement to total desperation. To get a better view, here they come:

1) Symptoms of warning. You couple a great feeling of engagement in your work with the idea that time and again you're not finishing your things proper. You start to notice that you are losing energy or constantly lack sleep.

2) Diminishing engagement, withdrawal. You are getting cynical and less positive, a certain reluctancy creeps in. Your coffeebreaks are getting longer, you start to treasure your weekends ever better. Your idealism is declining.

3) Emotional reactions, others are to blame. Depressive symptoms appear: you lose your sense of humor and pity yourself and you have moodswings. You can get agressive outbursts, others get the blame easily, conflicts prevail.

4) Weakening. Concentration and memory diminish, you lose initiative and creativity and your perceptions get ever more one-sided.

5) Waning. You get ever more indifferent and you avoid social contacts. You give up your hobbies.

6) Psychosomatic reactions. Sleepdisturbances, tense muscles, head- and backaches, nausea, problems with heart or intestines, impotency, more coffee, alcohol, tobacco or drugs etc. etc.

7) Desperation. A completely negative view on life, strong feelings of hopelessness and senselessness, thoughts of suicide.

The message will be clear: don't let it come this far. From experience I found that people either react rather early in the process (stage 1/3) or far too late (stage 6 has commenced). Do you recognize with your self that you may be are living through such a process, don't hesitate and consult your doctor or a social worker.