Symptoms of Burnout

First Thing to Recognize:

It’s real!

There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to burnout symptoms.

Although we can’t always see them coming, there are some symptoms that seem to be more “obvious” when it comes to experiencing burnout such as: Anger, frustration and hopeless, powerlessness ETC.

BUT the real question is, how do these symptoms manifest in our bodies?

What must you be on the lookout for and paying attention to it?

The best thing you can do when on the “burnout lookout” is to pay attention to how you are reacting to certain life factors! (Because burnout is the result of all the forces that are acting on upon you, it is important to notice which areas of your life are causing you to fizzle!)

Are you finding yourself feeling: sad, angry, or maybe even hyperactive to keep activity going in order to overcome whatever is on your plate? Remember, be honest with yourself!

Second and Most Critical Things to Recognize is:

That you are having burnout symptoms and you need to take action. Because these symptoms can and will directly affect your health!

Here are some areas you should be checking in with yourself on and some questions to keep in mind: In these different areas of your life, Consider:

Your Health:

Are you stressed, overworked, under exercised, malnourished, in relationship 911, angry, frustrated, over-medicated for sleep, anxiety or irritability?

Have you under- or not treated your own hypertension, diabetes, weight gain, insomnia, depression because “you don’t have time”?

Your Work Performance and Environment: 

Do you have poor productivity, errors, lack of timeliness of records, poor patient and/or colleague communication? Do you have responsibilities that take all your time and provide no benefit? Examples could be Call coverage, EMR, documentation, committees or administrative tasks.

Your Relationships:

Are you seeing declines in your satisfaction personally and professionally, with colleagues and staff? Are you seeing increasing patient complaints? Has your Google rating plummeted?

Your Professional Reputation: 

Have you lost privileges or been suspended from board certification, hospitals, or insurance panels?

Your Finances:

Have you been rushed in decision-making, had poor money management, poor focus on finances, impulsivity, scarcity of money, late fees on bills, poor or non-existent tax or estate planning?

Have you wondered why you do what you do, and if it is worth what you are giving?

A positive response to any one or a series of these questions may be the first signs of burnout.  Be aware they exist and use them as danger signs going forward.

Go to JeffMoodyMD.com and connect with us to get you the right tools to take action and get to where you want to be.  Remember, burnout recovery is for you!