5 Signs Your Job is Overwhelming You

A challenging job can be a wonderful motivator – it sparks your imagination and creativity and it creates a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment once it’s completed. However, demanding work can often be very stressful and damaging to both your physical and your mental health. Without an adequate balance, such challenges can lead to exhaustion, agitation and anxiety. That is why it’s important to recognize the red flags before it’s too late. So, here are the five warning signs that indicate you might be headed for a burnout at work:

1. You feel irritable

Irritability may be attributable to a variety of different causes, which is why it is often overlooked as a sign of being overwhelmed by work. This feeling of irritability may stem from several different reasons, such as a feeling of incompetence, ineffectiveness, purposelessness, and even a lack of contribution. If a feeling of agitation extends from your work environment to your colleagues, and even comes home with you every day, then it is high time for a change. When you start getting irritated, take a step back and try to identify the cause of those feelings. If it’s lack of effectiveness, try to organize your time better, so that you can be more efficient and complete all of your tasks. If it’s purposelessness, try to find a new goal you should strive for, in order to find motivation and regain a feeling of purpose and belonging.

2. You are lacking concentration

If you find yourself constantly staring blankly into your screen, unable to get any work done, chances are your job is starting to take a toll on you. If you are physically present at work, but not mentally, you spend your time daydreaming and you can’t gather enough energy to be productive, then it’s time to change your routine. Consider using focus pills to maximize your brain functions and enhance your performance. You could also change the scenery in your office and engage with a new team of people in order to get fresh energy and ideas and be more motivated in the workplace.

3. You don’t feel motivated

As time passes at a monotonous job, something that once motivated you can now drain your energy and make you feel agitated and anxious. If you find yourself in a situation like this, try to identify the aspects of your job that are causing this boredom and look for new ways to bring life to the workplace. Tackle on some more challenging tasks or find a new career goal to strive for, in order to get your creative juices flowing and to start loving your job again.

4. You regularly avoid difficulties

Avoiding difficulties starts as a very subtle symptom of work burnout that can eventually become quite obvious. It is an often overlooked symptom because many people who are afraid of confrontation engage in similar behavior. Early warning signs of this problem include avoiding tough conversations and making difficult decisions, while significant avoidance behavior entails the inability of completing demanding tasks or assignments which could potentially result in more recognition and increased responsibility.

5. You feel the need to call in sick

If you constantly feel the need to call in sick to work even though you’re not physically sick, but rather sick at the thought of returning to a work environment that does not make you feel your absolute best, then it may be time to consider the pros and cons of your workplace and future opportunities. If the negative aspects of your job outweigh the positive ones and if you feel like there is no way to better the situation, then it might be time to look for a more stimulating environment, one that would cater to your health and life balance needs as well as your career.

About the author:

Peter is a fashion stylist and a writer from Brisbane, Australia. After graduating from Australian Institute of Creative Design he worked as a fashion stylist for few local fashion events. Beside fashion and styling, he enjoys traveling around exotic destinations and discovering new vintage stores. He’s future plans are in creating his personal styling business.