Signs of burnout and how to cope

People have reported suffering from a "work breakdown" this year while working from home, which is known as "burnout".

New Delhi: While the whole world fights a battle against the coronavirus pandemic, office work has not stopped. While it used to be a 9-5 shift earlier, now homes have become offices themselves. Constant calls, meetings, deadlines to meet, and feeling locked in the house can affect one’s mental health.

Also, earlier there was a thin line between your professional and personal life that could be defined by the fixed working hours and coming back home, but now, since you are working from home; you practically work all the time.

People have reported suffering from a “work breakdown” this year while working from home, which is known as “burnout”.

Anuneet Sabharwal, MBBS, MD Psychiatrist, Founder and CEO at The Happy Tree, shares list of signs if you are suffering from burnout and how can you make it right:

You are working a lot:

You wake up thinking about work and you keep doing it till going to bed again at night. Well, this is often a drag and you ought to worry about it before it leads to a much bigger issue for your health.

Solution: To fix this, you need to plan some things in your day that aren’t associated with your work. For instance, set a time for your food and eat it with no work around you.

You are unable to possess some ‘me’ time:

When we are working in an office, there’s a punching-out time once we rise from the desk and leave the office and work behind. After leaving the office, it’s us and our personal lives that we head to. However, during work-from-home, there’s no moving out of the office zone so you quite stay on your computer till the deadlines are met. There must be many meetings and updates on work from time-to-time too. But that’s exactly how your office can stay in-tuned with you.

Solution: In this case, you’ll set an alarm for yourself and stop work when the time is up.

You do not like your work anymore:

This is the foremost and the most popular one. When someone starts feeling pressured with work, they stop liking what they are doing which is strictly what’s happening with you. You’re feeling pressured and frustrated.

Solution: Start rewarding yourself with something you wish for after completing each task. For instance, have a favourite food after you’ve completed X number of tasks.

You feel less connected with the world:

Not sure what is responsible for this one: global pandemic, office, or work? Well, whatever is to be blamed, we all know you’re suffering. People found it difficult to catch up with their friends even once they were getting to the office, now it’s become absolutely zero. So yes, we get it.

Solution: Use social media and technology, video to stay connected with your friends.

You do not have time to eat or sleep properly:

Well, eating and sleeping are as important as your work. If you’re neglecting these two essential activities, your body might stop cooperating with you once you have urgent work to do. So always remember, work is there, but health comes first.

Solution: Eat your meals far away from your work desk and fully concentrate while eating. For sleeping, set a time and put all the gadgets away before an hour of that point.