American Psychological Association’s David Ballard PsyD describes job burnout as “an extended period of time where someone experiences exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, resulting in a decline in their job performance.”

He told Forbes: “A lot of burnout really has to do with experiencing chronic stress. In those situations, the demands being placed on you exceed the resources you have available to deal with the stressors.”

To combat this, Ballard suggests making sure you unplug at the end of the day (no out-of-hours emails), focus on leaving the office on time and prioritise relaxation.

Above all else, though, you need to figure out when enough is enough and talk to your manager or HR about EAP services, mental health benefits or stress management training – or at least about how to improve communication and create a better, more positive work environment.

“I do think there are times when, no matter what you try to do, the organisation is unable or unwilling to make those changes,” Dr. Ballard says, “and in those cases, it is just time to move on.”

To find out more on the unavoidable signs of stress-induced burnout – and how to combat them – click here.

Images: iStock

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