The Classic Symptoms of Burnout

Let’s say you have a battery-operated toy car. The car ultimately stops driving when you play with it too much and the batteries run low. What happens to your energy when you play too much and don’t take pauses? This is called Burnout. You need to relax and have fun to refuel your energy so you can play cheerfully once again, just like you need to recharge the batteries in your automobile to make it go again. Burnout is a condition of severe fatigue that affects the body, mind, and emotions. It is frequently brought on by ongoing stress from work or other obligations. Let me give you two different scenarios to understand this better

Read More: Burnout: Symptoms, Causes & Tips to Overcome

Is It That Serious?

Imagine two gym trainers, Pooja and Pinky. They both work in the same gym but share a different experience:

What Pinky is experiencing are classic symptoms of Burnout. Hence, Burnout not just affects an individual’s personal but also their professional life and in extreme situations can lead to mental health issues. There are a lot of suggestions to help with burnout, but before that, a person needs to identify and acknowledge the symptoms. 

Read More: Burnout – The high cost of caring?!

What Are The Signs Can You Look Out For?

Along with Pinky’s example, let us make this interesting by adding numbers to it:

• Constant Irritability: Pinky becomes angry when customers make small errors or when the equipment breaks down.
• Disturbed sleep: Merely 27% of participants in India stated that they get enough high-quality sleep per week. Pinky finds it difficult to go to sleep or stays up worried about her job and clients.
• Social Withdrawal: Pinky avoids hanging out with friends and coworkers because she believes she needs time to herself. She chooses to isolate herself and avoids going to social activities at the gym or asking her friends for help.
• Reduced Efficiency: Pinky has trouble concentrating and frequently forgets crucial client information. Her failure to schedule individualised exercise regimens for her customers or to keep appointments interferes with their success.
• Lack of Motivation: According to UKG research, about 78% of Indian workers feel job burnout.: Pinky frequently skips her workouts because she lacks motivation to enhance her fitness regimen. She used to be quite passionate about her training, but these days she struggles to motivate herself to work out.
• Low Self-worth: Data from India showed that 18 adolescents, or 30%, had moderate levels of self-esteem, whereas 42 adolescents, or 70%, had low levels. Pinky feels that she isn’t having an impact and questions her abilities as a trainer. Despite proof of their improvement, she frequently believes, “I’m not helping my clients; they’re not improving.”
• Emotional Exhaustion: According to a recent study, 88% of Indians have some form of anxiety disorder and 74% experience stress. Pinky hates leaving for work since she always feels exhausted after a training session. She used to get a kick out of helping customers achieve their fitness objectives, but these days she feels depleted and overburdened.
• Physical symptoms: The newest GOQii India Fit Report 22-23 shows that lifestyle disorders are quickly becoming a big health issue in India, with 24% of Indians suffering from high blood pressure. Pinky has tense muscles, weariness, and headaches. She feels physically sore even after a solid workout and frequently has tension headaches after long days at the gym.
• Overwhelm with Daily Tasks: According to a study, Overwork is a problem for 57% of workers. The digital nature has left 32% of employees tired. Pinky finds it difficult to manage her time and feels overburdened by her everyday obligations. Even seemingly easy chores like organising exercise schedules or cleaning equipment might seem like enormous obstacles.
• A rise in apathy or disengagement: According to the Gallup poll, only 14% of Indians say they are doing well, and 86% say they are having difficulties or suffering. Pinky’s attitude towards her clients and her work has become sour. Rather than offering encouragement to individuals who struggle with their workouts, she frequently finds herself making critical remarks about them.

Read More: High Rates of Burnout Linked to Work-related Stress Among Indian Workers: Report

Not only is burnout a personal struggle, but it’s a widespread occurrence that affects many professions, particularly those with physically demanding jobs like gym trainers. Pinky’s drive and passion vanished, and her physical and mental well-being started to decline when she felt overburdened. We must put our health first and identify the warning symptoms before they get worse if we want to avoid burnout. Just as a toy vehicle requires time off the track to recharge, taking pauses is essential. Let us thus welcome the “Recharge Revolution.” Take a note from Pooja, who strikes a balance between her personal and professional lives and never stops celebrating her clients’ accomplishments.