We cheat ourselves out of the rest we need

Burnout occurs when the demands and stress placed on us exceed our physical and mental abilities to deal with them. We cheat ourselves out of the rest we need because we assume we can push past our breaking points. The bad news is, this is happening more frequently.

Forbes reports that since the economic downturn, many employers have cut resources—though you probably didn’t need anyone to tell you that. The reduction of resources, and stagnant pay, has coincided with an increase in tasks and responsibilities. Employees feel an intense obligation to never say no.

Prior to my burnout, I said yes to everything. There was nothing I couldn’t do, nothing I wouldn’t do for my job. If I’m being honest with myself, what it all came down to was me not wanting to give anyone else the opportunity to say yes.

The point of no return

By the time I was willing to admit to myself that I was burnt out, it was too late. I had withdrawn socially and stopped being able to sleep. I found myself crying during the middle of the day for no good reason at all. I just wanted to do better, to work as hard as I thought everyone else around me was working. It was easier for me to tell myself to work harder than it was for me to face the truth– that I needed a break.

Everyone needs a break from time-to-time. According to Scientific American, exposure to constant stress releases the hormones epinephrine, nor epinephrine, and cortical within the body. These hormones block your ability to properly process information—among a host of other health issues they cause.

When I say break, I’m not talking about a 15-minute stroll around the block. I’m talking about some consecutive days off. The body takes a while to disconnect from the stress. That can take anywhere from a few days to a full week. Your physical and mental resources need time to regenerate. You didn’t lose them overnight, so you can’t expect to gain them back overnight either.

Here are just some of the health benefits to taking some time off:

Breaks you out of the cycle of stress

Improves relationships

Able to gain new perspectives

Helps your heart and resets your mind

For a variety of reasons, many of us refuse to (or can’t) use our vacation time. So how do you cope with burnout when you can’t stop working?

Getting real

This is the part that most of us fail miserably at. We don’t check-in with ourselves enough because we think we are too busy or too powerless to fix anything. Neither of those assumptions are true.