Experiencing Fatigue And High BP? It Could Be Office Burnout; 3 Ways To Cope With It

‘Urgent’, ‘deadlines’, ‘work’, ‘meeting’, ‘projects’, ‘overwork’, ‘email’. Do these words make your blood pressure shoot up? Does the bare mention of the above words leave you feeling exhausted and stressed? If the picture that these words paint is of you working tirelessly round the clock in your office with minimum to no social and family life, it means you are experiencing office burnout. 

Dipti Patawari, a counselling psychologist working with Lissun, a mental health and emotional wellness startup, said that office burnout is a chronic physical and emotional exhaustion that a person experiences due to prolonged exposure to excessive stress in the workplace.

She added that office burnout can make a person feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained. It affects their productivity, and they cannot meet deadlines. The expert added that if left untreated, the issue can affect a person’s mental and emotional well-being to the extent that they find it difficult to function in day-to-day life. 

Symptoms Of Office Burnout

Patawari added that symptoms of office burnout can vary from one person to another. “While burnout isn’t a diagnosable psychological disorder, that doesn’t mean it should not be taken seriously,” she said.

Common symptoms of the condition include:

• Decreased productivity and experiencing difficulty in concentrating on tasks
• Experiencing a sense of ineffectiveness in performing job responsibilities
• Feeling exhausted and witnessing a lack of energy, both physically and mentally
• Loss of motivation and interest in working
• Emotional detachment and a sense of cynicism (not being able to identify with the job)
• Feeling worthless

Office burnout can also manifest as physical signs, including:

• Disturbed sleep schedule
• High blood pressure
• Tension in muscles
• Lack of focus

Office Burnout And Mental Health

Patawari said that office burnout can compromise someone’s mental health severely. It includes:

• Lack of social support and control can leave a person stressed
• If a person cannot create a balance in their work and personal life, they can become vulnerable to experiencing burnout more often.
• Sadness, irritability, and anger can increase and further contribute to deteriorating mental health condition
• Prolonged exposure to a demanding and stressful workplace can lead to depression (How To Help Someone Suffering From Depression) and anxiety
• If cynicism, exhaustion, and detachment persist, a person can develop a sense of hopelessness and witness a decrease in overall satisfaction from life.

The counselling psychologist also said that burnout can have a negative impact on personal relationships. People can start withdrawing themselves from social gatherings and groups. They might start getting into conflicts with loved ones, friends, and colleagues.

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How To Cope With Burnout?

Patawari said that coping with burnout requires support from the individual as well as the organisation. She added that the coping mechanism includes prioritising self-care, reaching out to friends, family, and trusted colleagues, and stress management. 

You can do it by indulging in yoga and physical activities that are recommended by specialists. If you are someone struggling with office burnout, you should try to align things in a schedule by learning time management and delegating tasks instead of taking the pressure on yourself. It can help to reduce the workload.

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Another important aspect of coping with burnout includes setting boundaries between personal life and work. “Physical care, like nutrition and sufficient sleep (How Loneliness Can Affect Sleep), can have a great impact on a person’s mental health,” Patawari suggested.

Stay tuned to HerZindagi for more stories on mental health and overall well-being.