How Can I Tell if I’m Depressed or Burned Out?
“Workers can become burned out when they feel like they don’t have control over their day-to-day lives, getting bogged down in the minutiae of their tasks. People who are burned out may feel depleted and cynical about their jobs; they can resent their assignments and co-workers. They might feel irritable and ineffective, like they just can’t get anything done. For people who interact with others in their jobs, like health care workers or people in the retail and service industries, they might start to lose empathy, thinking of patients or customers as just another number, or a rote task to complete. There are also a litany of physical symptoms that can come with the unending stress of burnout: insomnia, headaches, gastrointestinal issues.
Depression, however, is a clinical diagnosis. People with depression often experience anhedonia, the inability to enjoy activities they once treasured. “You can be reading a book you used to love and now you hate it,” said Dr. Jessi Gold, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis. “Or you love watching Bravo, but now it doesn’t make you laugh anymore.” With burnout, you might not have energy for your hobbies; with depression, you might not find them fun or pleasant at all, said Jeanette M. Bennett, an associate professor who studies the effects of stress on health at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
A key differentiator is that burnout gets better when you step away from work, said Dr. Rebecca Brendel, president of the American Psychiatric Association. When you take vacation time, or a mental health day, you feel at least slightly recharged. Depression doesn’t go away if you change your circumstances. “There’s not that bounce-back effect,” she said. “It takes more than that.”
Read the complete full article at The New York Times
✨Discussion: One major distinction is that burnout improves when you take a break from work. Depression, on the other hand, does not. Importantly, burnout can increase the risk of depression. Additionally, depression and burnout may occur simultaneously. If you are feeling burned out it may be beneficial to take a mental health day off from work. If you're having trouble coping with burnout, think about consulting a mental health expert.
✨Reflection: How do you cope with work burnout?
#Burnout #Depression #Work #Mental Health
Being a student I'm experiencing burnout on some levels these days, the degree keeps varying. Whenever I feel overwhelmed I take some days off as sick leave, and take nice long baths, go out, play games all day and watch videos, journal and practice mindfulness, do my hobbies, take up my other favorite classes e.t.c
@ThoughtBubbleExpess
As a fellow student, I can definitely relate!
I’m glad you recognize you need the day off and take it!
Journaling and mindfulness are definitely two things that also help me with burnout!
Thanks so much for reading and reflecting! <3
✨💛
#When you run fast or make quick decisions without knowing the core in general, you are depressed.
#When you are not moving, you are burned out.
✨ It's 2022. Most companies or jobs are acting like machines. Even the workers themselves want to produce a lot more than normal. It's the idea that human beings are changing by competing with machines and others. So problems may arise. We must get back to the era of working as human beings and practising to live happily with "what is needed."
✨Recognize that you are not the problem or issue. It's the environmental behaviour of humans that is changing. You are alright.
✨If the majority is doing something wrong, it does not imply that it is correct.
✨People are like sheep who follow the majority. You are alright and everything will be alright.
✨It's the entire environmental behaviour is changing because of sophistication and unnecessary materials like mobile phones and overproduction and usage of everything.
Enjoy your life in a good way and do good deeds.
@SoulPitstop
Wow! Very great reflection skills you got there! <3
You make some very valid and insightful points!
I like how you said “Recognize that you are not the problem or issue. It's the environmental behavior of humans that is changing. You are alright.”
Putting that up on my fridge :P
Thanks so much for reading and providing some
insightful thoughts<3 ✨💛
@innateJoy9602 That's a good point there! The thing with depression is that it can really cause you to feel unmotivated and experience the feeling of pointlessness. These symptoms are very similar to burn out. The key is to not overwhelm ourselves and realize that there should be a balance and boundaries in everything. Working too much is not just unhealthy butt also ineffective.
I usually try to do self-care by cooking my favorite food, having some detox beverages, watching a movie or whatever I feel like doing at the moment! When it's time to work again I try to find ways to be inspired and creative through work!
Thank you for sharing this post!
@innateJoy9602
Hi! When I was working as a CNA in healthcare, I would go back and forth between that and Dietary work, that way I always had something to fall back on.
@DelicateButterfly78
Hello!
Oh wow! That’s very interesting.
Sounds like you had a solid plan.
Thanks for reading and contributing your thoughts<3
Sending hugs<3 💛✨
@innateJoy9602
It was something. In the 20 years I worked the Nursing Home industry, I worked as a Laundry Lady, Housekeeper, Dietary Aide, Cook, and CNA. It kept me busy. I'd have to say that the Laundry and Dietary Aide were my favorite positions because for Laundry, I can stay hid while the washer and dryer are running hehe, and Dietary Aide is something I enjoyed doing.
