Work stress / burnout

[Eldermileniummam]

For the first time after 20 years of working (and half of that in current job) I'm feeling burnt out and stressed. It comes from having too much to do for a long period of tim. I'm getting to a point where I can't do my job properly and I feel like I need some time off. I'm interested in others' experiences and what helped.

What helped me was getting a new job. My life changed overnight. All stress gone.

They say a change is as good as a rest, and it's true.

Time off is a short term solution, chances are you will come back to even more work and then you are back to square one. Have you addressed this with your employer? If they value you as an employee of many years they should listen. Burnout is not to be ignored and I hope you can find a solution.

As with others, getting a new job helped enormously.

I’ve also had time off in the past. But fundamentally the problem you have is that you work for people who are quite happy to overload you to the point of burnout. Taking time off and returning to the same place is unlikely to lead to the change that’s needed.

Echo other comments. I had a month off with stress last year and it only took a couple of weeks after coming back to feel exactly the same way again. I struggled on for a few months but i was looking for other work, eventually an internal opportunity came up and I've moved on. Highly recommended because it sounds like you need a really good shake up and change.

P.s. also, NO job should ever make you feel like this, like you're losing it or incapable of working your job. It's usually them not you!. if nothing else getting away can help you reassess your boundaries and priorities

Agreed @IceQueenoftheWestsadly we are conditioned to soldier on and led to believe that we are the issue and must work harder to the detriment of our own health.

Yes I have raised it and it's because I've been doing this job for so long that I feel I can get back to being able to do the job but I do also like the prospect of a change!

I agree and I feel like the relationship with my employer is not what it was as I have been saying for the past two years that I'm too busy and been ignored basically!

Thank you for the responses. I think you are all right. I was going to take a few days off but I'm already thinking of everything I need to do tomorrow. I enjoyed my job but I am at the point where I feel like I need a new job entirely.

It is worth sitting down with your employer to let them know exactly where you are at, that this level of work is unsustainable, leaving you feeling burnt out and is at the point where you are considering leaving.

I have been saying I am so busy I cannot cope with the workload but now I have said I'm so busy and stressed I may need time off. They have agreed to reduce the work on that basis but I feel like I have been stressed for so long it could genuinely take me a month or two to recover so it is a bit late but still welcome. I'm not planning on taking that long off. If I continue the feel this way I may take a few days off and see if that helps.

If you are suffering burnout you should go to the dr to sign you off before It impacts you further as it will take you longer to recover. Could ultimately cause depression and heart problems.

I am suffering the same. I basically just crushed, feel very exhausted, tearful, sleep problems. I am being treated unfairly and discriminated because of age and this ultimately impacted my mental health.

I am going to the dr to sign me off as I can’t longer concentrate. Wild-horses won’t drag me back to work in this sort of environment, I would rather pick up rubbish. Didn’t know what burnout was until I go it as and I started reading about it. Anger is another symptom,

I work for a big 4 and hope my kids will never end in this sort of environment.

What’s your sick leave policy like? Get signed off with stress for as long as you can on full pay.

Your comment really resonated with me. I think we are in a similar position in a similar position. The difficulty is finding another job in a different field with comparable pay but doing the same job elsewhere does not appeal to me but like you I feel I have been the victim of discrimination. I'm tired all the time, irritable, I keep crying when I talk about work, I can't concentrate on work, I'm forgetting things out of work, I'm even avoiding doing things out of work that I usually enjoy because I'm too tired. I believe you that this could impact your health in the long term.

I need to check but I think 2 or 3 months full pay in a year. I worry about my career and my position there if I take a significant amount of time off to the point that I feel if I do that then I need to find another job.

Also realising that I am probably very close to burning out if not already there. I have read that it creeps up on you and never ever thought it would happen to me. I am usually the one who has a bad day and just gets on with things but this feels like something else. My mind is constantly buzzing, I am on edge feeling like something is about to go horribly wrong all the time, it’s just exhausting. Trying to admit that’s where I am feels like I have failed.

It is really hard. I have been an NHS Nurse for 30 years this year and find myself struggling to cope more and more these days. Don't know it is me getting older or just totally sick of the bullshit. People say get a new job if only it was that simple. I am tied by experience in one speciality, the hours and the location. I know if I go off sick it will be just as bad on my return. I have started to push back more now though with management which has helped a bit but some days are just mind blowing.

Again I could have written this. I've been under pressure for over 2 years now and I suddenly feel the impact.

@screwyouSorry to hear this. I also wondered if it is an age thing and have been blaming this and menopause for my difficulty with coping. However when I have reflected I can see that it is just the relentless workload over a long period with no end in sight that is the issue.

This was me this time last year.

Working all hours, missing bed time with my kids for the first time ever. Kept flagging the workload to the directors but they just gave it the old slopey shoulders.

They want you to work so hard you run yourself into the ground because it costs less than hiring 2 people to do the workload properly.

I had two other people same seniority as me who were constantly saying they were too busy. Yet when it came to dishing out the new projects they would volunteer for the ones they fancied, but leave the shite ones to me. One had a conservation related qualification from years ago so took first dibs on the interesting projects, then immediately farmed it out to subordinates. Put daily meeting invites to themselves in their calendar to "keep up with emails" so that they looked busy on Scheduling Assistant.

They were all told, either you help me or I'm offski. Nothing changed, they didn't believe me so I handed in my notice.

I now only work my hours and don't volunteer to cover holidays etc. I have a professional qualification that allows me to mentor folk to get the same qualification but it's a huge time drain on me. My current employer sent a circular asking if anyone would like to mentor I just ignored it. Previously I would have jumped at the chance.

You need to switch employers and put in firm boundaries when you get there. The more you do the more it is just expected.

I'm lat 30s and almost had a breakdown last year. Now I'm incredibly happy in my new role.

@TallyrandIt seems to be a common theme that some employers are happy for you to run yourself into the ground and will then replace you with 2 people when you leave which is so infuriating. My personal experience tells me that women are more often in this position than men. Is this because we are conditioned to be pleasant and polite and not rock the boat, just get on with things like good girls at work and at home until we crack?