Burnout?

By Dr Tareq Rasheed
International Consultant 
and Trainer

Stress is a phenomenon familiar to most of us. There is no standardised test to diagnose stress because stress is subjective. But read on for my tips for measuring whether your stress levels are too high.

In some cases, stress motivates and encourages us to complete a task we find difficult so that we can take pride in ourselves and what we achieve. In an ideal world, we would have just enough stress to keep us working to our full potential but not enough to overwhelm us.

Stress symptoms manifest themselves when we perceive or feel that life demands exceed our ability to deal with them. When stress takes its toll, we may experience physical and psychological effects that lead to burnout. Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion when you experience long-term stress.

Assessing your 

stress levels

Rate the following from 1 to 5; 5 = very high and 1 = very low:

•How much do you feel you’re losing control of your life?

•How many negative thoughts overcome you in your personal and professional life?

•To what extent have you become less empathetic and emotional with people in your life, although they do not deserve this?

•How much do you believe you deserve a better life than you are living?

•To what extent do you feel you do not have the energy to act in difficult situations?

•Do you feel that you do not have time to plan for a healthy life?

•How much do you feel your achievements are lower than your potential?

•How often do you feel that you do not have the energy after returning home from work?

•How much do you feel that you do not have real friends to share your stress with and who can support you?

•How much do you feel that deadlines are always stressing you?

Sum up the total and check your stress level:

•Higher than 85: You are experiencing chronic burnout that may negatively impact your physical and mental health and relationships

•From 75 to 85: You are experiencing burnout which, if not addressed, can result in exhaustion that will make it hard to cope with the demands of both your professional and personal life

•From 50 to 74: You are feeling positive levels of stress which help you achieve and to feel healthy

•Below 50: Low-stress levels are also problematic since they signal an insufficient level of interest to keep you engaged in work or life

Managing burnout

You can plan your life according to four focus areas: Personal, organisational, family, relatives, and society. Proper time management and planning will help you feel in control. Regular exercise and meditation can help your brain recover from burnout.

Finally, since developing emotional intelligence requires a heightened awareness of one’s emotions, it can effectively prevent burnout. If you’re experiencing low-stress levels, try to find healthy ways of raising your stress levels by taking on more challenging tasks or responsibilities.

Life is too short to waste suffering from stress and burnout.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine