10 Signs You’ve Been Overworking Yourself — and How to Solve Them
People might compliment you by mentioning how diligent you are at your job or that you always come through for your team. Women face unique pressure in the workplace to go above and beyond what’s expected, but it isn’t always good for their mental or physical health. These are a few signs you’ve been overworking yourself and quick ways to solve them.
1. You Pick up Bad Habits
Everyone has to cope with unexpected life events, but people will pick up different habits to deal with the stress. You may have started drinking multiple cups of coffee every day to keep up with your intense workload or picking at your nails when you’re anxious during a meeting.
The best way to solve this problem is to identify which habits help you cope with your job and decide if they’re healthy. Swapping coffee with sparkling water or keeping a fidget toy at your desk could easily replace any coping mechanisms that are unhealthy or embarrassing.
2. You’re Always Tired
Someone who overworks themselves is likely experiencing burnout. You may have burned yourself out if you’re constantly pushing through exhaustion and rarely feel rested when you wake up.
Insomnia is a common symptom of professional burnout that can be easy to fix – as long as it’s not due to a more serious mental health problem. All you need to do is vent your stress before bed. Take a walk around your neighborhood or drink calming tea to help your mind settle down when the lights go off.
3. You Deal With Anxiety Attacks Frequently
Anxiety attacks can sneak up on you if you’ve been overworking yourself. You might not notice your increased heart rate and muscle tension until your breathing turns into hyperventilating. It’s a guaranteed sign that you’re pushing yourself too hard at work, so reflect on any recurring events that triggered you in the past.
There are many possible triggers, depending on what you do, where you work and your source of stress. You might need counseling if you’re one of the 7% of adults with social anxiety who dread interacting with people at work. Your attacks could happen after drinking too much caffeine or before a meeting with an argumentative co-worker.
If you can’t decide what causes your anxiety attacks, journal about your experiences. You can reflect on your entries to find the common threads.
4. You’re Always Thinking About Upcoming Tasks
Restless thoughts could indicate that you need to slow down at work. Your loved ones might struggle to get your attention because you’re always thinking about the next things on your professional to-do list. Maybe you can’t sleep at night because your mind is already working through tomorrow’s work events.
Meditating is an excellent way to regain control of your emotions and stop thinking about your job. Practice breathing slowly and focusing on positive thoughts unrelated to your career. You could also listen to meditation guides for five-minute sessions during your next work break
5. You Snap at People Easily
It’s easy to snap at people when you’re stressed. Overworking yourself could make you more irritable than you’d otherwise be during the week. Think about how often you interrupt co-workers, are short with family members or feel irritated. You could need to vent your frustrations to a listening ear to release the pent-up stress keeping you from your usual disposition.
6. You Tend to Procrastinate
Procrastinating can be an indicator of burnout. You may avoid responsibilities because you criticize yourself or fear the anxiety of starting a project.
There are a few ways to handle procrastination, so try different strategies or routine changes until you figure out which works best. You could:
Pinpoint the “why” for each task.
Work in 20-minute chunks with five- or 10-minute breaks in between.
Put your phone out of reach to improve your work environment.
There are numerous ways to approach procrastination. Experimenting with ideas like these will help you find the root of your issue and solve it with targeted solutions. It may even make your work life easier by teaching you new time-management skills.
7. You’re Rarely With Your Loved Ones
Overworked employees or business owners sometimes find themselves missing their loved ones. If you’ve recently felt isolated because of your demanding work schedule, find time this week for a quick phone call, video chat or visit.
Talking and laughing with people outside of work is essential for your mental health. You’ll feel refreshed and encouraged when you go back to your job, which may be what you need to get through this stressful period.
8. You Can’t Produce Good Work
Have your co-workers or supervisors mentioned that the quality of your work isn’t what it used to be? Even if you’re trying hard, your projects might fall short of expectations because you’re too stressed to give your best efforts.
Work with your boss to rearrange your daily schedule or lessen your workload. You’ll get the opportunity to find a new work balance and become a better team member. Regrouping your responsibilities can also decrease the stress causing your irritability or exhaustion.
9. You’ve Lost Sight of Your Personal Goals
You may have lost sight of your personal goals if you never spend time on the things you enjoy. Consider what you like doing outside of work. When was the last time you devoted time to improving your favorite hobby or explored more of your city? Reconnect with yourself by listing short- and long-term personal goals. Scheduling time for those things will get your mind off work so you feel consistently better.
10. You Don’t Feel Passionate Anymore
Sometimes, when you clock into your dream job or work on something related to your personal calling, you might not feel as passionate as before. The inspiration and love that led you to your position will disappear if you’re overworking yourself. Think about what made you pursue your career to find the foundational elements that excite you. Working on projects directly related to those things or transitioning to a different department with a new focus could allow you to enjoy what you do again.
Learn to Stop Overworking Yourself
There are so many signs you’ve been overworking yourself. See if any of these issues have become constant in your life to determine how to solve them. Whether you take more nature walks in the upcoming weeks or rearrange your workload, you’ll relieve your stress and fall back in love with your professional life.