Signs of burnout in academics (Part 2)

This is a follow-up to a previous article on the causes of burnout in academia, which you can read here.

In my last post, I covered some of the research on burnout, the root causes of burnout, and how aspects of academic culture might contribute to burnout in academics.

But what are the signs of burnout? And what’s the difference between being burned out and just being tired?

Well, there’s actually a good deal of research on this. While feeling tired can be one sign or aspect of burnout, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Researchers who study burnout have identified three main areas that consistently assess an individual’s level of burnout. Those areas are:

• Exhaustion - feeling overwhelmed and drained of energy

• Cynicism - having feelings of indifference or a lack of caring towards work

• Lack of professional efficacy - feeling dissatisfied with accomplishments and level of effectiveness in work

So what do these signs of burnout look like in academics? Here are some signs to look out for in yourself and others:

1. Overwhelm - We all go through periods where we feel stressed or overwhelmed. In manageable situations, those periods of overwhelm last for small periods of time, before eventually going away. One of the ways this can be a sign of burnout is if the feelings of overwhelm never seem to go away.

2. Emotional exhaustion - Similarly to overwhelm, we might all experience times in our lives where we go through periods of emotional exhaustion. Maybe you’re at a time in your life where multiple stressors seem to pile up, and it just leaves you feeling drained. If that feeling of emotional exhaustion doesn’t go away, or if it only seems to get bigger and bigger, this can be a sign of burnout.

3. Disruptions in sleep - Maybe you find yourself having a hard time falling asleep at night because you’re so preoccupied with work. You might also have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. Pay attention to your sleep and how it might be a sign that you need to make a change - maybe you try avoiding screens before bed or put a notebook on your bedside table so can write down the thoughts that are keeping you up at night.

4. Apathy - Apathy can come out as having thoughts of “What does it matter?” or “Why do I even bother doing this?” You might find that aspects of your work that used to be really interesting and motivating just don’t have the same positive impact on you anymore. If you suddenly find yourself feeling apathetic towards your work, that might be a sign of burnout.

5. Lower energy levels - This can go hand in hand with disruptions in sleep, but you might also notice that it takes you a lot more energy than usual to accomplish the tasks that you need to do. If you find that you need to put forth more effort than usual to do tasks that used to feel more effortless, this can be a sign of burnout.

6. Disrupted productivity - Academics tend to be high performers who value achievement. Burnout and productivity don’t usually tend to work well together. Maybe you find that you're not accomplishing as much as usual, or you’re getting distracted more often. If you find yourself working more but getting less done, this can be a sign of burnout.

7. Fantasies of quitting - Having a passing thought of quitting your job and running away to live on the beach isn’t necessarily a cause for concern, but for people approaching burnout, the idea of quitting might become more of a frequent and active fantasy.

Do you recognize some of these signs in yourself or your colleagues? One of these signs on their own doesn’t mean that someone is burned out, but they can be signs that something needs to change.