Checklist for Burnout

These COVID years feel like dog years. Tech and big law have grown during the pandemic and have pushed their lawyers to do more (while working remotely and taking care of others at the same time). I found helpful this checklist by Fortune on the five most common warning signs of burnout. Remember to take care of yourself!

1. Are you disconnected from your job/other interests? Pay attention if you deviate from your usual level of engagement for more than a week. Emotional distance is a sign of stress.
2. Have you given up on your health routines? It’s easy to do when boundaries between home and work blur. Keep up the exercise and healthy diet to deal with stress.
3. Do you feel like there’s nothing you can do to make your job better/it’s never going to change/feel stuck?
4. Do you feel dull? That’s a sign of chronic stress. “‘Feeling muddled: that’s the number one trigger for me. It’s when I’m not paying attention when I’m driving or I’m losing my keys,’ says Rick Grimaldi, a workplace attorney at Fisher & Phillips in Philadelphia and author of Flex: A Leader’s Guide to Staying Nimble and Managing Transformative Change in the American Workplace.”
5. Are you exhausted? If you feel physically exhausted a few days a week, that’s a sign of chronic stress/burnout.

I agree that “[i]dentifying chronic stress and addressing it before burnout is vital.” Take breaks, re-energize, and set boundaries. And “you may even take a step away from your job for a while to recharge. If your employer is not responsive or not showing signs of change, then changing jobs may be the best option.”  Yes.