Burnout is now more apparent than ever with people running themselves into the ground, resulting in sickness and time off work.

With endless work deadlines, never-finished housework, and daily political firefights, it’s easy to feel depleted and run down.

When that frazzle escalates from temporary stress, into chronic stress and then burnout, you need be able to apply the brakes.

We all have our limits and when we hit that threshold, you come to the point where you ultimately can’t function effectively.

Burnout has three distinct components: a feeling of low personal accomplishment, detachment from others, and emotional exhaustion.

Any aspect of life can deliver chronic stress if there’s a real sense of being under pressure, overworked and overwhelmed.

Here are three key signs to help you recognise when you’re suffering from excessive stress and burnout:-

(1) NEVER-ENDING COLD - Stress increases cortisol levels and your immune system is temporarily affected. If you’re dealing with chronic stress and you become burned out, your immune system is taking a major hit all the time. Feeling achy, like you’re fighting a cold constantly, or have tight shoulders and neck muscles will probably ring a bell?

(2) FUZZY BRAIN - You may have been a multitasking pro before, but now a single task feels physically and mentally demanding. Burnout causes a significant drop in mental efficiency. The mind becomes distressed and there is a sense of pressure that causes it to withhold its energy to protect itself. The net results is that you feel distracted, inefficient, and easily frustrated.

(3) IRRITABLE WITH OTHERS - It’s very possible that every single one of your colleagues, clients, and or managers is annoying. But that said, one distinctive aspect of burnout is seeing other people more as objects rather than humans and that results in a drop in empathy and increased irritability.