7 Signs You're Burning Yourself Out

7 Signs You’re Burning Yourself Out

1. You’re stressed out one hundred percent of the time. You don’t give yourself a minute to rest. Even your relaxation time is spent multitasking. Or you’re wasting the whole time thinking about the next thing you need to cross off your to-do list, the next set of chores that are waiting for you when you’re done having fun. You never relax anymore. You’re in a constant state of stress.

2. Your moods are changing rapidly. You get angry out of nowhere. When the smallest thing goes wrong, you feel like the world is against you. You feel like everything is going downhill. You snap at people who haven’t done anything wrong. You give everyone else an attitude that you don’t know how to drop. You’re angry all the time, and no matter how ridiculous you sound, you can’t stop yourself.

3. You never fall asleep satisfied — if you’re even getting sleep in the first place. You always feel like you should’ve done more. You always feel like your list of accomplishments is too short. Even when you spend the day running around, you still feel like you should’ve squeezed in some more productivity. You feel like you aren’t reaching your full potential.

4. Your self-worth is declining rapidly. You feel like you aren’t good enough whenever you make the smallest mistake. You feel like you’re falling behind everyone else your age. You feel like you should’ve been further ahead by now and it’s the only thought occupying your mind. Every waking second, you’re kicking yourself for not doing better. You’re acting as your own worst enemy, taunting yourself again and again. It never ends.

5. You’ve been neglecting the basics. You haven’t been eating three meals a day. You’ve been skipping showers. You’ve been forgetting to brush your teeth and your hair. The things you normally do without thinking about suddenly feel like massive undertakings. You feel like you don’t have any time for the things you’re supposed to make time to do. You feel like whatever work you have to do is more important than you, yourself, as a human.

6. You cry for no real reason. You break down in tears randomly, without knowing why. You get emotional out of nowhere, and the feeling comes and goes as quickly as your anger. You feel like you don’t have any control over your emotions anymore. You feel like your body does its own thing occasionally — but really, you’re not listening to what your body is telling you. You’re ignoring all the signs to slow down.

7. You’re refusing to slow down, even when it hurts. You don’t want to take a break because you don’t want to fall behind even further. You don’t want to miss out on big opportunities because you were lazy. You know you need to put in constant effort in order to achieve great things — but you take that mindset too far. You never allow yourself to rest and recharge. You never give yourself a vacation, even when your body and mind are begging for one. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.