According to the organization that provides the data, which directly works with the government, said that’s a “large increase, and it’s going up.”

The primary cause according to them? High workloads. There’s a lot of pressure on all of us.

Inflation has been high for 1.5 years, the economy is showing cracks, and companies are slowing hiring (or laying off people).

On top of that there’s increasingly more social pressure to have a perfect life. Everyone must be in great shape, have 10 hobbies, travel the world, and have the perfect partner.

Read also: 6 morning micro-habits for better health, energy and productivity

All these things lead to burnout

But how do you know if what you’re going through is more than typical exhaustion?

Maybe you’re just a little tired, you think.

Burnout isn’t the same as exhaustion. In fact, many people may feel that something is off, but they’re not sure if it’s burnout.

Or they don’t realize they’re already burnt out until it’s too late.

There are three things to look out for:

1. The first sign is having little to no energy to do your work.
2. This often leads to feelings of cynicism and negativity towards your daily tasks. There may also be a sense of disassociation from the people around you, whether they’re co-workers, friends, or family.
3. Finally, you feel ineffective. Like you’re not getting much done and you need to exert a lot of willpower just to stay productive

If you feel one of these things for a longer period, it’s likely you’re starting to burn out.

There are various causes for burnout. But according to research the main factor is chronic stress.

Unlike acute stress, which is like a tunnel that you need to manage until you reach the light at the end — Chronic stress never seems to end.

At work, this could mean being constantly behind on your tasks, or trying to manage email that never seems to stop, or fighting underhanded conflicts with coworkers, and so forth.

It’s a draining, discouraging kind of stress.

And the best way we can manage that is by being aware. In research conducted by Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter, they found 6 main factors that cause chronic stress.

The 6 Sources of Chronic Stress

This is where awareness helps. When you know which part you’re feeling weak on, you can have a more specific and directed approach.

**1. Workload **– How sustainable is the work you have on your plate? Are you doing too much? Or too little for too long? The more you work erratically and above your limit, the more likely you’ll burn out soon.

2. Values — Satisfying work is work that connects with you on a deeper level. Remember: Your work is something you do almost every day. For most people, that’s 8 hours each day. If you don’t find meaning in what you’re doing, you’ll really lose motivation fast.

3. Reward — This could mean money (your pay, bonuses if any, stock options, etc.) or social rewards (recognition for your efforts, praise, awards, and so forth). Without the right rewards, people feel ineffective.

4. Control — If you’re constantly micromanaged or you have no control whatsoever about your time and attention (people keep emailing you at all hours of the day), then you’ll get exhausted faster.

**5. Fairness **– Work dynamic plays a part as well. When you feel that you’re not treated equally relative to your colleagues at work, cynicism can grow. Yes, the world is not always a fair place. But having the feeling that you’re treated fair enough is a need if you want to keep working with a positive outlook.

6. Community — No one wants to go to work just to get involved in a fight, whether passive or aggressive. Conflict arises when professional relationships are not well-engaged.

6 Minutes a Day

If you had the money, time, and opportunity, wouldn’t it be nice to simply fly to a far-away country? Get away from all your sources of stress. Maybe even take a year-long vacation?

First of all, I’ve tried it. Doesn’t work!

And even if it did work, most of us simply have too many real responsibilities. And running away from your problems won’t work in the long term.

So here’s what you can do instead: Try to take 6 minutes a day to do something that would improve your status on each of the sources. The thing about burnout is that it doesn’t happen all at once.

It’s a series of stressful things that compound over time until you break or give up.

That’s the same strategy to avoid it. You can do small things that will eventually compound and keep you from having chronic stress.

• First, take a look at your values and the rewards you need. If there’s a high-paying job or client offer, don’t grab it purely for the pay. Ask yourself always: “Do I find this meaningful enough to do on a daily basis for at least 3 years?” Likewise, if your finances are super bad and you need the money more, then create a plan where you can work on something you find meaningful after a certain time has passed.
• After determining the above, it’s time to think about control. Everything has a trade-off. A high-paying corporate job may be “more secure” but your hours will be more restricted. Being a freelancer means you take charge of your time, but you also won’t enjoy the usual holiday pay and perks provided to company employees.
• **For your workload, take 6 minutes each night, before you sleep, to write your 3–4 main priority tasks for the following day. **It may be tempting to finish as many things as possible, especially when you’re overwhelmed with tasks, but try to work by priority first. This allows you to complete the most important tasks. And leave enough energy to do other things.
• **Finally, remember that your work doesn’t only involve you. **You will always need to work with people, one way or another. So invest some time in building or growing your professional relationships. A simple chat with a coworker over lunch, talking to your boss/client about project challenges, etc.

Read also: 3 keystone Habits that have the power to transform your life

Check yourself every couple of months

Like most things in life, prevention is always better than cure.

I recommend you to check how you’re doing on each of the 6 items above. Simply ask yourself:

“How stressed am I in any of the chronic stress sources?”

To see how you’re doing. You can use a 1–10 scoring gauge: 1 being the least stressed, 10 being the most stressed.

Unlike most other tests, you want to get a low score. And whenever one item goes beyond 5, you can easily spot it and implement interventions early enough.

You’re better off nipping it in the bud. Cliche but true.

Contributed by Darius Foroux

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