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Who can experience it? - Many people attribute burnout to first-responder professionals and corporate heads, but just like doctors and business executives, parents and creative professionals experience burnout as well.

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Difference between stress and burnout - Where stress involves too much (on your plate), burnout is about not enough: feeling empty and mentally exhausted, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring.

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Signs and symptoms - Do you feel like your day is rife with tasks that are either mind-numbing or overwhelming? Do you feel like nothing you do makes a difference or is appreciated? Burnout doesn't hit all at once, which is why it can be hard to identify. Here are the symptoms.

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Exhaustion - Feeling physically and emotionally depleted, which may entail headaches, stomachaches, and appetite or sleeping changes that further the exhaustion.

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Isolation - Included in the feeling of being overwhelmed, people with burnout may stop socializing and reaching out to family and friends. You push your support system away when you need it most.

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Escape fantasies - An immense dissatisfaction leads to fantasies about running away or embarking on 'Eat, Pray, Love' types of trips. Extreme cases may include resorting to drugs, alcohol, or food to numb emotional pain.

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Irritability - Burnout can cause people to lose their temper very quickly with friends, co-workers, and family members, making every day a bad day. Regular tasks become difficult, especially when things don't go as planned.

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Frequent illnesses - Burnout can actually lower your immune system, as your mind affects your body, making you more susceptible to colds, the flu, and insomnia.

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Displacement of conflicts - The person experiencing burnout may not realize the root cause and may consequently begin blaming others and wholly denying the internal problems.

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Reduction in average capacity - When you're plagued with burnout, you're not performing at your best.

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Decreased satisfaction - You lose the sense of meaning and accomplishment in your work, and that space is instead filled with a sense of failure and self-doubt.

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Prevention - Stress may be unavoidable, but burnout is preventable! Following these steps may help you extinguish the burn before it bursts into flames.

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Exercise - Prioritizing your self-care is integral to avoiding burnout. Not only is exercise good for our physical health, it can also give us an emotional boost, even if it's just going for a walk during lunch break.

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Eat a balanced diet - Eating a healthy diet can be a natural antidepressant. Be sure to incorporate mood-boosting foods.

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Re-frame your perspective - Since for many people quitting their job isn't an option, try to find new value in it, or focus on the parts you enjoy. If there's no joy there, find meaning in your life elsewhere, preferably in the things having that job allows you to do.

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Avoid excessive drive/ambition - Starting a new job or task can often make people feel that they must overwork themselves to catch up, but too much ambition can lead to burnout.

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Separate your life from work -

If you're sitting in front of a computer all day, leave the screens off when work is over. It's also important to have a base of friends or activities separate from work so you can cultivate a rich non-work life.

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Practice good sleep habits - Our bodies need time to reset, which is why healthy sleep habits are essential. Relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation also activate a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response.

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Take a daily break from technology - You don't need to read the news every morning or every night, and keeping up with the success and highlights of people on social media will only make you feel worse.

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Give yourself a gift every day - Whether it's going for a walk, visiting a new café, watching one of your favorite shows, or cooking a nice meal, do something special every day.

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Set reasonable deadlines - And flexible ones! Deadlines are a huge source of stress, and when we prioritize a project over our health, we sacrifice the needs of our bodies.

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Nourish your creative side - Creativity is a wonderful way to combat burnout. Try a new art form, start a craft project, or invest time in an old hobby. Putting energy into non-stressful activities stimulates healthy productivity in parts of your life outside of work.

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Cut out stressors - Hanging out with people who love to complain won't help your mood or outlook, so try to avoid them as much as you can.

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Connect with a meaningful group - Joining a cause, sport, or a community group that is meaningful to you can provide a space to connect with like-minded people, which can be a source of more positive energy and motivation.

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Ask for help - Whenever you feel the effects of stress, it's important to reach out for help. If asking feels difficult, try setting up a regular check-in with close friends or family so that you always feel supported.

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Help others - Being helpful to others even in small ways like listening, validating their feelings, or other small gestures can foster a deeper happiness in yourself and can actually reduce your own stress levels.

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Social contact -

Social contact is nature's antidote to stress. When you vocalize your problems, they immediately feel smaller, and even just being around a positive presence can calm your nervous system. The people you're interacting with don't have to provide solutions—they just have to hear you.

And this contact can also be virtual.

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Find new friends -

If you feel like you're alone, it's never too late to build new friendships. Find Facebook groups you can relate to and introduce yourself, for example. Or if you prefer, get in touch with people you haven't spoken to in a long time.

Branching out into new social circles can be the exciting and refreshing change you need.

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The three R approach -

Don’t try to push past the exhaustion! There are three easy steps: first, recognize the signs; then reverse the damage by finding support; and, lastly, build resilience by taking care of your physical and emotional health.

See also: The incredible benefits of being naked.

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