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What causes burnout? Burnout among professionals can result from consistently
working too much to meet the demands of your superiors, or from being expected to perform
in a way that goes against your sense of right and wrong. It can also
follow months of being pulled between bosses clamoring for your time
and attention, or from never getting any praise from your superiors
no matter how impressive your work. More commonly, though, burnout
is caused by a work style that's almost required in today's workplace:
One where you feel under constant pressure to succeed and are frantically
juggling constantly shifting priorities. In order to cope with the
demands, you take yourself and your work role very seriously. Eventually,
you come to identify so closely with your activities that, whenever
they fail, you fall apart. In the last six months, have you noticed
that:
- You used to love your work, but now it exhausts you emotionally or
physically?
- You feel you're accomplishing much less compared with your past performance?
- Your work always comes first, but no one seems to appreciate your
efforts or commitment?
- You feel increasingly cynical about your work, your employer, or
your clients?
- You believe that only you can do the work you do as well as you do
it, and that your clients and colleagues would be irreparably harmed
if you quit?
- You're no longer interested in the hobbies or pastimes you used to
enjoy?
- Nothing much matters to you?
- You're increasingly forgetful about appointments, or find yourself
misplacing possessions or overlooking deadlines?
- You need more time alone than you used to?
- You're more irritable now when driving in traffic or waiting in lines?
- You're getting unexplained headaches or stomachaches or backaches?
- You find yourself frequently feeling angry or striking out at others?
For every "yes" answer, you're exhibiting at least one symptom of burnout.
By Deborah Arron, What Can You Do with
a Law Degree? A Lawyer’s
Guide to Career Alternatives Inside, Outside & Around the Law (DecisionBooks, 2003)
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