Authored by: Leighann Forbes, PhD

Do you ever feel regularly overwhelmed and not sure how to balance the stress in your life? You might be experiencing burnout, and you are not alone. Burnout is something many people face, especially women. Between juggling friends, family, work and a personal life, it is easy to forget to take care of yourself.  

ADAA spoke to Dr. Leighann Forbes, Vice President, Neuroscience Medical Affairs at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine to help women understand burnout, spot signs of it and empower women to learn simple ways to deal with it.  

Am I Just Stressed or Is It Burnout?  

Stress is a natural short-term response to pressures or demands (for example you have to take a test). Burnout, on the other hand, is a very severe state of exhaustion that lasts. You feel like you cannot get out of bed. You detach from people, work and school and almost feel nothing at all.  

Dr. Forbes explains that you can think of stress as the battery on your iPhone that you need to plug in to maintain. Burnout is when the iPhone battery is totally depleted, and it will not come back on. You are experiencing burnout when you need more energy than you have to do daily things in your life.  

Who Experiences Burnout?

People who work in the medical, law enforcement and education fields are at higher risk for burnout. While burnout can impact anyone, women face extra pressure from society and caregiving roles, making it even harder to cope. According to an AMA study, 54.5% of women physicians were more likely to suffer from symptoms of burnout compared to 42% of male physicians.  

What Are The Signs of Burnout?  

If you have been feeling stressed, tired, down, and overwhelmed, you need to check in on yourself. Dr. Forbes says, “You often can find yourself in the thick of it without knowing how you got there.” Different things can cause burnout such as divorce, job loss, major illnesses or high workload. Women often try to be everything to everyone. Dr. Forbes shares physical, behavioral, and emotional signs of burnout.  

• Physical – You feel completely exhausted, tired, and drained day in and day out. You are not taking care of yourself overall. You have changes in your sleep and in your eating (not eating or overeating). You might get headaches.  
• Behavioral – You withdraw from your responsibilities. You use food or alcohol to cope. You do not want to hang out with friends or loved ones. You feel angry or irritable. You call in sick from work or school.  
• Emotional – You feel alone and detached. You have a sense of failure and feelings of self-doubt.  

How To Deal with Burnout

Despite all of the roles women juggle, it is important to prioritize yourself and get support. Dr. Forbes explains, “It is crucial for women in particular to have a support network. You need to have someone to talk to about your stressors and give voice to your feelings.”  

Start by looking at your life overall and figure out how you can take small steps to add balance back into it. Remember, you are trying to reduce your stress, so do not put additional pressure on yourself and overwhelm your routine with new things. Dr. Forbes says that habits will not be changed overnight, but that is okay. Pick one thing to work on, even something as easy as taking a breath.  

Here are some things Dr. Forbes suggests you can do to stop burnout:

• Eat a heathy diet and drinking plenty of water helps cope with stressors.  
• Exercise and establish a fitness routine. Small things can have a big impact. Get 5 minutes of walking in or head outside to move your body.  
• Prioritize sleep.  
• Force yourself to go out with friends and family.  
• Relax and unplug from devices.  
• When your burnout lasts for a long time, you should talk to a professional. They can give you tools and resources to best manage your mental health. When you gain some control back, you can make real progress.  

Dr. Forbes reminds us that “We cannot pour from an empty cup.” Burnout can seem overwhelming, but by being kind to yourself and filling your cup back up, you can regain a sense of balance.