Burn Out - What it is.

Burn out is more common than we think.  It can happen so easily, and can wreak havoc on health, happiness, relationships and job performance.  The trouble is, it is hard to identify it when it is happening.  It is not sudden, but insidiously creeps up.  
If I put everything important to me on the back burner, that is a recipe for burnout.  I don’t think that any earthly thing should control every aspect of my life.  Bosses sometimes try to do that.  I saw something where an employee was asked to do something in a timeframe which would have meant forgoing family time.  Their solution.  Have the boss ring and tell the wife.  The boss decided to set a timeframe which did not impinge on the employees’ time off.
For me, sometimes something needs to change.  It sure is challenging to turn the magnifying glass on myself though, and recognise when I am in denial.  Fortunately, the earlier I recognise the signs, the earlier it can be dealt with.
Lisa M. Gerry wrote at www.forbes.com “It’s obvious that my lifestyle wasn’t sustainable. But back then, I wore my workaholism like a badge of honor. The way I saw it, I had an awesome job and would work as hard as it took to do well.
As time went by, any semblance of a balanced life went out the window. It was a classic case of burnout. In a few short years, I went from bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to seriously burnt out.”
I think it is important to define burnout, as I can only deal with it if I know what it is, and if I am heading for it.
David Ballard, PsyD “an extended period of time where someone experiences exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, resulting in a decline in their job performance. Demands exceed resources.”
Alice Domar, PhD “Burnout is when somebody just feels depleted from doing the task at hand. It happens when the demands being put upon you exceed the resources you have. The tank is empty.”
World Health Organization “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
Peter Kuskie (no letters after name) Burn out is exceeding your limits without respite.
All experience bits of that from time to time.  The key for me that makes it burn out is “continuous, extended,” or incessant.  It just goes on and on.
I really like where it talks about demand exceeding resources.  I cannot give more than I have got.  I sure can try, and often do.  This is not the same as giving more than I think I have got.  I can surprise myself.  It is when I really do not have the needed resources.  I have seen it too with appliances.  Continually making unrealistic demands of it causes it, at the very least to give up the ghost.  In worst case scenario’s it takes other stuff with it.
That is not my portion or destiny.  Burn out is insidious but like everything, it is my choice.  It is important I recognise the warning signs and do something about it early.  Less of a mess that way.
(I am indebted to Sherrie Bourg Carter Psy.D, and www.healthline.com)