Some of you might have heard of the term “caregiver’s burn out” but not many people know exactly what it means. Most people have experienced burnout even if they do not realize it. It is estimated that 89% of Americans have experienced burnout in the last year. To understand burnout, we must first understand what burnout is not.

When You Are Not Burnt Out 

When we first start a new job or activity, we might feel excitement. We might be proud or feel accomplished. However, all of the good feelings that we have about the activity tend to wane over time. This is a natural occurrence as the newness of the activity wears off. In the beginning, there are lots of things to learn and experience which tend to keep us busy and even blind to the things that are negative. When the novelty of the activity wears off, it is easier to see the negative things that we might not have been aware of. Or, maybe we did notice them but were able to tolerate them. In any case, those negative aspects begin to be less and less tolerable. This is not burnout.

What Can Contribute To Burnout?

Recognizing and feeling the negatives are not what burnout is. Burnout comes into play when those negative aspects start to weigh you down. For example, maybe the job that you work requires long hours with little thanks. Maybe you have a boss that does not care enough about their employees. At first, we have the mental and physical stamina to deal with these negatives on top of the work that we need to complete. We come to work on time, sometimes earlier. We are willing to stay late to complete work. We always try to do our best and go above and beyond in the job that we do. These are just two things that can cause stress at work. Too much continual stress at work can cause burnout.

What Is Burnout?

Mental Health UK describes burnout as essentially being in a state of mental and physical exhaustion. It is caused when you spend too much time in a stressful or otherwise demanding situation. In this blog, we will be discussing burnout in caregivers. 

What Are Some Burnout Symptoms?

There are many symptoms of burn out but here is a list of the most common ones:

• Tiredness even though you get enough sleep
• Having trouble sleeping
• Depression
• Getting sick more often
• Irritability
• Negative outlook on life

Does Burnout Only Affect Your Work?

You don’t just feel burnout at work. Burnout permeates every aspect of your life. You might be more tired even when you are getting the same amount of sleep. You might be eating more unhealthy foods to comfort yourself. Your relationships with others may begin to suffer because you simply don’t want to do anything. You may also be more irritable with those that are close to you. There are many responses to burnout and these are just a few.

What Does Burnout Mean For A Caregiver?

Now that we know some signs of burnout, let’s apply them to caregivers. A caregiver is any person that takes care of another person who cannot take care of themselves. This could be an elderly or disabled family member, a child, or other vulnerable individuals that are not related to the caregiver. Caregivers are responsible for most, if not all, of that person’s well-being in addition to their own. Caregivers tend to put up with a lot of things that the average person would not put up with. For example, they may be physically or verbally attacked while caregiving. Since the person they care for is vulnerable, simply walking away is not always an option. The demands of supporting people to doctor’s appointments, cooking, cleaning, giving medications, and teaching life skills, among other duties, can be emotionally and physically taxing. 

Why Is Burnout Dangerous For Caregivers?

Caregiving is tough and when burnout creeps in, it gets even tougher. In addition to the burnout symptoms mentioned earlier, caregivers are in danger of abusing the people that are in their care. A caregiver in a state of burnout may yell, hit, withhold things, etc., when they would not have considered those actions in the past. Burnt out people tend to care less about what they are doing which can be dangerous for caregivers and those in their care.

Now you know what caregiver burnout is and how it can affect you. If you want to learn some reasons why burnout happens, read about it here.