The “Sunday scaries” are those moments as the weekend winds down when you realize the start of another workweek is right around the corner.

For some, going back to work on Monday provokes feelings of frustration and exhaustion. If that describes you, you may be experiencing burnout. 

“Burnout is real, and it is on the rise,” says Heather Partridge, a behavioral health counselor at Tidelands Health Family Medicine at Holmestown Road. “Increasing workloads and perceived lack of support on the job can create the kind of stress that keeps us from doing our best at work.”

The “Sunday scaries” may just be one indication of potential burnout. In extreme situations, burnout can reduce your motivation to work or convince you to avoid work entirely.

According to the World Health Organization, burnout is a result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed and has three primary components:

• Feelings of energy depletion or emotional exhaustion
• Increased mental distance from one’s work and negative or cynical feelings toward one’s work
• Reduced sense of efficacy at work

“Basically, you don’t see your labor making a difference despite the energy you put into it, which causes you to put less effort into your job,” Partridge says.

Research shows that burnout can raise the risk of missing more than two weeks of work due to illness, as well as the potential of developing depressive disorders, high blood pressure and even type 2 diabetes.

Other physical manifestations can include headaches and pain in your back, neck and shoulders.

Mental impacts of burnout can show up as stress and sleepiness on the job, which is a product of sleeplessness caused by thinking about work, procrastination and feeling detached from your work.

Emotionally, burnout also may show up in your relationship with co-workers. Are you withdrawing socially, avoiding conversations or continually feeling irritable? You may be experiencing burnout.

“Burnout can be connected to both the work environment and our personal situations,” Partridge says. “If we have our bosses breathing down our necks or pushing us to our limits without breaks or downtime, burnout is a possibility. Add to those factors home or family stress, and the burden can be overwhelming.”

Striving for an impossible state of perfection, struggling to set boundaries between work and home or having low self-esteem can make burnout worse, Partridge says.

Burnout often involves situations in the workplace that you can’t control. But there are steps you can take to help avoid or overcome burnout, according to researchers.

You may consider communicating your concerns with your employer, talking through situations contributing to your burnout. This may include setting reasonable goals and prioritizing your workload to understand what needs to be done immediately and what can wait.

Getting regular exercise can help reduce stress and improve overall health and quality of sleep. It can also give you something else to focus on or help clear your mind.

Re-establish your work-life balance. That could mean opting out of after-hours work activities, taking up a hobby or setting limits on how work cuts into your time with your family and friends.

“Taking time away from work for self-care activities such as exercising, engaging in hobbies or spending time with family is crucial to keeping things in perspective,” Partridge says.