In the above report entitled, “Dismal Employee Engagement Is a Sign of Global Mismanagement,” Jim Harter makes several observations. He offers that the current management style of many companies is a cause of the problem. He writes, “Most of modern business relies on annual reviews to provide feedback and evaluate performance. And yet, the new workforce is looking for things like purpose, opportunities to develop, ongoing conversations, a coach rather than a boss, and a manager who leverages their strengths rather than obsessing over their weaknesses. They see work and life as interconnected, and they want their job to be a part of their identity. “It is a sad commentary that so many people are unhappy or feel disengaged from their work. But there is an even bigger problem at play. It would be one thing if you could leave your unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and disgruntlement at work. But the feelings you have about your job aren’t left at the office at 5:00pm every afternoon. They travel with you, and they can cause problems in other areas of your life.

I once had a client tell me that she was feeling distracted by a bad situation at work. While preparing dinner one night, as she was pondering the situation instead of paying attention to what she was doing, she dropped a sharp knife. The knife went through her foot, severing several tendons. When she called me, she was still in physical therapy and was being hassled by her employer. He was unhappy because she needed to leave work a little early two days a week for the therapy sessions. She was miserable and unhappy. But she didn’t have the support of her husband, who was unable to empathize with her problems at work. He thought she had a good gig and she should suck it up and do the best she could. He is a military guy. Imagine how many times he has not liked something about his job but did it anyway. He thought she should do the same. Needless to say, things weren’t great at home because she didn’t feel understood and supported.

Burnout from work issues can affect every aspect of your life. It impacts your health, including your sleep patterns. It affects your relationships. And it certainly impacts your peace of mind. You need (and deserve) work that fulfills your need for purpose in life. You want (and deserve) work that offers opportunities for you to grow and develop. Without those things, you begin to feel like you are stagnating. When you begin to feel stuck and hopeless, you can find yourself getting sick, and your work stress is the root cause of your physical symptoms.

So, what should you do if you feel the ill effects of job burnout and you aren’t sure what you should do about it? To start, you need to get help with your stress. See a doctor. If you are feeling sick with anxiety, explore getting that handled right away.

Find a wellness coach who you can trust and take a look at your lifestyle habits that have developed up until now. Are you eating food for comfort instead of for good health? Do you binge eat at night before going to bed out of anxiety? How are your sleep habits? Do you have a nighttime routine, or do you work until the wee hours of the morning and fit sleep in when you can? Your body and your brain both need adequate amounts of sleep if you are to function well. Unfortunately, too many people think they can delay or defer sleep. You can’t. A lack of sleep just exacerbates the problems you may be having at work.