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Learn to value yourself, which means: fight for your happiness.
Ayn Rand
Ever felt that burnout is affecting your intelligence more than your energy? Well, studies have proven those intuitions right. Burnout doesn’t only steal your power; it robs you of your cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills.
Burnout is a result of relentless exposure to extreme stress levels over a long period. In modern research, burnout is distinctly known as an” occupational phenomenon” rather than a medical or mental condition. It’s more than just emotional exhaustion; significant symptoms include depersonalization, physical fatigue, impairment, and cognitive decline. So, yes, unaddressed symptoms of burnout genuinely impact cognitive ability and intelligence!
The Reality of Burnout on Cognitive Functioning
Chronic work stress spikes cortisol levels in your system, weakening mental energy and causing brain cells to short-circuit. For many people, this may present as counterproductive work behaviors, creating mental distance from your job, feelings of negativity, or cynicism. In essence, stress fries your brain’s control circuits, making you more impulsive, scatterbrained, and mentally fuzzy. Over time, elevated cortisol levels shrink your hippocampus (the area linked to memory), impair the striatum (associated with habit formation, rewards, and motor functioning), and induce changes in the amygdala (responsible for managing emotions). Additionally, burnout diminishes your brain’s neuroplasticity, interfering with learning, problem-solving, and cognitive adaptability.
An article by Psychology Today explores the impact burnout has on cognitive functioning. Here’s a rundown of what they found on the consequences of burnout on your cognitive functioning:
- Memory Loss: Burnout could be to blame if you constantly draw blanks on familiar people and tasks. It significantly impairs both short-term and long-term recall.
- Difficulty Focusing: Burnout victims find it extremely hard to maintain focus and avoid distractions, resulting in lost track of conversations and difficulty paying attention in meetings.
- Reduced Verbal Skills: Are you experiencing a shrinking vocabulary and word recall? You’re not imagining it; burnout does impact verbal reasoning skills and vocabulary.
- Impaired Multitasking Abilities: If juggling several projects feels like a Herculean task, burnout may impair your ability to switch between tasks effectively.
- Impulse Control Problems: Burnout depletes your mental reserves, making people more irritable, impatient, and impulsive. This, in turn, erodes your social skills and decreases your frustration tolerance.
- Decreased Executive Functioning, Learning Potential, and Information Processing: A burnout victim can often not process new or complex information, learn new skills, plan/organize/execute tasks, and may have other impaired analytical abilities.
Take-Home Notes
Don’t ignore burnout! Burnout can’t be turned off like a light switch or can’t be like random emails in your inbox. Unchecked, burnout can damage your cognitive abilities and physical health. Additionally, there is an overlap between burnout and depressive symptoms. Therefore, burnout can lead to mental health concerns, relationship issues, and more significant challenges at work.
Experiencing warning signs like forgetfulness, mental fatigue, and deteriorating work performance?
It’s time for serious intervention.
Burnout is mainly an organizational problem but still a YOU problem to overcome. Your responsibility and right is to speak up for yourself, learn to set boundaries, create mental breaks, and prioritize your well-being. Make preserving your brain power and your overall health a top priority.
It’s been a joy, thanks for reading! Let’s have a discussion — @modern.therapist