Tired all the time, short-tempered, sleeping badly? Chronic stress rarely announces itself. Here are the early signs and what to do about them.
Burnout almost never arrives in a single bad week. It builds quietly: a little less patience, a little more caffeine, a growing sense that nothing you do is enough. By the time most people notice, the body has been telling them for months.
The early signs are physical as often as emotional. Poor sleep, headaches, a tight jaw, digestive trouble and getting every cold going round are all common. Many people also notice a shrinking of interest in things they used to enjoy, and a dread of Sunday evenings that starts earlier each month.
What helps is rarely dramatic. Protecting one hour a day that is yours, saying no to one thing a week, and telling one person the truth about how you are can shift the pattern. Counselling helps because it gives you somewhere to say it out loud before the pressure finds another outlet.
If you recognise yourself here, you do not have to wait for a crisis. A single conversation can be enough to see the shape of the problem.