Hottest High Octane Stress Articles in 2012
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...ticles-in-2012

Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D., is the author of the blog: High Octane Women While the focus of the blog is on women, I found the articles interesting. Having experienced burnout, I was not that surprised when Carter stated the most read article in the two-year history of the High Octane Women blog is: Running on Empty: How to Recognize When You're on the Road to Burnout

But notice I said that the curves are inevitable, not the crash. And to keep the crash from happening, it's important to know the signs to look for, the warning lights that signal burnout.

• Physical signs, such as chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, stomach pain, sleep problems, frequent headaches, chronic fatigue, gynecological problems, and/or increased illness
• Psychological signs, such as loss of enjoyment for activities once enjoyed; sadness; excessive anxiety or worry; panic attacks; feeling trapped without options for relief or escape; loss of motivation; loss of concentration; emotional hypersensitivity at seemingly inconsequential things; feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, or pessimism; and/or increasing feelings of irritability, frustration, or anger
• Behavioral signs, such as skipping meals; little or no appetite or overeating; increase in alcohol or drug use; increased absenteeism; drop in productivity; many uncompleted projects despite long work hours; and/or isolative behaviors, such as wanting to be alone, closing doors to prevent others from access, being generally inaccessible, eating lunch alone, or being a poor team player

Part II: Refueling Your Engine: Strategies to Reduce Stress and Avoid Burnout

My last post, Running on Empty, described symptoms that, if present, suggest you might be on the road to burnout. If you found yourself identifying with a lot of those symptoms, it's normal to feel upset. When you're used to traveling at Mach 3, pulling back to a comfortable Mach 2 may seem ... well, a little disappointing.

But the important thing to keep in mind is that you are still the same person you were when you entered the race. Your drive, your enthusiasm, your passion, and your energy may have gotten buried under the weight of the stress you've been carrying around, but those qualities and all the other good ones are still inside you. You just need to find ways to reach inside and find the sparks that first ignited your engine so that you can climb back into the driver's seat and reenter the race.

Carter then offers suggestions to help to return to being productive. I never got back. I have done a lot of volunteer work. For two years I worked part-time. My therapist was upset when I resigned my position at work. He acted like I had failed him. Now, I am told to accept I likely will not get better.

Stress is nothing to fool with.