10 Signs That You Need to Take a Break

If you feel more run down than usual, you aren’t alone. The pandemic increased stress loads and mental health concerns everywhere, with women disproportionately bearing the brunt. 

Burnout can cause a cascade of adverse mental and physical symptoms that spiral into feeling more irritable and exhausted. Take action before that occurs by heeding these 10 signs that you need to take a break. 

1. Your Thoughts Turn Negative 

Does every minor irritation spiral into a panic over the worst that could happen? If you find yourself only envisioning potential negative outcomes or suspecting everyone of nefarious motives, it could be a sign that you need to take a break. 

Mother Nature endowed humans with survival skills, including the ability to focus on potential threats. Biology plays a role in your emotional state. Cortisol levels soar when your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis experiences constant stimulation, altering neurotransmitter levels and making it more challenging to think clearly. Stepping away from everything for a bit can lend needed perspective.

2. You Feel Irritable

Stress puts your senses on high alert. It’s akin to spending days watching a boiling kettle. Eventually, your attention will slip and things spill over, creating a mess. 

Take a break and mindfully reflect on what’s causing your irritation. Sometimes, your discomfort has nothing to do with mental strain — it can result from little more than blood sugar fluctuations. However, you need time to figure that out. Practice the HALT technique, asking yourself whether you feel hungry, angry, lonely or tired before acting or saying anything you might regret.

3. You Have No Patience

Does the woman in front of you in line at the grocer’s make you see red when she whips out a checkbook after laboriously presenting coupons? If you can’t keep from sighing loudly, you might need to take a break. 

Psychologist Karl Albrecht identifies four types of stress — time, situational, anticipatory, and encounter. If you have no patience, you could feel like you don’t have enough time to get things done. Give yourself that gift by taking a break.

4. Your Diet Suffers

Remember cortisol? That pesky stress hormone can wreak havoc with your appetite. You may feel like eating way too much as your body tries to brace itself for what it perceives as an ongoing attack.

Problems arise when emotional overeating leads to weight gain. Excess pounds increase your risk of developing various diseases. 

5. You Start Overindulging

Another sign that you need to take a break is using drugs or alcohol to cope. This rule includes hitting the smoker’s bench at work more often than usual — nicotine products can cause severe health damage. 

Alcohol is particularly dangerous. Although it creates temporary calm feelings, it messes with your brain’s GABA receptors. GABA is your body’s natural anti-anxiety neurotransmitter, and alcohol damages your brain’s ability to balance it. The result is often crushing “hangxiety” — a feeling of panic that only abates when you take another drink. It isn’t challenging to see how this behavior can lead to a substance use disorder. 

6. You Skip the Gym

Exercise is one of the best stress antidotes there is. However, you might lack the energy to get to the gym if your sense of burnout leaves you depressed and exhausted.

The solution? Take a break — and go for a long run or hike. Exercise releases endorphins, natural body chemicals that increase feelings of wellness and decrease pain. Additionally, moderate physical activity mitigates your cortisol levels, calming the hormonal storm and making you feel off-kilter. 

7. You Can’t Sleep 

Tossing and turning don’t do wonders for anyone’s outlook. Racing thoughts that keep you counting sheep signify you need a break. 

If you can’t fall asleep, lay quietly, perhaps listening to peaceful meditation, reassuring yourself that rest alone brings benefits. Avoid behaviors like drinking, watching TV, or surfing the internet that make it more challenging to get some shuteye. 

8. Your Relationships Suffer 

Your relationships ultimately matter more than anything in life. Without those you love, life loses meaning. 

Pay attention if you and your partner begin squabbling over the little things. It may be a sign that you need a couple’s getaway. 

9. Your “Good Enoughs” Become “Oh, Wells”

You might have perfectionistic tendencies, but eventually, you need to finish your work. That reality implies a certain degree of “it’s good enough” if you hope to meet deadlines. 

However, pay attention if you find yourself saying, “oh well,” more often without caring about the quality of what you produce. It’s a sure sign you need to step back, take a break and reassess your priorities. 

10. You Want to Give Up

Perhaps the most urgent sign that you need a break, stat, is to want to throw up your hands in despair. Sometimes, the world becomes so overwhelming that it seems like there’s little point in continuing — but there is always a reason for hope. 

Consider this sign your notice to find psychological resources quickly. Many clinics have sliding-scale fees if you’re one of the many uninsured, and some mental health apps offer unlimited live chats with professionals. Please reach out to the National Suicide Hotline if you have thoughts of self-harm. 

Take a Break to Boost Your Outlook

You’re human, and it helps to acknowledge your limits. Self-care isn’t selfish — it’s a necessity. 

Pay attention to the 10 signs above that you need to take a break. You can prevent burnout and feel overwhelmed by taking some time for yourself.