Warning: That friendly coworker who always smiles might be hiding burnout like I was

I spent 2 years at a call center in Phoenix laughing with customers while my shoulders ached from stress. One day my manager pulled me aside and said my voice sounded happy but my reports showed I was missing every break. Have any of you caught yourself doing the same thing without realizing it?

3 comments

3 Comments

anderson.piper27d ago

Missing your breaks doesn't sound like burnout to me, just a bad habit. Is it really that deep or are people just overthinking normal job stress?

mary_west27d ago

Quinncarr literally describing chronic pain and skipped meals and you're calling it a bad habit? That's a complete disconnect from what they just laid out. @quinncarr is right about your body overriding your choices once you hit that point.

quinncarr27d ago

My doctor told me the physical signs of burnout, like chronic pain and skipped meals, can show up months before your brain catches on. Missing breaks is your body's way of forcing you to stop, even if you think you're just being productive. So yeah, it really is that deep when your own system starts overriding your choices.