Foreigner.....burnt out?

 Ah the dreaded burn out that comes with living. I would really be interested in meeting someone who has never experienced a burn out for at least one day regarding one thing, and even burning out on ice cream because you just a whole tub counts. It just comes with having the daily grind of living in a situation that you aren't completely in control of.

  Since burn out is a common occurrence in daily life no one should begrudge you getting a little burnt out at work right? Well most of the times I would say yes, because we are all entitled to our bad days at work and would just really have rather called it in sick. I've felt it, your parents have probably felt it, and probably your grandparents even had it. The problem is when people burn out a little bit to early. Now I'm not saying that there should be a set date when you can officially burn out, but please try and not do it in your first month working. That isn't a joking date, I have personally witnessed a co-worker burn out within their first month of working at our company and I just had to shake my head at it.

The question is how to see if you are burning out and what you can do about it if you are

Signs and Symptoms: To tell if you're burning out at work ask yourself these simple questions

• Would I rather be getting teeth pulled than walking through that door?
• Does any little task you are given make you want to turn and punch the nearest person because they should be happy you showed up?
• Are you barely making it into work "on time" or showing up in less than professional condition (a little tipsy from the night before?)
• Have you started a count down till you get the next job? (this only applies if you are like many ESL teachers and are on a yearly contract)
• Do you try and do as far under the bare minimum as you can to conserve effort?

If you've answered more than one of these questions with a yes, than you are either burnt out or rapidly heading there.

Prevention: This is the super tough part, but the number one thing I can tell you is have a life outside of work. If your whole life is centered around it you will burn out faster than you can blink. So before you go hopping off to your new job (this is mainly regarding going abroad for jobs) really research where you are going. Don't just jump into the first job that will give you some sort of money. Here are things you should look out for

• How friendly is the work environment - Whether you plan on being bffs with these people or not if you go abroad to work sometimes these are the only native speakers you will see for awhile and it can get lonely if you are surrounded by douches.
• Is there a change for outside of work socializing - Check your schedule and see just how much down time you are going to have. Not enough and you get burnt out waiting for the weekends and they are never enough. Too much down time and you are in the same boat.
• Can you pick up a hobby? - Hobbies are important when you have a job because they are your escape from it and it gives you something to look forward to at the end of a long day.

These are only a few suggestions which either would have been nice to know before I went abroad or have kept me going. I mean I felt very mixed writing this because some people realize right away even their first day that their experience abroad isn't for them and I don't want to judge them for at least realizing this quickly. The point of this post was to realize when you are burning out and turning into a negative person and to do something about it!