How to spot burnout signs amongst your caregiving employees?

Caregiving is no easy task. It’s a huge endeavor for a single person to handle and extract a huge toll. When one takes care of someone completely for extended periods, their sense of self diminishes and they feel they only exist to serve their dependent. This can make them feel like a glass child – someone who is constantly overlooked and has no visibility whatsoever. They struggle to ask for help and even feel guilty for being happy if a tiny good thing happens in their life. 

Their entire life revolves around caregiving, and they feel like they aren’t living their own life. The cycle of sacrifice is perpetual and pushes them to burn out easily. Here are some telltale signs of burnout you need to know, so you can help your caregiving employees. 

Spotting burnout signs amongst caregivers

Suzanne White, Founder of Caregiver Warrior says, “Sometimes burnout operates like a disease with very real, sometimes life-threatening symptoms, for which self-care is not enough to prevent or fix, which takes a combination of time and outside help to overcome.”

Chronic ongoing fatigue

If your caregiving employee is exhausted all the time, and who looks and sounds tired, it’s a classic sign. While this is fairly common, what often goes unnoticed is anger that covers exhaustion. Anger comes right after fatigue. 

Many caregiving tasks are physically demanding, such as assisting with mobility, administering medications, or attending to hygiene needs. Long hours, interrupted sleep, and repetitive tasks can drain caregivers' physical energy, making it difficult to recuperate fully.

Acting differently than their original personality

Burnout is so intense that it can alter the personalities of those experiencing it, causing irritability, and what comes as less patience. Caregivers who were once patient, empathetic, and cheerful may find themselves becoming irritable, short-tempered, or withdrawn. The relentless stress and emotional burden of caregiving leave little room for their usual demeanor, as exhaustion depletes their capacity to cope with everyday challenges.

One common sign is reduced patience. Tasks that previously felt manageable may suddenly seem frustrating or intolerable, leading to outbursts or moments of anger. Caregivers may also become more reactive, responding with less understanding or compassion, not because they care any less, but because they are running on empty emotionally and physically.

Deep sadness and gloom

Even though it stems from a physiological root cause, other burnout indicators include overwhelming sadness. For some, it can be tearful and looks like they could burst into tears any minute. Unlike typical moments of sadness, the melancholy associated with burnout is persistent, pervasive, and often feels inescapable.

The caregiver may feel disconnected from their usual sources of joy, and the emotional drain can feel like a heavyweight. Many caregivers find purpose and meaning in their roles. However, when burnout sets in, they may feel like they are failing in their duties, leading to a diminished sense of accomplishment and fulfilment. 

Profound helplessness

Debasmita Sinha, Chief Psychologist and Senior Director-Clinical Excellence at Manah Wellness says, “In the caregiving cycle, you hit a point where you are burnt out, but you can’t stop, because the dependent still relies on you for everything. At this point, the quality of your life becomes absolutely miserable.”

For some others, it could be helplessness. They might need help with basic tasks they used to ace sometime ago. This is because caregiver burnout can feel claustrophobic, leaving them feeling trapped. They could feel they couldn’t even take 5 minutes of me-time while tending to their loved one. 

Extreme loneliness

Teepa Snow, an Occupational Psychologist specializing in caregiver burnout says, “Caregivers experience a feeling of isolation which they describe as being abandoned by everyone. They feel left out from other friends and family who continue living their normal lives.”

Caregivers often prioritize their caregiving duties above everything else, leading them to sacrifice social engagements, friendships, or time with family. This narrowing of their social circle can lead to feelings of isolation. The more they disconnect from others, the harder it becomes to re-establish those connections. 

Many caregivers feel they have to manage everything on their own, whether due to the absence of family support or the feeling that asking for help is a burden. This lack of support can deepen feelings of loneliness. They may feel invisible or as if their sacrifices are taken for granted, leading to a sense of being alone in their struggle, even when they are physically surrounded by others.

Being unusually quiet

Experts say that as one goes further into burnout, sentences disappear. If they get further deep without any intervention, they lose all ability to speak. Then the stage after that is when they lose the ability to understand what people are saying to them. 

They feel too drained to engage in conversations, share their thoughts, or even express their feelings. What might have once been an open, communicative person can become withdrawn, unable, or unwilling to communicate, directly resulting from the intense strain they experience. Burnout can make caregivers feel isolated or misunderstood, as they might believe others do not fully grasp the extent of their struggles. This can result in them becoming quiet, choosing to internalize their feelings rather than risk opening up to others.

Some lose function, or compulsively over-perform

Everyone responds to burnout differently. Some people may find it impossible to think clearly because they’re just trying to survive. Others, on the other hand, tend to compulsively overperform. Caregivers deal with a lot of uncertainty or anxiety in their lives. They are perpetually scared of losing their dependents, so there’s no control over the outcome. They’re always on edge, so to compensate for this lack of control, they tend to control all the little things they can. They nitpick minute details, sometimes even trivial ones. 

Training managers to look out for distress signs

Teepa Snow, an Occupational Psychologist specializing in caregiver burnout says, “Remember, burnout isn’t the result of poor self-care. It’s the result of extreme circumstances.”

You need competent people to identify when people are in distress, and in the middle of such extreme circumstances. Managers are often the first point of contact for employees and play a pivotal role in identifying issues before they escalate into more severe problems. This practice benefits both employees and the organization as a whole.

Recognizing signs such as increased irritability, absenteeism, or unusual quietness can prompt managers to have timely conversations with employees, offering support and resources to address the root causes. 

Unaddressed distress, whether emotional or physical, often results in increased absenteeism, disengagement, or even voluntary resignation. Employees who know their wellbeing matters to their managers are more likely to feel valued, which boosts morale and reduces turnover. This can reduce absenteeism and help retain top talent by addressing concerns before they lead to burnout and turnover.

This important training exercise helps break down the stigma around mental health and emotional struggles, ensuring that employees are more likely to seek help when needed.  A manager who is attuned to the signs of distress can provide the necessary adjustments, whether it’s workload management, mental health support, or temporary relief, allowing employees to perform at their best.