Seven common indications that you need a vacation

We all need a break from the office once in a while. If you're racking your brain trying to think of the last time you went on vacation, you're long overdue for some time off lest you experience burnout.

Luckily, burnout can be avoided if you learn to recognize the signs. Here are some of the most common symptoms of burnout and indications that you need a vacation.

1. You're feeling negative

You are feeling bored and having difficulty mustering up motivation to get your work done. Everyone and everything about your job annoys you, and you are feeling neither satisfied nor fulfilled when it comes to the daily grind and your overall career path. If these negative thoughts seep into your personal life, it's time for a break.

2. You're having trouble sleeping

Whether you're having trouble falling asleep or waking up at 3:00 every morning, sleep issues can be a symptom of overwork and stress, or it can be a signal that you're too focused on your work at the expense of everything else.

3. You're making mistakes at work

When stress becomes chronic, we have difficulty paying attention to other things, narrowing focus. Your performance at work may start to slip as this narrowed focus impairs your memory as well as your problem solving and decision-making skills.

4. You're disconnected from your loved ones

Businesses come and go but family and personal relationships are forever. So if you're regularly skipping dance recitals, Little League games, or best buddy birthday drinks you know you should attend, be concerned.

5. You wake up with a grumble

What's the first thing you say upon opening your eyes in the morning? "When you wake up, you make a disapproving noise like grumbling or a 'F*** my life' out loud," it is seriously time to start planning a getaway.

6. You're using unhealthy coping mechanisms

If you find yourself regularly reaching for a glass of wine to relax, or looking for comfort in junk foods and sugary snacks, you may be suffering from burnout. At the end of a long day, you might also be too tired to exercise, and end up just watching TV.

7. You're in physical pain

When you feel anxious or overwhelmed at work, your brain releases stress hormones as a “fight-or-flight” response to whatever is causing the stress. Over time, the less benign physiological consequences of this chemical reaction – increased pulse rate, blood pressure, sweating – can lend themselves to more severe symptoms like chest pain, back aches, eye strain, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, dizziness, and fainting.