1. You feel so sleepy that your eyes can shut down at any time and you will fall asleep right away.
Severe sleep deprivation will only drain you out even if you try your best to stay awake to work. You open your eyes but your mind is already in the middle of nowhere. The best thing you should do is to take a nap if possible or go have a hot drink to stimulate your senses.
2. Your stomach growls loudly that other colleague(s) can even hear the sound.
This is obviously a sign that your stomach is empty and you need to fill it up with good food. If it’s luckily close to lunchtime, you can go eat sooner than normal. Otherwise, you can eat light to reduce your hunger quickly.
3. Do you find it restricted to turn your head left and right?
Does it ache when you touch your chin to your chest? Is there any pinch in your shoulders when you suddenly raise your hands overhead? Do you struggle to tilt your head backwards? If you say yes to more than one question above, you probably suffer from shoulder and neck tension. Headache is also a sign of muscle tension but as many reasons cause headache, I don’t list it out here. You should do some stretches to release the muscle tension as soon as possible. It might get worse if you continue working on the computer. Your productivity only goes down when you are unwell physically.
4. You start to panic over the tasks and lose sense of direction.
You fall too deeply into the details that you cannot move on with the next task in the big picture. Clients added many requirements in the middle so the objectives started to expand uncontrollably. Team members began to slack off and the progress started to slow down. You got overwhelmed thinking of the deadlines and your mind froze completely. You can't continue to work in this condition. Why not take a walk to a nearby park or wide space and get some fresh air? It will ease your mind out to an extent and get you out of the stressful environment for a while. You might want to chat with some random people to find out new perspectives on your problem.
5. Your heart feels heavy or empty.
You realize you missed a close friend’s birthday or forgot to cheer your kids before the sports day. Your tight working schedule took you away from your loved ones recently. You can’t find time to have deep conversations with your partner anymore. At this point, you should give your beloved a quick call to let them know how much you miss and love them. That is the fastest way to mend your soul in a mean time.
When these signs happen, you’re better to take a short break as soon as possible.
Otherwise, your conditions will get worse while you don’t make any progress at work. It is a lose-lose game already. Your body will thank you when you allow it to recharge the battery at the right times. You might find this post useless if your body has never collapsed before due to signs of burnout at work. Pay attention to your body and mind. These tips will be helpful to you at some point.