6 Signs People at Work Know You’re About to Burn Out

Feel like you haven't been treated fairly or you've been losing your mind over an unmanageable workload and unfeasible deadlines? If you're feeling burned out, you're not alone.

Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of full-time employees report feeling burned out at work very often or always, and an additional 44 percent report feeling burned out at least sometimes, according to a recent Gallop study of nearly 7,500 full-time employees.

Of course, burnout doesn't feel good for those experiencing it. But it also has more dire results. It attributes to illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, high cholesterol and more.

If your job is draining you, you might not necessarily want your colleagues or managers to perceive you as incapable of handling the work. But if you have a feeling that your coworkers are onto you, you're probably right. Chances are that your coworkers know what you're feeling — and that's likely because many of them are feeling it, too.

Here are six signs that your coworkers think you're about to burn out.

If your coworkers blatantly recommend that you take a day to yourself, it's likely because they recognize that you need it. Maybe they can empathize, and taking a day to regroup themselves has helped them to recharge; now, they're suggesting you try some self-care.

If your coworkers are noticing that you seem overwhelmed — perhaps under a tight deadline — they might offer to lend you a hand with something on your to-do list. This may be because they recognize that you are trying to keep your head above water, and they don't want you to burn yourself out if they can help in any way.

Maybe they've even been there before themselves when another coworker helped them out, and now they want to pay it forward.

If your coworkers invite you out to lunch — and insist that you join them — it might be because they know that you're in desperate need of a break. They might have noticed that you seldom go out to eat, and often scarf down your lunch at your desk while working. So, they want to treat you to a break or at least encourage you to get out and take a step back.

If your coworkers start to lose their cool with you, and maybe even complain that you've been slacking in some way, it may be because they're realizing that you're burning out. For example, perhaps they ask you why you haven't done a certain task yet or how you could possibly still be working on a project. 

When your coworkers are always pinging you or emailing you asking for updates on your progress on a project or task, it's possibly because they don't trust that you're working on it and getting it done. They may be onto the fact that you're getting burned out, and they're worried that you're not going to do your job well (or do it at all).

If your coworker tells you that they're burning out, they may feel comfortable expressing this to you because they recognize that you're in a similar boat. They might just want to talk to somebody who they presume understands.