No matter how much you love your job, it's natural to have days when you'd rather sleep in and stay home than head to the office. But if you constantly feel irritated, grumpy and bored at work, you may be suffering from a condition known as burnout. Burnout, caused by excessive stress, leads to mental and physical exhaustion. If you're feeling sick of your job, learn to recognize the signs of burnout and know what to do to rejuvenate your enthusiasm for work.

Causes

Feelings of dissatisfaction have many causes in the workplace, where you may feel like your efforts as a hard-working employee go unnoticed. You might feel sick and tired of your job if it entails doing a boring or unchallenging task repeatedly. Burnout occurs when you work too much and don't have time to relax. It happens if you work in a stressful or chaotic environment. You may feel sick of your job if your boss expects too much out of you but doesn't praise or reward your good work.

Recognize the Signs

Look out for the signs of job dissatisfaction so you can take steps to correct the problem. You might feel hopeless, helpless or detached if you're sick of your job. You may feel emotionally blunted or depressed. If you're irritable with coworkers and no longer want to socialize with them, you may be suffering from burnout. Burned-out workers feel apathetic and unenthusiastic about going to work. You might find yourself arriving at work late and leaving as early as possible. Job dissatisfaction can even result in physical symptoms, such as tense muscles, insomnia, headaches and exhaustion.

Prevention

Separating your work from your home life can make a big difference in not feeling sick of your job. Avoid bringing your work home with you, and when you have a day off, use it to relax. Turn off your phone and don't check your email for a set amount of time each day. Get enough sleep, exercise and eat a healthy diet so that you feel your best at work.

If you're already sick and tired of your job, evaluate what's causing the problem in your life. Determine how you can improve the situation. Surround yourself with family and friends and talk about how you feel. Ask your boss for some time off or a workload reduction. Commit to fewer activities and projects until you recover.

Moving On

Sometimes, the situation at work gets so bad that you truly never want to go back. If you feel like you're in a dead-end job with no chance for advancement, for example, it might be time to start looking for something new. If the company is laying off employees, issuing pay cuts or closing offices in some locations, it would be wise to start looking for a new job. Working for a company that holds moral standards that differ from your own also is not a situation that's likely to improve. For example, if your company sells fur coats and you're an animal-rights advocate, you're probably going to be unhappy there. If the company or your boss never supports you, you'd be better off finding a job where your skills and accomplishments are appreciated.