You dread climbing out of bed and going to work. After arriving, you coast along unenthusiastically, doing the bare minimum for your boss or clients. Yet at the end of the work day, you feel drained and used up.

If this emotional exhaustion sounds familiar, you may be burned out by your job. Burnout is signaled by a loss of the desire to work and of feeling trapped in a no-win situation. No one is immune. Any person, in any profession, at any level, can become a victim of job burnout.

Job burnout does not occur overnight. It begins with small warning signals. If unheeded, these symptoms can progress until you dread going to work. Even worse, burnout tends to spread to all aspects of your life. It is rare to find a person that is burned out at work, yet energized and enthusiastic at home. Before this happens to you, take charge of the situation:

SYMPTOM: Loss of motivation. Motivation is like fire: It gets hotter when it's fanned by forces that feed it. But without nourishment, it diminishes and you stop performing up to par. This leaves you feeling that your work is meaningless.

CURE: Learn self-management. Manage your motivation to get yourself moving and to keep the momentum going. Take on a project you can feel enthusiastic about. Set a goal for yourself -- this will provide you with a target, instead of leaving you feeling like you're going around in circles. Give yourself rewards for good work done.

SYMPTOM: Demoralizing work situation. Whether it's ambiguity, a critical boss, incurable clients, lack of recognition, tasks without end or work overload, these situations will leave you angry or frustrated. You may also begin to feel that you can't be bothered with people or that you're an outsider.

CURE: Know what is expected of you. Know what the scope of your job is, what direction you are expected to go in, how your function fits with overall organizational goals, and what those organizational goals are. Get a review with your boss if necessary to get these questions answered.

SYMPTOM: Physical breakdown. Common signs of burnout are health problems (especially headaches and backaches), negative emotions, and substance abuse.

CURE: Make an effort to take care of yourself. Get plenty of rest, some daily exercise (even a light walk at lunchtime will do), and fresh air. Keep in contact with your friends, and don't hide in the house or become unsociable. Get a checkup if you have not had one in the last year.