Professional burnout is familiar to many. There is also an expression: “burned out at work.” It indicates that a person is tired, has lost motivation, and has lost interest in what is happening around him. The situation is not something out of fantasy, but quite real. The frantic rhythm of life exhausts you mentally and physically. Is it possible to cope with such intense stress? How to avoid professional burnout, how to overcome it if you have discovered signs of this syndrome?
What is professional burnout?
The first information about professional burnout syndrome appeared in the 70s of the last century. American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger characterized it as emotional overstrain after long-term work with clients. Later the syndrome received a different description. Now this is the body's response to stressful situations.
Many people devote themselves entirely to work. They spend most of the day there, forgetting about proper rest. For some period of time, their body does not react in any way to these circumstances. But at a certain point, a so-called crisis occurs, leading to the development of chronic stress. The body makes it clear that the supply of vitality has practically exhausted itself. As a result, a person experiences a number of unpleasant symptoms:
- constant fatigue;
- excessive fatigue;
- lack of prospects;
- loss of interest in life.
Professional burnout is a combination of negative emotions associated with work. It doesn’t matter who they concern: a team, an enterprise or a company. This is how personality deformation manifests itself, caused by the need to communicate with people at work.
How to identify and treat burnout
The good news is that burnout can be treated. First of all, you need to understand your internal state, which is not always associated with burnout. It often happens that the energy that a person expends and receives are not equivalent. And this is a key demotivating moment.
To cure burnout, you need to understand that it is stress. It arises from physical overload and spreads to the psyche. Stress manifests itself in different ways: loss of appetite, poor sleep, decreased tone, and weakness. To determine burnout, you can take the free Boyko test. But it is better to contact a psychiatrist with the results.
Burnout should not be confused with depression. Depression is a disease with similar symptoms, in which the psyche suffers first, and then the physical condition. You can take a free depression self-assessment test.
The table shows the differences between burnout, depression and pseudoburnout. to enlarge.
How to treat
If you are concerned about the symptoms described in the table, you should start by visiting a psychiatrist. It will help you determine what is happening to you.If the burnout phase is deep, you cannot do without medication. Only a psychiatrist can prescribe them. You may also need to consult a psychologist or coach to learn how to manage stress and personal effectiveness.
If you are depressed, you will most likely be prescribed therapy, but a psychologist and coach alone will not help.
Laziness or illness: how to distinguish burnout from procrastination
Professional burnout, laziness and procrastination are significantly different from each other. The latter, translated from English, means delay. This is a person’s tendency to constantly put off doing something until later. Until a certain time there is nothing wrong with it. It’s not for nothing that they came up with the proverb that work is not a wolf; it won’t run into the forest. But then the person oversteps the bounds of what is acceptable, and the delay becomes a problem.
Laziness is not procrastination. This is one of its components. And professional burnout is exactly the opposite concept. A person is ready to do something, but he does not have enough strength.
Three signs of professional burnout
Continuing their research, scientists Christina Maslach and Susan Jackson named the main signs of professional burnout:
- Emotional fatigue. The person is running out of strength. He struggles with constant fatigue from work. It becomes difficult to control yourself.
- Depersonalization. The employee develops cynicism. He doesn’t care what happens to those around him, including colleagues, patients, clients.
- Devaluation of achievements. It increasingly seems to a person that attempts to achieve anything at work and in life are in vain, and that the goals set are too far away.
According to the aforementioned Dr. Freundenberger, those who work in psychiatric clinics are more susceptible to burnout. In fact, the problem is more global. Workers in almost all fields face it. As a result, people and companies suffer.
To diagnose professional burnout, you need to check whether you have at least one of the listed “symptoms”.
Why do we burn out?
The syndrome develops for many reasons. All of them, one way or another, are related to work.
Too much work
There are more workaholics every day, as well as those who face professional burnout. It's easy to explain. More work means less time for proper rest. As a result, stress develops.
Over time, a person increasingly has a desire to quit work, relax, or at least get some sleep.
If a couple of days off helps improve the situation, then everything is fine. If not, we can talk about professional burnout.
Too close to my heart
Often work becomes a second home. The more time a person spends on it, the closer to his heart he takes everything that happens there, including some failures. He reacts to them more sharply than to problems that arise in the family.
At some point, this kind of “love” transforms into hatred. A person understands that work brings nothing but negative emotions and fatigue. The result is a desire to get rid of it as quickly as possible.
Working too long
According to psychologists, from time to time you need to change your field of activity. It is advisable to do this at least once every five years. This is the prevention of professional burnout. Otherwise, stress develops. A person becomes bored at work, he sees no point in further activities, and feels out of place.
Experiencing an identity crisis
Most often, professional burnout occurs between the ages of 27 and 40. It is during this period that a person begins to look at life differently. He reconsiders priorities and also evaluates achievements.
Usually by middle age people manage to achieve some goals. Many already have their own home, car, stable job, family. But suddenly it begins to feel like something is missing. A person wants more. He pushes his career into the background and begins to look for something to do for his soul. Professional activity no longer brings the same satisfaction.
Economic instability
We are not talking about a lack of money in the family here. This refers to a crisis within the state. Because of this, many companies are laying off employees. Those who remain in their jobs face increased workload. As a result, first dissatisfaction with the current situation develops, then anger, and then professional burnout. A person wonders whether he has chosen the right path or whether it is time to change something in life.
Ignoring warning symptoms
Professional burnout does not develop overnight. It goes through several stages and has characteristic symptoms. Many perceive them as banal fatigue from work and continue to do their usual things. Life becomes boring and uninteresting. However, people do nothing for fear of losing stability. As a result, their condition is getting worse every day.
Preventing emotional burnout
Formally, enterprises themselves are not least interested in preventing emotional burnout, because employees susceptible to this condition are less effective, which is reflected in the results of their work. However, as we said, in reality this approach is not always found, so the principle becomes more effective: “The rescue of drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves.” So what can you do to prevent burnout?
First of all, don’t forget to get plenty of rest.
:
- Remember that sleep cannot be replenished
. Let us repeat a simple truth: getting enough sleep is very important, no matter how utopian it may seem. Relaxing rest, meditation, etc. are also good. - In most cases, rest from work does not mean sitting in prostration in front of the TV or browser. Hobbies, alternative activities
(courses, master classes, etc.), meeting with friends, walks, active recreation, going to museums/theaters and much more that brings you positive emotions and allows you to escape from your current tasks. - No matter how much you love your profession, company and/or money, do not take overtime or extra work
if you feel it is too hard for you. As we said, everyone has their own reserves and energy reserves. If you have the opportunity not to work through force, do not take advantage of this opportunity.
In addition, preventing burnout syndrome includes adjusting the work process
. If you are experiencing the first symptoms of this syndrome, it is better to re-evaluate your activities and your routine before burnout develops. For example, agree to overtime only in extreme cases - when there is really a need for it. Help your colleagues only when you have time for it. If you are still fulfilling the tasks of a colleague who left a year ago, hint to your manager that it is time to look for a replacement.
Sometimes what leads to burnout is that some people simply don’t know how to rest.
and, when they come home, they continue to finish or think about work tasks. If it makes you happy, that’s one thing, but if such behavior becomes a bad habit that interferes with rest and ruins your mood, you should get rid of it (including with the help of a qualified specialist). This should also be considered as one of the preventive measures against the syndrome in question.
If it’s too late to talk about prevention and it’s time to think about how to deal with emotional burnout, refer to our next material.
Who is at risk of professional burnout?
The syndrome can affect anyone. But there is a group of people who are at risk.
Responsible perfectionist
The psychological portrait of such individuals looks something like this:
- demand a lot from themselves and from others;
- depend on the opinions of strangers, need recognition;
- please to the detriment of their desires and preferences;
- feel indispensable at work;
- are not able to shift some of the responsibility and authority;
- overestimate their strength, take on many tasks;
- completely dependent on work.
The qualities of a responsible perfectionist can be endowed with men and women. The first ones become cynics and distance themselves from others. And the latter are emotionally exhausted. In both cases, professional burnout occurs.
Works with people
Professional burnout most often develops in those who, due to the nature of their work, have to constantly communicate with people. This includes doctors and other medical workers, teachers, educators, service workers, managers, and psychologists. You can add to this list experts and consultants who manage other people's activities.
Signs of professional burnout
It is noteworthy that the syndrome affects almost all areas of human life. The person faces difficulties both emotionally and physically.
You become indifferent
Apathy, indifference to favorite things, work, lack of joy - all this indicates the beginning of burnout. You can, of course, try to get rid of these symptoms and find motivation. The situation will improve for some time. But after that everything will fall into place again.
It is worth noting that with professional burnout, interest even in ordinary life outside of work disappears.
Colleagues and clients annoy you
As mentioned above, with professional burnout, a person feels that he has chosen the wrong field of activity. Because of this, his relationships with colleagues and clients deteriorate. They seem stupid and inadequate. The employee cannot find a common language with them and goes into direct conflict. If clients refuse further work, he does not see it as his fault.
You know you don't know anything
If you look at it in general, this is normal. Perfection is impossible to achieve, so there is always something to strive for. Before professional burnout develops, a person is ready to learn, to learn something new. Now he doesn't need it. He considers himself stupid and constantly compares himself with his competitors. In this case, the latter benefit significantly.
You're not doing a good job
Bosses and ordinary workers have certain responsibilities. Have you noticed that you are increasingly avoiding doing them or shifting things to others? Professional burnout is near.
You are constantly under stress
Many people have to deal with work issues even on weekends. If you manage to rest, the tension goes away for a while. However, afterwards it returns with renewed vigor. Especially if you imagine going back to work in an hour, day or week.
Depression develops due to tension. A person unsuccessfully struggles with apathy, lack of joy, and fatigue.
Health problems appear
It has long been known that physical health directly depends on emotional health. Constant neuroses and stress provoke the development of many unpleasant symptoms:
- lethargy;
- sleep disorders;
- headache;
- disruptions in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- weight loss or, conversely, sudden weight gain;
- problems with the senses;
- dyspnea.
If you ignore the listed conditions, they become chronic.
Learn the symptoms of burnout
Stress affects the mind, penetrates the body, and affects behavior and emotions. To fight burnout, you need to know its signs:
- Behavioral signs: poor sleep, apathy, excessive activity or willingness to cry for no reason.
- Emotional signs: feelings of loneliness, constant worry, fears, sadness, irritability or anger.
- Cognitive signs: difficulty concentrating, excessive tendency to analyze events.
- Physical signs: pain and fatigue.
Forced independence in work, which appeared during the crisis and self-isolation, can lead to burnout, because many people need personal communication and support. Recognize your needs, talk to your manager and ask for help. Take time to solve personal problems - now is not a good time to be too rigid and ignore stress.
Stages of professional burnout
Psychologists distinguish five stages:
- The first stage is compared to the honeymoon. The person is full of enthusiasm and takes on any task with pleasure. He is even ready to sacrifice personal interests for the sake of work. This state does not last long, until the first stress and failure. Afterwards, activity and performance decrease. Even moving up the career ladder does not bring proper satisfaction.
- The second stage is characterized by constant fatigue, insomnia, lack of interest in work and life in general. The employee avoids fulfilling the duties assigned to him, which is why relations with his superiors and colleagues deteriorate. When communicating with the latter, aggression often manifests itself.
- The third stage is called chronic. Unpleasant symptoms, for example, irritability, depression, emotional exhaustion intensify. Health problems develop in the sexual sphere. Dependence on coffee or alcoholic beverages may occur.
- Following the chronic stage comes a crisis. The name speaks for itself. Dissatisfaction with work and life in general is increasing.
- At the last fifth stage, mental and physical health problems reach a critical level. A person faces a loss of meaning in life, helplessness and despair.
Each stage lasts months or even years. For example, the first one takes from 3 to 5 years. The latter has been developing for decades. At the same time, a person does not try to change something, but goes with the flow.
