Emotional burnout, what is it and how to deal with it? How to deal with burnout syndrome in staff Essay on how I deal with burnout.

People of creative and technical specialties are interested in the topic of emotional burnout. Is it possible to protect yourself in the modern world, where there are strict management rules and a constant race to realize your dreams? Is it possible to find means of prevention and protect yourself from the state when work ceases to bring real pleasure, and everyday duties seem meaningless and insipid?

Signs of emotional burnout

Back in 1974, social psychologists came to grips with the study of the emotional component of people in "helping" professions. These include missionaries, philanthropists, psychologists, rescuers. It was then, paying close attention to what happens to professionals in noble deeds, that scientists found three signs that indicate that emotional burnout is “in full swing.” These three signs apply to all people without exception: it does not matter whether you are writing an essay or proving a theorem.

Fatigue

Fatigue is different. In one case, it can be pleasant: when you want to take a breath, relax, go on vacation. Such fatigue is accompanied by a victorious feeling that you have done a great job and coped with all the obstacles with a bang.

The second type of fatigue is accompanied by a feeling that you have been “de-energized”: lack of strength and desire, lethargy, depression. The symptoms of emotional burnout include this type of fatigue, which is exacerbated at the moments of approaching work. A call from the office, an extra letter in the mail, the end of the weekend - all this negatively affects the general condition and revives the feeling of fatigue again.

Discontent and irritation

Dissatisfaction in the case of burnout is directly related to any facets of their own work. People with emotional burnout are annoyed by clients, responsibilities, getting up early, processing - in a word, any stress associated with their type of activity.

Guilt

At some point, an employee with emotional burnout becomes devastated and ceases to cope with their duties. He feels that he is not doing his job, does not enjoy work. As a result, a feeling of guilt and dissatisfaction with oneself is formed, which blocks the desire to look for a new job: there is simply no strength left for this.

How to deal with emotional burnout?

If you want to protect yourself or reverse the situation that has already developed at your work, listen to the recommendations of professionals. You can deal with emotional burnout in the following way.

Find a job where your efforts get noticed

Getting feedback is the most important human need. If you work in a company where the results of your work are treated exclusively formally, after a while you will feel useless, accompanied by a feeling of emptiness. All people want to be liked, feedback is important to them. Even if it's criticism. The only caveat is that criticism should be objective, constructive and inspiring.

If you have already taken a job where you are not being noticed, ask for feedback, ask how you can improve your results. Silence in response? Then there are two options: change jobs or find an additional area where you will receive constructive feedback and real feedback.

Avoid working with maximum control or connivance

Both strict control and complete disregard for what is happening are two serious leadership mistakes that will lead to emotional burnout. In the first case, you will be a chronically dissatisfied person: it is difficult to work in a situation where you are constantly pointed out and not taken into account with your needs. In the second case, you will start to get bored. This boredom will be caused by a lack of attention to your professionalism.

Make your skill unique

In order not to get tired of yourself and work, learn to do what is not given to others. If you are a doctor, psychologist, marketer, designer, writer, it is not difficult to measure your professionalism. It is determined by the position, the stock of skills, regalia, awards, bonuses, earnings, the number of your clients, your personal inventions in your field (even small ones). In this situation, it is important not to stop: you can always improve what you know: take refresher courses, find new information, do something original.

If you have not decided on a vocation and work in a boring administrative position that does not imply unique knowledge, do not despair: do your job better than others, and you will see the result. Even if you work as an administrator in a sports club, you can treat the job in different ways. In the first case, silently give out the key to the personal dressing room box and check the subscription, and in the second, communicate, wish a successful workout, conduct customer surveys, and offer additional services. It is with this approach to work that a career and the treatment of emotional burnout begin.

Replenish the supply of "childish" emotions

You need to be able to take care of the state of your soul. Emotional burnout occurs if you have zeroed the supply of internal warmth. This reserve is made up of children's emotions: immediate surprise, joy, delight, expectation of something good. How long have you felt these emotions? How long have you been in love with the project you are working on? Remember the impressions of the last week, last month or six months that you had at work. It is not the status of the company and not the salary that matters here. What is important here is what you really like in the process of work. Are you fascinated by the topic or material you are working with? This is the antidote to combustion. Do you have it? Can you fall in love with what you do?

Listen for "like" and "dislike" signals

These signals are silent. The 21st century is the century of exploits and workaholics. In the pursuit of success, we can become cold to our inner voice. We feel discomfort and ignore it, suppress our disagreements, put up with incorrect attitudes. Don't start the situation. Strive to correct the situation immediately. Fill your professional and personal life with warm moments while remaining efficient and hardworking.

Stress and a high pace of life accompany most of us throughout the year. In the spring, chronic fatigue is often added to this, caused by a lack of sunlight and vitamins. All this can lead to the so-called professional burnout syndrome. Even the most successful specialists are not immune from the loss of interest in the profession.

groundhog day
As soon as you take your head off the pillow, you sluggishly wander into the bathroom, remembering with horror that today is only Tuesday, which means that the weekend is still far away. Standing in a traffic jam on your way to the office, mentally scold narrow roads, broken traffic lights and inattentive pedestrians. Already an hour after the start of work, you feel tired, any business requires serious tension from you. Everything annoys you - colleagues, boss, reports, emails and even a pen with a company logo. You look at your watch more and more in anticipation of the evening ...

Finally, the work day is over. After spending a couple more hours in a traffic jam or the subway, you return home, but you can’t cope with a bad mood even with your family. You go to sleep with the sad realization that tomorrow everything will be the same again.

Did you recognize yourself? Work no longer makes you happy, and communication with prospective clients does not inspire you? If you feel that life has turned into a continuous groundhog day, then most likely there is a so-called professional burnout syndrome - the depletion of the emotional resources of a working person against the background of chronic fatigue and stress. HR managers call this phenomenon demotivation.

At-risk groups
Who is more at risk of "burning out" at work? There are several risk groups. Firstly, these are specialists who work with people on a daily basis - teachers, doctors, journalists, PR specialists, account managers, recruiters, salespeople, etc. Agree, it’s not easy to meet with the most diverse representatives of humanity every day from year to year , listen carefully to them and try to help them, not always receiving gratitude in return.

Secondly, introverts can “burn out” at work, that is, those who keep all their experiences in themselves without splashing out emotions on others. Finding himself in a stressful or uncomfortable situation for himself, such a person will not express dissatisfaction for a long time, accumulating negativity. Chronic fatigue and professional burnout often become a natural consequence of this.

Finally, another category of workers who are at risk of burnout are perfectionists, that is, those who always strive to do their job the best. A “red” university diploma, successful independent projects, victories in professional competitions - all this is given to perfectionists not for beautiful eyes, but is the result of daily hard work. Several years of work with almost no days off often turn into a syndrome of professional burnout.

Who rests well, he works well
So, if you notice in yourself such signs as irritation in relation to your once beloved work, dislike for colleagues, a feeling of routine, chronic fatigue, insomnia, or, conversely, drowsiness, lethargy, then it's time to take care of your condition. Otherwise (sadly, but this is a scientific fact), daily stress can lead to a serious deterioration in health - systematic headaches, gastritis, hypertension, heart problems, etc.

How to prevent this and regain simple joys - inspiration before starting a new business, satisfaction from what has been done, a real drive from work? It is best to start your own rehabilitation program with rest. How long have you been on vacation - with travel, sea, delicious food and sun? By the way, it has been proven that a long absence of the sun in itself provokes depression in people. What can we say about the mental state of office dwellers, sometimes for months "sunbathing" under the light of a computer monitor!

So take a vacation if possible. Beach or ski trips with children, fishing alone or a spa with a girlfriend, conquering mountain rivers or excursions to cities and countries - there are many ways to get new impressions and rejuvenate. Choose the one you like best.

Learn, learn and learn
A good remedy against professional burnout is to increase the educational level. Think about what knowledge you lack in your work. In what direction would you like to develop? For example, if your specialty is PR and you are in charge of public relations in an investment company, why not move up a notch by acquiring an economics degree as well? Studying will not only drive away the blues, but also open up new horizons in your work, and provide an opportunity for career growth.

If you do not need a second higher education, think about trainings, advanced training courses, seminars, conversational language clubs, etc. Sometimes even banal English courses give an amazing boost of energy: you meet new people, raise your language level, and at the same time take a break from work, because a change of activity is the best rest. In addition, investments in education are the most reliable.

Update workplace
A much simpler, but surprisingly effective way to combat burnout is to change your workplace. You can offer to swap places with a colleague, you can just move your table and chair a little. Throw away unnecessary papers, clean up your computer folders, dust where the cleaning lady doesn't, and you'll be surprised how much easier it becomes to breathe.

If possible, if it is not prohibited by company rules, add pleasant little things to this - for example, a houseplant in a pot, a photo of loved ones, etc. Being at work will become much more pleasant. Of course, the fight against professional burnout is not limited to cleaning at the workplace - this method is good in combination with others.

Workout
Scientists have proven that regular fitness classes contribute to the production of hormones of joy. Make time for sports in your busy schedule. Let it be what you love - oriental dances or yoga, swimming or volleyball. The joy of movement will transform your life - more strength will appear, including for work. Even if you do not have the opportunity to regularly visit a sports club, do not deny yourself at least walking, cycling or rollerblading. Relax, recharge your batteries, and there the working mood will appear.

Talk to the boss
If you feel that, despite all the measures taken, you still don’t want to go to work, that you can’t do past labor exploits, it may be time for a frank conversation with your manager. Surely he has already noticed your mood and the decrease in the efficiency of your work. Explain that you are tired of the monotony (or, on the contrary, of excessive diversity) in your work, you want to change something in your life, you have sat in one place ...

An adequate boss will appreciate your frankness, especially since the motivation of the staff is most likely part of his duties. The boss may well help you: for example, provide more opportunities for creativity, send you on an interesting business trip, entrust a new project - in a word, make sure that you can show your talents to the maximum and feel a sense of belonging to the success of the company.

change jobs
Finally, the last, most radical remedy for professional burnout is a job change. Sometimes it is better to sacrifice a place in the company than to bring yourself to a state of absolute rejection of the profession. So if, despite the efforts made, you do not see prospects for yourself, are tired of the routine, do not feel opportunities for self-realization, it may be time to post your resume on employment sites. And find a job that will give you pleasure.

Steppe talked to Zhibek Zholdasova, a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, candidate of medical sciences, about an important topic-that-cannot-be-named - emotional burnout and depression.

Why do people "burn out"?

Emotional burnout is a phrase that we use in everyday life. The professional term is exhaustion of the nervous system. The reason for this is often work, where there is stress, strong tension. For example, pilots or surgeons. Their professional burnout comes faster, as the emotional return is greater.

Those who are busy with routine also face exhaustion of the nervous system. Sooner or later, boring work gets boring. And by doing something that brings pleasure, you can avoid burnout. Work should be interesting, albeit stressful. If this is not the case, professional burnout will come very quickly.

We are often approached by people who give themselves completely to their favorite work, and at the same time do not take vacations, agree to an irregular schedule, work on weekends. The nervous system does not forgive such a regime. Holidays and weekends are a must. Forgetting this is fraught with undesirable consequences.

The first call is excessive fatigue. Many people complain about insomnia. Having sacrificed sleep a couple of times to complete work projects, you will not notice how insomnia and fatigue become your constant companions.

Sleep is one of the first to be disturbed, but one of the last to be restored. This "shatters" our nerves, then the problems grow like a snowball. The mood worsens, irritability appears, someone becomes touchy and tearful.

Taking time to rest is the most important thing. Lead an active lifestyle: go in for sports, walks, go to nature.

Why? Physical activity takes away most of the stress. All the adrenaline that is produced during hard work must come out. Release steam. Instead of sitting in front of the TV, go hiking or jogging.

Does it make sense to search for meaning?

The meaning of life and emotional burnout are closely related. Ideas and goals lead a person, define him. Without a goal, a person does not see the meaning of existence, therefore, “burns out” faster.

The culture of self-knowledge in our society is not very developed, because before we had a strong state with its own ideology. And she gave meaning to the lives of citizens. And now there is no ideology, so everyone is trying to find their own meaning of life.

A striking example of a country and the influence of ideology on its inhabitants is Japan. When the Fukushima disaster occurred, the Japanese said: "Even if the whole country goes under water, we will not leave here, we will drown with it." The USA with their American dream is similar. With ideology, people live more calmly.

Ethnopsychotherapy: is it possible to exorcise the spirit of emotional burnout?

Our people are still afraid of specialists. Although only a few came in the 2000s. Today, if they come, then there are already clinical cases that require serious treatment. We have a patient population.

Different people come. But there are several groups of diseases. Neurotic group - this includes neurotic depression, anxiety-phobic states, and panic attacks. That is, post-traumatic stress disorder, which in the West they like to put on everyone.

Among neuroses, anxiety disorders, anxious depressions, and anxiety neuroses are the most common. Relatively young people also come with these states, but more often in their thirties and forties. Mature people who are already sure that they need a specialist. I am glad that people learn about a psychotherapist through word of mouth, overcome shame and come.

But so far, professions that begin with “psi” still cause horror for many. And they go to such specialists last. It is much easier to go to psychic healers, a fortune teller or someone else.

In scientific language, this is called ethnopsychotherapy. She is engaged in shamans, bucks (folk healers - ed.). Such therapy has the right to exist, because it can help a person in a state of neurosis, after stress, in difficult life situations. The person believes and it helps him. When a patient sees a doctor, something similar happens. If you trust a specialist, then the treatment will be successful.

Depletion of the nervous system and depression: what's the difference?

People like to use professional buzzwords: "I'm depressed." But at the same time, if you went to karaoke, sang, shouted, drank a glass of wine, and you let go - this is ordinary fatigue, and not a clinical case.

I often hear the word "procrastination" used. What is procrastination? Either just laziness, or still a symptom of clinical depression. If you cope with this procrastination on your own, and it doesn’t bother you much, then what’s the point of changing everything? But if a person notices that he puts off even the most important things and this begins to adversely affect all areas of his life, it is better to contact a specialist. This behavior may be a symptom.

Emotional burnout goes away if you follow simple rules: more rest, less routine work. Depression, on the other hand, requires treatment, as it can cause suicide.

Depression in facts (data from the World Health Organization)

• Depression is a common mental disorder. It is estimated to affect 350 million people across all age groups
• Depression is the world's leading cause of disability and a significant "contributor" to the global burden of disease
• Women are more prone to depression than men

• At its worst, depression leads to suicide.
• There are effective treatments for depression

Depression: risk group

There are criteria for psychological maturity: this is when a person can answer questions of self-identification: who am I? what am I? why, why? A person has a positive life scenario and resources for its implementation. If a person is psychologically mature, then, in principle, depression is not terrible. But as soon as he cannot answer one of the questions, or if he does not have the resources, there is a risk that the person will “slide” into neurosis, and even worse into psychosis, and then depression. If at a moment of crisis a person is stuck on some issue, he may fall into the risk group, because he did not reorganize in time.

Recognizing depression is easy.

Decline in mood is the first signal. Sleep is lost or disturbed, there is a feeling of constant fatigue - these are the initial signs. After negative thoughts arise, interest in the surrounding life disappears. A person does not want to do anything, gradually his desire to go out somewhere disappears. Over time, he becomes closed, lives on the principle of "work-home".

The danger level rises when suicidal thoughts arise. But here, too, you need to understand the difference between: “I’ll go and do something with myself” and “What will happen if I am gone?”. The latter are more dangerous because they can develop into real attempts to commit suicide.

Seasonal depression - fact or fiction?

Exacerbation occurs at any time of the year. When I worked in a government institution, patients came in all year with neurosis, psychosis, and whatever. For example, in patients with dementia or Alzheimer's, we clearly observe how with each change in the weather, the patient's condition also changes. Pressure jumps, hallucinations or aggression begin. They are dependent on the lunar phases.

Some people's brains actually sense the phases of the moon. It doesn't have to be aggressive. Tearfulness, irritability, passivity may appear. The moon influences the ebb and flow of the earth's seas and oceans, so why can't it affect the fluid in the head?

Treating depression: why are we afraid of antidepressants?

Fear of psychotropic drugs appears due to negative cases. For example, the patient incorrectly took the medicines prescribed to him, or he was prescribed drugs incorrectly. When a patient comes to me, I offer him three treatment options. Medicamentous, psychotherapeutic or mixed option.

The last option is the most effective, since the drugs will relieve the symptoms, and it will be much easier to change yourself against the background of these drugs. Standard drugs in the arsenal of a psychotherapist are antidepressants. Modern antidepressants are quite high quality, with a minimum of side effects. They are uplifting and long lasting. There are patients who say: I'm better with an antidepressant than without it.

Depression Self-Rating Tests

There is a Tsong scale for self-assessment of depression. The rest needs to be done with a specialist. The Luscher test is a good test. But the monitor does not transmit the originally accepted color shades, so it cannot be said that the result is reliable.

In general, it is better to carry out prevention, and not to treat and look for depression in yourself. In our brain there is an amazing thing - the hippocampus. It is responsible for mood, behavior and memory. The hippocampus stimulates physical activity, even minimal - exercise, climbing stairs. Also, constant learning helps not to fall into depression. You need to sincerely show curiosity and interest in the world around you. How children do.

Cover illustration: Azat Kasymov

Animations: Emma Darvick

Scientists believe that burnout is not just a mental condition, but a disease that affects the entire body.

The term "burnout" was introduced in 1974 by the American psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberger. At the same time, he compared the state of a “burnt-out” person with a burned-out house. From the outside, the building may look unharmed, and only if you go inside, the degree of devastation becomes apparent.

Now psychologists distinguish three elements of emotional burnout:

• exhaustion;
• cynical attitude to work;
• feeling of inadequacy.

Exhaustion makes us easily upset, sleep poorly, get sick more often, and have difficulty concentrating.

Being cynical about what we do makes us feel disconnected from our peers and lack motivation.

And the feeling of inadequacy makes us doubt our own abilities and perform our duties worse.

Why does emotional burnout occur?

We tend to think that burnout is simply due to the fact that we work too hard. In fact, it is due to the fact that our work schedule, responsibilities, deadlines and other stressors outweigh job satisfaction.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley identify six factors associated with employee burnout:

• work load;
• control;
• remuneration;
• relationships in the team;
• Justice;
• values.

We experience burnout when one of these aspects of the job (or more) doesn't meet our needs.

What is the risk of burnout?

Fatigue and lack of motivation are not the worst consequences of emotional burnout.

• According to researchers, chronic stress, which occurs in people with burnout syndrome, negatively affects thinking and communication skills, and also overloads our neuroendocrine system. And over time, the consequences of burnout can lead to problems with memory, attention and emotions.
• One study found that those who experienced burnout experienced accelerated thinning of the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the region responsible for cognitive performance. Although the cortex thins naturally with aging, those who experienced burnout experienced a more pronounced effect.
• It's not just the brain that's at risk. According to another study, burnout significantly increases the likelihood of developing coronary insufficiency.

How to deal with burnout?

Psychologists advise looking for ways to reduce the workload at work: delegate some of the responsibilities, say “no” more often and write down what causes you stress. In addition, you need to learn to relax and enjoy life again.

Don't forget to take care of yourself

It is easy to forget about yourself when there is no energy for anything. In the state, it seems to us that taking care of ourselves is the last thing we need to spend time on. However, according to psychologists, just her and should not be neglected.

When you feel like you're close to burnout, it's especially important to eat well, drink plenty of water, exercise, and get enough sleep.

Also remember what helps you relax and make time for it.

Do what you love

Burnout can occur if you do not have the opportunity to regularly devote time to what you love.

To prevent job dissatisfaction from turning into burnout, consider what is most important to you and include it in your schedule.

At least a little every day, do what you love, and once a week, devote more time to it. Then you will never have the feeling that you do not have time to do the most important thing.

try something new

Do something new, for example, which you have long dreamed of. It may seem counterintuitive, given that you're already busy all the time, but in fact, a new activity will help to avoid burnout.

The main thing is to choose something that will restore strength and energize.

If adding something new to your schedule is completely impossible, start by taking care of yourself. Focus on sleep and nutrition, and try to get at least a little exercise every day. This will help to avoid the consequences of burnout and return to duty.

Everyone has periods of fatigue, apathy, emotional exhaustion. A person becomes distracted, begins to value his personal space more, and people in the subway are more and more annoying. Sometimes there is no strength at all to get out from under the covers, and the motivation disappears even before you open your eyes in the morning. This is not yet a reason for panic, but an occasion to think about why this happened. Burnout syndrome can lead to severe depression. How to recognize and prevent burnout, explained clinical psychologist, director of the Center for Systemic Family Psychotherapy Inna Khamitova and life coach Timur Yadgarov. Their opinions sometimes contradict each other, you can choose a point of view that is closer to you.

What is emotional burnout

THEIR.: The syndrome of emotional burnout manifests itself in three areas: intellectual - it is difficult to master new knowledge, problems with memory arise; physical - general fatigue, lethargy; emotional - a decrease in mood, when a person is no longer happy with anything. The source of this, as a rule, is the following: you put much more into work than you receive in return. And here we are talking about physical, and intellectual, and emotional resources.

T.Ya.: Our life is not focused on positive emotions, but rather on momentary goals, on what society requires. Because of this, we lose something very important that fills our life with meaning. The idea of ​​balancing personal life and work is very complex, and it is difficult to find a person who combines them with ease. After all, the concentration of efforts requires full dedication, and the result is achieved either in one or in the other. If you strive to achieve high results and overcome the great resistance of the environment, tension naturally occurs, and here everything depends on how much a person is able to withstand this tension. Lack of freedom is also a common cause of burnout: dependence on bosses, organizations, other people, the feeling that a person cannot be responsible for himself.

Who is at risk

THEIR.: As a rule, burnout syndrome affects people of intellectual and creative professions, and of any age. The first in the risk group are workaholics: those who actually live their work. Extremely sensitive, empathic, mentally subtle people also get there. The main condition is the return on work (both emotional and material): the smaller it is, the more likely it is to burn out. In addition to the lack of results from work, routine, monotonous activities, petty nitpicking and tyranny on the part of superiors, conflicts in the team, and lack of encouragement contribute to the burnout syndrome. That is, everything that complicates the situation at work, and the work process itself.

T.Ya.: First of all, emotionally irresponsible, passive and lack of initiative people are subject to burnout. This is also facilitated by a violation of the so-called emotional integrity: when people think and feel one thing, but say and do another. I would say that emotional burnout is a responsibility: you, as the owner of your body, must understand that you have emotions in your household that can be depleted and burned out. If a person has joy, love, recognition, respect, a sense of achievement, connection with other good people in life, the likelihood of burning out is much less. Every morning, waking up, we can run either driven by fears or driven by a dream. Question: Do you have a dream and do you follow it every day. A person who follows a dream, and not fears, will burn out less.

How to deal with emotional burnout

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