Emotional Burnout - How to Deal with Work Stress. “I have depression”: How to deal with emotional burnout? Methods of dealing with emotional burnout
Usually people feel tired at the end of their work shift, towards the end of the working week, or just before a vacation. Unfortunately, there are times when you feel overwhelmed all the time. At the same time, you notice a lack of enthusiasm for work. Along with fatigue, its faithful companions settle in your mind: detachment, cynicism and indifference. There is emotional burnout.
The scourge of modern people
Burnout symptoms are becoming more and more common these days. This is due to modern labor realities and a busy rhythm of life. Employers are becoming more demanding and working conditions are becoming more stressful. The situation is often supplemented by a restless atmosphere in the team, intrigues and gossip. Let's talk about what causes emotional burnout and how you can overcome this condition.
The scorched house analogy
The term "burnout" itself was coined in the 70s of the 20th century by the psychologist Herbert Freudenberger. There is a clear relationship with the concepts of "scorched earth" or "scorched house". If you've ever walked past a burned-out building, you know how sad and depressing it is. Wooden buildings burn out almost to the ground, leaving only part of the walls. Concrete structures are more lucky. But if outwardly the brick houses affected by the fire almost do not change their appearance, then inside the eyes of the observer a sad sight appears. You will be amazed at how fierce the fire can be, and what the extent of the disaster can be. Dr. Freudenberger drew an analogy with a scorched concrete structure and emotional burnout in people. Outwardly, a person practically does not change, but his internal resources are completely devastated.
Three levels of burnout
Modern researchers distinguish three degrees of burnout: exhaustion, cynicism and inefficiency. Let's take a closer look at what all these stages lead to. Burnout exhaustion causes feelings of anxiety, difficulty sleeping, lack of focus, and even physical illness. Cynicism is sometimes referred to as depersonalization or self-perception disorder. At the same time, one's own actions are perceived by a person not from the inside, but from the outside. There is a strong feeling that control over oneself has been lost, there is a feeling of alienation from the people with whom a person works, a lack of interest in work. And finally, the third factor robs you of the confidence that you are doing a good job or doing your job well. This feeling does not grow in a vacuum.
No one wants to fall into the trap of emotional burnout. On the one hand, everything is simple: you need not overload yourself with work. But, on the other hand, everything is much more complicated, and trouble can sneak up suddenly. To know how to cope with this condition, it is necessary to be able to determine the causes of its occurrence. 
What causes burnout?
In fact, the opinion that burnout comes due to the lack of days off and holidays is a fairly common misconception. Alexandra Michel, science writer at the Association for Psychological Science, says: “Burnout occurs when there are more negative work-related factors than positive ones. When a project is under deadline, there are too high demands from the boss, there is a lack of working hours and other stressors are present. At the same time, rewards for work, recognition of colleagues and recreation take up much less space.”
Conditions
UC Berkeley professor Christina Maslach has been studying this problem since the 1970s. The expert and colleagues suggested six workplace environmental factors that are responsible for burnout. These include load, control, reward, value, community, and fairness. A person feels emotional emptiness when two or more of the factors listed above do not meet his needs. For example, an employee has a small salary with overly high requirements and hard work. Unfortunately, many workplaces cannot meet the basic needs of the staff. One large study conducted in Germany by Gallop found that 2.7 million workers report symptoms of burnout. In 2013, a survey was conducted among directors of enterprises in the UK, during which it turned out the following: 30 percent of managers believe that the personnel of their firms are prone to mass burnout. 
Risks and consequences
The consequences of this phenomenon are comparable only with a catastrophe of a universal scale. According to Dr. Michel, burnout is not just a state of mind. This condition leaves an indelible mark on the minds and bodies of people. Fatigue and loss of interest in work are just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the risks of burnout are more serious. Individuals suffering from burnout experience chronic psychosocial stress that is detrimental to personal and social functioning. This suppresses cognitive skills and adversely affects the neuroendocrine system. Over time, the effects of burnout lead to problems with memory functions and reduced concentration. There are also great risks of causing damage to the psyche, in particular, the occurrence of a depressive disorder.
Burnout affects brain function
This problem has been studied by scientists repeatedly. So, one of the later scientific studies showed that in people suffering from emotional burnout, the prefrontal cortex of the brain becomes thinner. This important department is responsible for cognitive functions. Normally, the prefrontal cortex becomes thinner with age, as the body naturally ages. But, as we see, this process under certain conditions can start much earlier. 
Risks of coronary heart disease
Stress and other negative emotions cannot but affect the work of the heart. Another study of nearly 9,000 burnout workers found that this category has a significantly increased risk of coronary heart disease. These and other consequences sound pretty bleak, so let's turn the topic in a more positive direction. Fortunately, burnout can be overcome.
How to overcome the problem?
When a person feels the effect of burnout on himself, he shows concern about his condition. The first thing that can alleviate panic is to reduce the amount of work done. Psychologists suggest looking for ways to manage workload in the following tricks: delegation of orders, the ability to refuse help, and keeping a diary. There you can write down the conditions that make you feel stressed in the workplace. However, burnout is associated not only with professional workload. Learn to look at the world wide open again, try to enjoy leisure, hobbies and any sweet moments that are not related to work. In order to balance the negative and the positive, you need to learn to enjoy life again. 
Do what you like
It's easy to forget about yourself when you're going through a burnout period. You live under the yoke of constant stress, so the only outlet is to increase the number of delicious dishes in your diet. However, sweets will not save you from the problem itself. But a healthy diet, enough water and exercise can quickly bring you back to normal. Try to do what you like, find time to meet with friends. To conclude, in the words of software engineer Kent Nguyen: “Burnout comes from not being able to do what you love or what is important to you on a regular basis.”
The syndrome of emotional burnout at work, the main causes of its occurrence and the clinical picture. Ways to eliminate symptoms and prevention.
The mechanism of development of emotional burnout in humans
Work that is associated with other people, communication with them, after several years can cause a burnout syndrome. Such a phenomenon was noticed back in the last century, when many able-bodied people sought psychological help after a solid experience. They argued that once a favorite thing no longer brings that pleasure, it causes unpleasant associations, irritability, a feeling of inability to fulfill one's duties.
Most often, people with those professions that involve helping or serving others are susceptible to such symptoms. These are doctors, teachers, personnel managers and even students. It is known that during the years of study at school and university, this syndrome can also form.
This pathological process is presented as fatigue extended over time. Constantly working with people requires the right behavior, emotional restraint and empathy. It is with this set of characteristics that you can interact with customers, students, staff, students, visitors, patients every day.
After many years of work, the internal resource of personal qualities and tolerance often dries up. In some professions, this happens faster, in others - later. However, there comes a point when empathy is not enough, and a person, despite his professional qualifications, cannot fulfill his duties.
Opposite qualities begin to appear in the work - intolerance, irritability, incontinence. First, the relationship with the people with whom the person works changes. For example, a doctor will be much more cynical about his patients, be pragmatic and not empathetic. The emotional component of the profession will be absent, and sometimes it will manifest itself as anger, hostility.
Prolonged attempts to work in this mode can adversely affect both a person’s health and his work. That is why timely diagnosis plays such an important decisive role.
Causes of emotional burnout
Emotional burnout is a protective reaction of the body to the excessive expenditure of its energy reserves and capabilities. The human psyche turns off the emotional response when it can harm. You can get tired at work not only physically, but also mentally. A sign of overwork of the emotional component is burnout.
The cause of emotional burnout is considered to be a limit that limits the ability of an individual to empathy, sympathy, and emotional interaction. This line allows you to separate that part of the actions and manifestations, which excessively consumes the energy resource, from the norm.
Simply put, an individual cannot listen to a hundred people in one day, sincerely penetrate and help, even if it is physically possible. That is why a protective stereotypical reaction is activated - blocking the emotional response, and the person feels exhausted, morally tired.
If such a reaction is repeated very often over many years, there is a possibility of the formation of a burnout syndrome, when attempts to evoke an emotional response in a person worsen the symptoms and may even manifest as somatic symptoms.
If every day to face someone else's mood, character, temperament, the individual begins to experience a chronic stressful situation. It has an extremely negative impact on his well-being, mental state and health.
One of the reasons for emotional burnout can be considered the lack of a result or a response to one's own empathy and goodwill. Giving back is extremely important in any job, but the human factor reinforces this need. In most cases, in response, an individual with such work receives either cold indifference, or a negative response, resentment, disputes.
Another reason for professional burnout should be considered the discrepancy between the personal parameters of the profession. Sometimes a person gets a job that does not suit him at all in terms of temperament.
For example, there are executors - employees who solve the tasks set in advance well and on time. You should not expect creativity or special pace from them in the deadline, but you can rely on the completion of stable work assignments. There is also another type of people who are able to actively generate new creative ideas, quickly mobilize their forces, but they get tired too often and cannot perform this type of activity for a long time.
The same can be said about those who consider themselves creative individuals. For them, any obstacles, restrictions impair professional abilities, so the burnout syndrome in such people occurs much more often than in analysts in terms of the composition of the mind.
The main signs of emotional burnout in humans
Burnout symptoms develop gradually. Fatigue, irritability are perceived as side effects of hard work. Over time, enthusiasm decreases, the desire to do something disappears.
Manifestations of this syndrome can affect the somatic sphere of activity of the human body, its behavior, as well as the psyche and emotions. Thus, the abundance of symptoms hides the true cause of the disease.
Somatic manifestations:
- Fatigue. A person constantly complains of feeling tired, even if the duration of the work was not high.
- General weakness. Feeling that there is not enough strength, a feeling of "cotton legs".
- Headaches and dizziness. Frequent complaints of migraines, meteosensitivity, dark circles before the eyes, flies.
- Frequent colds. There is a decrease in the activity of the body's defenses - immunity.
- sweating. Increased sweating is often observed, even at normal ambient temperatures.
- Change in diet and regimen. Some people experience insomnia, while others experience drowsiness. It's the same with eating. Some increase their appetite, they gain weight, others lose weight.
- Insulation. A person tries to retire, avoids unnecessary contact with other people.
- Dereliction of duty. Work no longer brings satisfaction, moreover, it causes discomfort, so the individual shirks the responsibility that is placed on him.
- Irritability. In this state, he can easily break down on someone from the environment, blame everyone in a row.
- Envy. Looking for deceitful ways to get what you want, feeling uncomfortable that someone is doing well.
- General pessimism. A person sees only negative features in everything, constantly complains about poor working conditions.
- Indifference. What is happening around is of very little interest, work becomes something distant and completely unimportant.
- Loss of own ideals. A person is disappointed in what he has always believed in. The sanctity of the profession, its exclusivity is underestimated.
- Loss of professional interest. It makes no sense to do the work that no one needs anymore. Motivational factors that should work do not return the desire to return to professional activities.
- General discontent. A person constantly complains about his own life, its insignificance and insignificance.
Important! In this state, people can often become addicted to drinking, smoking, drugs in order to muffle the inner emptiness.
Ways to deal with emotional burnout
There are many tests that offer to determine the presence of symptoms of emotional burnout, so if you have signs or suspicions about this disorder, you should be checked. Only then can you take any action in relation to yourself. For the treatment of emotional burnout, a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques are most often used. The effect is also given by group therapy in the form of trainings, where people learn how to interact with each other correctly.
Education
In many professions, advanced training courses are planned, the role of which is not only to acquaint with new knowledge and skills, but also to increase the motivational level. With repeated training, there is a reminder of the importance and relevance of the chosen profession, a person again finds why he went this way in choosing a career.
For these purposes, seminars, trainings are often organized and, at the end, certificates, diplomas, certificates are usually distributed. This is a kind of evidence of the importance of the whole process and the role of one person in the overall system. It should be understood that a well-coordinated mechanism is the work of every detail. Communication with other people from the same profession who are not part of the usual team can show a different point of view.
It is in this way that you can realize the most important principles of your qualification, understand how much is done to ensure that everyone's work is not a waste of time. There are even special trainings that teach how to deal with emotional burnout.
Grade
In educational institutions, knowledge assessment has been introduced as an additional incentive to achieve the final result - obtaining a diploma, certificate, certificate. It is very difficult for teenagers and young people to find those motivational reasons for continuing their studies, so a points system was introduced. In this way, you will be able to improve your professional qualities.
If the work is directly and fairly evaluated, each small victory will be rewarded, a person will gain new goals and meaning for his activity. At the moment, this incentive is salary. If the amount directly depends on the quality of work, the pace of its implementation, as well as reputation, a person will try to keep them normal.
In addition, in such situations, healthy competition arises - a screening method that will determine those who are worthy of this profession. Thus, everyone will try to achieve better results and treat their duties much more responsibly.
Novelty
If a person constantly feels discomfort from the conditions of his professional activity, it is best to change them. This does not mean that you need to change your job or specialization. Sometimes companies practice the rotation method, when employees change positions or places.
The acquisition of knowledge, new technology, method of carrying out their activities will be important. If a person learns something new, he quickly reaches his competence, and the freshness of the methods gives professional strength.
If you can’t change your job, you should go to a conference or presentation that is related, in fact, to work. A few days in the company of the luminaries of their profession contribute to the restoration of vitality.
Features of prevention of emotional burnout
If the profession is associated with an increased risk of emotional burnout, you should take care of preventive actions in relation to it. Since this syndrome causes both physical and psychological manifestations, therefore, all measures taken can also be divided into two parts.
Physical methods of preventing emotional burnout:
- Ration. Food should contain all the necessary vitamins, organic substances and energy material.
- Exercises. Sports activities help to strengthen the immune system, mobilize the body's defenses.
- Mode. It is important to follow the correct scheme of work and rest, a good sleep restores the functions of the nervous system.
- Relaxation. Work hygiene should be observed, which ensures the right to a day off. On this day, you should not engage in professional activities.
- Introspection. A psychologist can help sort out your own disturbing thoughts, or you can do it yourself with a piece of paper and a pen.
- Priority. To ensure that personal relationships do not suffer due to professional problems, it is necessary to set clear boundaries between these areas of activity.
- Meditations. Any practices that involve deepening into self-awareness will help to identify important professional levers of influence on one's own feelings.
Emotional burnout is already called the epidemic of the XXI century, as its prevalence is actively increasing. To prevent the decline in the quality of work, managers should take care of the prevention of this syndrome, rotate employees on time, provide timely training and travel to conferences.
The state when there is no strength, no feelings, no joy in life is the scourge of our time. Fortunately, this can be dealt with - says the famous Austrian psychotherapist, the founder of modern existential analysis Alfried Lenglet.
Emotional burnout is a symptom of our times. This is a state of exhaustion, which leads to paralysis of our strength, feelings and is accompanied by a loss of joy in relation to life. In our time, cases of burnout syndrome are becoming more frequent. This applies not only to social professions, for which the burnout syndrome was typical earlier, but also to other professions, as well as to a person’s personal life. The spread of the burnout syndrome is facilitated by our era - the time of achievements, consumption, new materialism, entertainment and enjoyment of life. This is the time when we exploit ourselves and allow ourselves to be exploited.
Easy burnout
I think that everyone has experienced the symptoms of burnout at some point. We find signs of exhaustion in ourselves if we have experienced a lot of stress, have accomplished something massive. For example, if we were studying for exams, working on a project, writing a dissertation, or raising two small children. It happens that at work it took a lot of effort, there were some crisis situations, or, for example, during a flu epidemic, doctors had to work very hard.
And then there are symptoms such as irritability, lack of desire, sleep disturbance (when a person cannot fall asleep, or, conversely, sleeps for a very long time), a decrease in motivation, a person feels mostly uncomfortable, depressive symptoms may appear. This is a simple version of burnout - burnout at the level of reaction, a physiological and psychological reaction to excessive stress. When the situation ends, the symptoms disappear on their own. In this case, free days off, time for yourself, sleep, vacation, sports can help. If we do not replenish energy through rest, the body goes into energy-saving mode.
In fact, both the body and the psyche are arranged in such a way that great tension is possible - after all, people sometimes have to work hard, achieve some big goals. For example, to get your family out of some kind of trouble. The problem is different: if the challenge does not end, that is, if people really cannot rest, they are constantly in a state of tension, if they constantly feel that some demands are made on them, they are always preoccupied with something, they experience fear. , constantly vigilant about something, expecting something, this leads to an overstrain of the nervous system, a person tenses muscles, and pain occurs. Some people start grinding their teeth in their sleep - this can be one of the symptoms of overexertion.
Chronic burnout
If tension becomes chronic, then burnout reaches the level of disorder.
In 1974, New York psychiatrist Freudenberger first published an article about volunteers who worked in the social field on behalf of the local church. In this article, he described their situation. These people had symptoms similar to depression. In their anamnesis, he always found the same thing: at first, these people were absolutely delighted with their activities. Then this enthusiasm gradually began to decrease. And eventually they burned out to the state of "a handful of ashes." All of them had similar symptoms: emotional exhaustion, constant fatigue. The mere thought of having to go to work tomorrow made them feel tired. They had various bodily complaints, they were often sick. It was one of the symptom groups.
As for their feelings, they no longer had power. What he called dehumanization happened. Their attitude towards the people they helped changed: at first it was a loving, attentive attitude, then it turned into a cynical, rejecting, negative one. Relations with colleagues also deteriorated, there was a feeling of guilt, a desire to get away from all this. They worked less and did everything according to a pattern, like robots. That is, these people were no longer able, as before, to enter into relationships and did not strive for this.
This behavior has a certain logic. If I no longer have the strength in my feelings, then I have no strength to love, to listen, and other people become a burden for me. It feels like I can no longer meet them, their demands are too much for me. Then automatic defensive reactions begin to operate. Psychologically, this is very reasonable.
As the third group of symptoms, the author of the article found a decrease in productivity. People were dissatisfied with their work and their achievements. They experienced themselves as powerless, did not feel that they were achieving any success. It was just too much for them. And they felt they weren't getting the recognition they deserved.
Through this study, Freudenberger found that burnout symptoms do not correlate with the number of hours worked. Yes, the more someone works, the more his emotional strength suffers from this. Emotional exhaustion increases in proportion to the number of working hours, but the other two groups of symptoms - productivity and dehumanization, dehumanization of relationships - are hardly affected. The person continues to be productive for a while. This indicates that burnout has its own dynamics. It's more than just exhaustion. On this we will stop.
Burnout stages
Freudenberger created a scale consisting of 12 burnout levels. The first step still looks very harmless:
- At first, burnout patients have an obsessive desire to assert themselves (“I can do something”), perhaps even in competition with others.
- Then begins a careless attitude to their own needs. A person no longer devotes free time to himself, goes in for sports less, he has less time left for people, for himself, he talks less with someone.
- At the next stage, a person does not have time to resolve conflicts - and therefore he represses them, and later even ceases to perceive them. He does not see that there are any problems at work, at home, with friends. He backs off. We see something like a flower, which fades more and more.
- In the future, feelings about themselves are lost. People don't feel like themselves anymore. They are just machines, machine tools and can no longer stop.
- After a while, they feel an inner emptiness and, if this continues, they often become depressive.
Once a patient came to me with emotional burnout. He came, sat down in a chair, exhaled and said: "I'm glad I'm here." He looked exhausted. It turned out that he could not even call me to arrange a meeting - his wife dialed the phone number. I asked him then on the phone how urgent it was. He replied that it was urgent. And then I agreed with him on the first meeting on Monday. On the day of the meeting, he admitted: “All two days off, I could not guarantee that I would not jump out of the window. My condition was so unbearable.”
He was a very successful businessman. His employees knew nothing about this - he managed to hide his condition from them. And for a very long time he hid it from his wife. In the eleventh stage, his wife noticed this. He still continued to deny his problem. And only when he could no longer live, already under pressure from outside, was he ready to do something. This is how far the burnout syndrome can go. Of course, this is an extreme example.
From enthusiasm to disgust
In order to describe in simpler terms how emotional burnout manifests itself, one can resort to the description of the German psychologist Matthias Burisch. He described four stages.
First stage looks completely harmless: it's really not quite burnout yet. This is the stage where you need to be careful. It is then that a person is driven by idealism, some ideas, some kind of enthusiasm. But the demands that he constantly makes on himself are excessive. He demands too much of himself for weeks and months.
Second phase - this is exhaustion: physical, emotional, bodily weakness.
At the third stagethe first defensive reactions usually begin to act. What does a person do if the demands are constantly excessive? He leaves the relationship, dehumanization occurs. This is a counter reaction as a defense so that the exhaustion does not get worse. Intuitively, a person feels that he needs peace, and to a lesser extent maintains social relationships. Those relationships that must be lived, because they cannot be dispensed with, are aggravated by rejection, repulsion.
That is, in principle, this is the correct reaction. But only the area where this reaction begins to act is not suitable for this. Rather, a person needs to be calmer about the demands that are made to him. But this is exactly what he fails to do - to get away from requests and claims.
Fourth stage is an amplification of what happens in the third stage, the terminal stage of burnout. Burish calls this "disgust syndrome." This is a concept that means that a person no longer carries any joy in himself. Everything is disgusted. For example, if I ate rotten fish, I vomited, and the next day I smell fish, I get disgusted. That is, this protective feeling after poisoning.
Causes of burnout
Speaking about the causes, in general, three areas are distinguished. This is an individual psychological area when a person has a strong desire to surrender to this stress. The second sphere - socio-psychological or public - is pressure from outside: various fashion trends, some social norms, requirements at work, the spirit of the times. For example, it is believed that every year you need to go on a trip, and if I cannot do this, then I do not correspond to the people living at this time, their way of life. This pressure may be exerted in a latent form and may result in burnout.
More dramatic demands are, for example, extended working hours. Today, a person overworks and does not get paid for it, and if he does not, he is fired. Constant overwork is a cost inherent in the capitalist era, within which Austria, Germany and, probably, Russia also live.
So, we have identified two groups of reasons. With the first one, we can work in the psychological aspect, within the framework of counseling, and in the second case, something needs to be changed at the political level, at the level of trade unions.
But there is also a third reason, which is related to the organization of systems. If the system gives the individual too little freedom, too little responsibility, if there is mobbing (bullying), then people are exposed to a lot of stress. And then, of course, the system needs to be restructured. It is necessary to develop the organization in a different way, to introduce coaching.
Meaning cannot be bought
We confine ourselves to considering a group of psychological causes. In existential analysis, we empirically established that the cause of emotional burnout is an existential vacuum. Emotional burnout can be understood as a special form of existential vacuum. Viktor Frankl described the existential vacuum as suffering from a sense of emptiness and meaninglessness.
A study conducted in Austria, during which 271 doctors were tested, showed the following results. They found that those doctors who led meaningful lives and did not suffer from an existential vacuum experienced almost no burnout, even if they worked for many hours. The same doctors who showed relatively high levels of existential vacuum in their work showed high rates of burnout even if they worked fewer hours.
From this we can conclude that meaning cannot be bought. Making money does nothing if I suffer from emptiness and lack of meaning in my work. We cannot compensate for this.
The burnout syndrome poses the question: Do I really experience meaning in what I do? Meaning depends on whether we feel personal value in what we do or not. If we follow the apparent meaning: career, social recognition, the love of others, then this is a false or apparent meaning. It costs us a lot of energy and causes stress. And as a result, we have a performance deficit. Then we experience devastation - even when we relax.
At the other extreme is a way of life where we experience fulfillment - even when we get tired. Fulfillment, despite fatigue, does not lead to burnout.
Summarizing, we can say the following: burnout is the final state that occurs as a result of the continued creation of something without experiencing in the aspect of fulfillment. That is, if what I am doing makes sense, if I feel that what I am doing is good, interesting and important, if I am happy about it and want to do it, then there is no burnout. But these feelings should not be confused with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is not necessarily related to performance - it is more hidden from others, more modest thing.
What do I give myself to
Another aspect that the topic of burnout brings us to is motivation. Why am I doing something? And to what extent am I drawn to it? If I can't give my heart to what I'm doing, if I'm not interested in it, I'm doing it for some other reason, then we're lying in a way.
It's like I'm listening to someone but thinking about something else. That is, then I am not present. But if I am not present at work, in my life, then I cannot receive remuneration for this there. It's not about money. Yes, of course, I can earn money, but I, personally, do not receive remuneration. If I am not present with my heart in some business, but use what I am doing as a means to achieve goals, then I am abusing the situation.
For example, I can start a project because it promises me a lot of money. And I almost can not refuse and somehow resist it. Thus, we may be tempted to make some choice that will lead us to burnout. If it only happens once, then maybe it's not so bad. But if this continues for many years, then I just pass by my life. What am I giving myself to?
And here, by the way, it can be extremely important that I have a burnout syndrome. Because, probably, I cannot stop the direction of my movement myself. I need that wall that I'm going to hit, some kind of push from the inside so that I just can't keep moving and rethink my actions.
The money example is probably the most superficial. Motives can be much deeper. For example, I may want recognition. I need praise from someone else. If these narcissistic needs are not met, then I become restless. From the outside, it is not visible at all - only people who are close to this person can feel it. But I probably won't even talk to them about it. Or I myself do not realize that I have such needs.
Or, for example, I definitely need confidence. I experienced poverty as a child, I had to wear old clothes. For this I was ridiculed, and I was ashamed. Maybe even my family was starving. I would never want to experience this again.
I have known people who have become very rich. Many of them have reached the burnout syndrome. Because for them it was the primary motive - in any case, to prevent a state of poverty, so as not to become poor again. From a human point of view, this is understandable. But this can lead to excessive demands that never end.
In order for people to be ready to follow such a seemingly false motivation for a long time, there must be a lack of something, a mentally felt deficit, some kind of trouble behind their behavior. This deficiency leads man to self-exploitation.
The value of life
This deficit can be not only a subjectively felt need, but also an attitude towards life, which, ultimately, can lead to burnout.
How do I understand my life? Based on this, I can develop my goals, according to which I live. These attitudes can be from parents, or a person develops them in himself. For example: I want to achieve something. Or: I want to have three children. Become a psychologist, doctor or politician. Thus, a person outlines for himself the goals that he wants to follow.
This is completely normal. Who among us doesn't have goals in life? But if goals become the content of life, if they become too great values, then they lead to rigid, rigid behavior. Then we put all our efforts to achieve our goal. And everything we do becomes a means to an end. And this does not carry its own value, but is only a useful value.
"It's good that I'll play the violin!" It is the living of one's own value. But if I want to be the first violin in a concert, then when I play a piece, I will constantly compare myself with others. I know that I still need to practice, play and play in order to achieve the goal. That is, I have a goal orientation at the expense of a value orientation. Thus, there is a lack of internal relation. I do something, but there is no inner life in what I do. And then my life loses its vital value. I myself destroy the inner contents in order to achieve goals.
And when a person thus neglects the intrinsic value of things, pays insufficient attention to it, there is an underestimation of the value of one's own life. That is, it turns out that I use the time of my life for the goal that I have set for myself. This leads to loss of relationships and to inconsistency with oneself. And with such an inattentive attitude to internal values and the value of one's own life, stress arises.
Everything we have just talked about can be summarized as follows. The stress that leads to burnout is due to the fact that we do something for too long without a sense of inner harmony, without a sense of the value of things and ourselves. Thus, we come to a state of pre-depression.
It also happens when we do too much just for the sake of it. For example, I cook dinner, only to have it ready as soon as possible. And then I'm glad when it's already behind, done. But if we rejoice in the fact that something has already passed, this is an indicator that we have not seen value in what we are doing. And if it has no value, then I cannot say that I like doing it, that it is important to me.
If we have too many of these elements in our lives, then we are essentially glad that life is passing us by. Thus we like death, annihilation. If I'm just doing something, it's not life, it's functioning. And we should not, we do not have the right to function too much - we must ensure that in everything we do, we live, feel life. So that she doesn't pass us by.
Burnout is such a mental account that we are given for a long alienated relationship with life. This is the life that is not truly mine.
Anyone who is more than half the time engaged in things that he does reluctantly, does not give his heart to this, does not experience joy at the same time, he should sooner or later expect to survive the burnout syndrome. Then I am in danger. Wherever I feel inner agreement in my heart about what I do and feel myself, there I am protected from burnout.
Burnout Prevention
How can you work with burnout syndrome and how can you prevent it? Much is solved by itself if a person understands what the burnout syndrome is connected with. If you understand this about yourself or about your friends, then you can begin to solve this problem, talk to yourself or friends about it. Should I continue to live this way?
I felt the same way two years ago. I intended to write a book during the summer. With all the papers, I went to my dacha. He came, looked around, went for a walk, talked with the neighbors. The next day I did the same: I called my friends, we met. On the third day again. I thought that, generally speaking, I should already start. But I didn't feel any particular desire. I tried to remind what was needed, what the publishing house was waiting for - this was already pressure.
Then I remembered the burnout syndrome. And I said to myself: I probably need more time, and my desire will surely return. And I allowed myself to watch. After all, the desire came every year. But that year it did not come, and until the end of the summer I did not even open this folder. I didn't write a single line. Instead, I rested and did wonderful things. Then I began to hesitate, how should I relate to this - as bad or as good? It turns out that I could not, it was a failure. Then I said to myself that it was reasonable and good that I did this. The fact is that I was a little exhausted, because before the summer there were a lot of things to do, the whole academic year was very busy.
Here, of course, I had an internal struggle. I really thought and comprehended what is important in my life. As a result, I doubted that the written book was such an important thing in my life. It is much more important to live something, to be here, to live a valuable relationship - if possible, to experience joy and not constantly put it off for later. We don't know how much time we have left.
In general, work with burnout syndrome begins with unloading. You can reduce time pressure, delegate something, share responsibility, set realistic goals, critically consider the expectations that you have. This is a big topic for discussion. Here we really run into very deep structures of existence. Here we are talking about our position in relation to life, about our attitudes being authentic, corresponding to us.
If the burnout syndrome is already much more pronounced, you need to get a sick leave, physically relax, see a doctor, for milder disorders, treatment in a sanatorium is useful. Or just arrange a good time for yourself, live in a state of unloading.
But the problem is that many people who have burnout syndrome cannot resolve this for themselves. Or a person goes on sick leave, but continues to make excessive demands on himself - in this way he cannot get out of stress. People suffer from remorse. And in a state of illness, burnout increases.
Medications may help in the short term, but they are not the solution to the problem. Physical health is the foundation. But you also need to work on your own needs, on an internal deficit of something, on attitudes and expectations in relation to life. You need to think about how to reduce the pressure of society, how you can protect yourself. Sometimes even think about changing jobs. In the most severe case that I have seen in my practice, a person needed 4-5 months off work. And after going to work - a new style of work, otherwise after a couple of months people burn out again. Of course, if a person works for wear and tear for 30 years, then it is difficult for him to readjust, but it is necessary.
You can prevent burnout syndrome by asking yourself two simple questions.:
- Why am I doing this? Why am I studying at the institute, why am I writing a book? What's the point of this? Is it of value to me?
- Do I enjoy doing what I do? Do I love doing it? Do I feel it's good? So good that I do it willingly? Does what I do bring me joy? This may not always be the case, but the feeling of joy and satisfaction should prevail.
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
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.
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