What is Burnout?
Emotional burnout was first described in an article by the American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in 1974, although probably the term was used earlier. However, it was Freudenberger who was able to analyze and describe the condition of his colleagues at the medical center. He described it as a set of symptoms, including exhaustion caused by excessive stress at work. The condition included physical symptoms such as headaches and insomnia, irritability, and limited thinking. While physicians were physically healthy, they were emotionally overwhelmed. Thanks to Herbert’s observation, it was possible to identify the connection between their emotional exhaustion and constant interaction with other people.
According to statistics, burnout syndrome is most often observed in people who deal with the human factor daily. The highest level of emotional burnout is observed in medical workers, teachers, and people who interact most with other people.
For many, fatigue has become “just part of the job.” However, burnout syndrome
affects the processes in the organization: employees are more likely to take sick leave and look for another job.
A recent Gallup survey of about 7,500 full-time employees found that 23% of employees feel burned out at work very often or always, while another 44% reported experiencing burnout intermittently. Employees with emotional exhaustion are 63% more likely to take sick leave and 2.6 times more likely to look for another job. They tend to be less confident about their performance and are less likely to discuss how to achieve performance goals with their manager.
Another study suggests that burned-out employees are twice as likely to try to convince a coworker to look for a new job with them. 44% of “burned out” workers are often offended or angry with their employers. About 40% of 2,000 US adult workers surveyed are thinking about quitting because of burnout. According to another study, 81% of employees showed signs of burnout 3 months before they were fired.
Is Burnout a Disease?
In 2019, there were many publications that burnout is a medical condition and will be included in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Later, the World Health Organization (WHO) made an explanation: even though the 11th version of the ICD includes professional burnout syndrome, it is not classified as a medical condition. It was assigned to the class “Factors affecting the state of health of the population and referrals to health care institutions”. It means emotional burnout can affect the development of other diseases but is not a disease in itself. According to ICD-11, burnout is “a syndrome recognized as the result of chronic stress in the workplace that has not been successfully overcome. Emotional burnout is related to the professional context and should not be applied to experiences from other areas of life.”
Despite this, there are some speculations that burnout can occur not only in the workplace but also outside of work. For example, you can burn out on maternity leave, caring for a sick relative, or being in a conflicted relationship at home.
Why Burnout Develops And What People Are Prone to it
It is customary to separate external and internal factors of emotional burnout. External – this is what surrounds us in our lives, what we can change quickly enough. External factors include:
1. high load
2. increased responsibility for work
3. social insecurity
4. lack of social support
5. insufficient payment for work
6. inability to influence decision making
7. monotonous and unpromising activity
8. the need to externally show emotions that do not correspond to real ones
9. fuzzy organization and planning of work
10. unloved job
11. the unhealthy environment in the team.
But it’s hard to imagine a life where everything is so perfect that none of these factors are present.
Internal factors are the characteristics of our personality and character, attitudes, behavior patterns, beliefs. Internal factors play a greater role. And external influences us when internal factors create a fertile ground for them.
In different studies, there are quite polar personality traits of people prone to emotional burnout. On the one hand, these are people who are very emotional about their tasks and take everything to heart. They emotionally react to the world around them and are prone to hyper-responsibility. On the other hand, these can be people who save emotions. They are emotionally cold and poorly motivated.
Burnout isn’t just general exhaustion. And exhaustion, in which a person continues to move forward no matter what, every day aggravating his condition.
They can be anxious, overly eager to achieve success and recognition, overly controlling, hostile, aggressive, perfectionists, pessimists. For them, work is an overvalue. The presence of attitudes “I must work hard”, “I must be successful no matter what”, “I must earn a lot”, “I must prove to someone” is also a risk factor for the development of emotional burnout. These are people with so-called type A behavior. It is characterized by such personality traits as:
1. an intense struggle to achieve success,
2. rivalry,
3. easily provoked irritability,
4. over-obligation in the profession,
5. increased responsibility,
6. aggressiveness,
7. a sense of constant lack of time.
Thus, all of us can experience burnout syndrome.
Burnout is often associated with emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It happens when people feel overwhelmed and unable to meet ever-changing or high demands. In this regard, the internal causes of burnout can be divided into three groups:
1. ignoring your own important needs,
2. violation of the balance “give and take”,
3. violations in their ideas about areas of responsibility and social hierarchy.
And the determining factor in the formation of emotional burnout is the stress of the mismatch between our expectations and reality. It is important to note that our expectations may not be obvious to us. Each person has implicit motives that are not realized in any way. While we are trying to realize something opposite, which is more acceptable for society, our family, loved ones, or even for ourselves. Or, for example, while helping others, we do not realize that we want to get something in return.
Tired of Making Decisions And Trying to be The Best Version of Yourself
When talking about burnout, it is important to mention three conditions that have become especially relevant lately:
1. trying to become the best version of yourself,
2. constantly putting off life until better times;
3. decision fatigue;
4. the importance of having meaning and sharing values.
In the first case, you are in a state of improving yourself and in pursuit of those qualities that you should have in the future. As a result, you compare yourself to either someone or some vague fantasy of yourself. This increases the gap between the expectations of yourself and the reality of who you are.
Decision fatigue has manifested itself in today’s reality, where there is a lot of new changing information and the need to make decisions in a high-intensity mode. There are also situations where decisions and actions are burdened with ethical and moral consequences and can influence the lives of others.
The third and the most important reason for the development of emotional burnout is the loss of meaning in life and a person’s finding in the so-called existential vacuum. For example, the lack of common values with the people with whom you are in close contact – the company in which you work, with family and friends. Sharing values is an important motivating factor in making life meaningful. The wider the gap between values and meanings – yours and those of those around you, the more often you make compromises.
Tips for Preventing Burnout
• Start by following five simple rules:
1. try to sleep at least 7-8 hours a day,
2. drink enough water,
3. eat well,
4. get your oxygen supply,
5. try to do something every day that will cheer you up.
This will give your brain a resource to deal with stress and take the first step in preventing burnout.
• Watch yourself. Try to get out of autopilot mode – during the day, stop and watch your emotional and physical state. What is happening to you now? How does your body feel? Become aware of your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations in the here and now. For example, stop, take a few mindful, deep breaths in and out, and lock in the present moment. Ask yourself questions: “What’s going on in my head? In body? What emotions am I experiencing? What is important to me now? ” If there is something that is causing concern, this is a reason to think about what is the cause of the worry and what steps can be taken to fix it.
• Learn to find the positives. Negative thinking is fertile ground for burnout. Find 10-15 minutes a day for the “10 Thanks” exercise. Say in your mind what you are grateful for today. Whether it’s sunny weather, playing with your child, 10 minutes of silence, or an interesting conversation with a colleague or loved ones. Find 10 things you are grateful for. Remember and feel every gratitude. What emotions and thoughts you had at that moment. What smells you felt. Try to imagine the color, taste of this moment, etc. To be effective, it is important to do this exercise every day for at least three weeks.
• Reduce stress with art. Studies have shown that viewing art improves memory, stimulates the formation of new neural connections in the brain, and improves mental health. Art reduces anxiety and increases the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that ensures psychological well-being. The University of Westminster conducted a study in which participants were sent to an art gallery during their lunch break. Each person spent up to 35 minutes indoors. There were no restrictions on how to spend time. They could sit in the hall and think about their problems, or walk among the exhibits. The participants assessed the stress level before and after visiting the gallery. As a result of this lunch break, it decreased stress significantly. Besides, the researchers recorded lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Carter works as a Content Writer at an uk essay writing service that provides paper help. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and during her study developed an enthusiasm for writing about Self-Development, Dealing with anxiety, etc. When she is not writing Rebecca enjoys being in the mountains and volunteering.
