Burnout Syndrome: How To Stop Being Burned Out By Work?
Do you constantly feel exhausted? Do you think you can’t give more of yourself? Maybe you suffer from Burnout syndrome. Discover what it is, its symptoms and what is its most effective treatment.
He Burnout syndrome or burnout syndrome is based on a series of symptoms related to chronic stress at work that can have serious physical and psychological repercussions for the health of those who suffer from it. Worker stress is known above all, but this syndrome also exists in cases of caregivers of a sick and/or dependent family member, where the caregiver dedicates a lot of their time to caring for the dependent person and the same depressive and anxious symptoms appear. .
Is this your case? Are you at risk of suffering from it? Reply to this burnout test and find out:
What is Burnout syndrome?
He origin of burnout It occurs from a long and continuous period of stress. The person suffers chronic stress and feels little support from others, in addition to high demands and expectations (whether self-imposed or hetero-imposed) and/or a pace above what they can perform.
The feeling that the person who suffers from burnout syndrome It is that there is never time and tasks accumulate, a feeling of always being late and no matter how much you do, it is never enough or you are never up to date. Therefore, the person demands too much of himself or herself and feels a high level of responsibility regarding his or her functions, thus causing a great emotional overload added to the overload of tasks.
The people most likely to suffer from work or personal burnout They are those who prioritize the well-being of others over their own, they are very self-demanding, people who find it difficult to delegate or do not know how to say no, people who are insecure and have low self-esteem and people who are dedicated to branches of health, teachers and in general, people who deal with other people.
We could say that the burnout syndrome and its definition It has a very intrinsic relationship with the standard of living we currently have, due to the speed and immediacy to which we are currently subjected.
Burnout symptoms
A burned person because of your job or your personal situation does not appear overnight. Burnout syndrome is an emotional disorder that appears gradually. In this way, this psychiatric or psychological pathology occurs through the following phases.
When undertaking a new activity, people experience high job satisfaction that is accompanied by great energy and creativity. In this first phase of burnout syndrome The person may experience some stress due to the initiative they are undertaking and the desire they have to make it work. During this phase of burnout syndrome the following symptoms are experienced:
Work satisfaction
Take on a lot of responsibility easily
Sustained energy levels
Excessive optimism
Commitment
Want to prove yourself
Fluid creativity
High levels of productivity
2. Onset of stress
In the second stage of work or personal burnout, individuals with this emotional disorder begin to become aware that there are days where exhaustion ends up causing certain havoc. In this way, the optimism of the beginning begins to fade and other symptoms such as the following begin to reveal themselves.
Inability to concentrate
Irritability
Dissatisfaction at work
Lack of sleep or reduced sleep quality.
Lack of social interaction
Lower productivity
Unusual heart rhythms
Anxiety
Decision avoidance
Change in appetite or diet.
Fatigue
3. Chronic stress
The third stage of the so-called burnout syndrome You begin to have much more visible symptoms of physical and mental exhaustion. So much so that the person who suffers from the burnout effect begins to experience stress too frequently. Mainly during this stage of these psychiatric diseases it is usually characterized by the following.
Lack of hobbies
Missed work deadlines and/or goals
Persistent tiredness in the mornings
physical illness
Procrastination at work and at home
Repeated delays to work
Resentment
Social withdrawal from friends and/or family
Anger or aggressive behavior
Apathy
Chronic exhaustion
Decreased sexual desire
4. Burnout
The fourth stage already involves being fully involved in burnout as a syndrome. In this way, all the symptoms of this emotional disorder can become critical for the person who suffers from them. On many occasions, continuing normally is not possible in this state of mind as it becomes increasingly difficult to cope with. The symptoms of burnout syndrome for work are the following.
Feeling empty inside
Obsession with problems at work or in life.
Pessimistic outlook on work and life
Physical symptoms intensify and/or increase
Doubts
Social isolation
Behavior changes
Chronic headaches
Chronic stomach or intestine problems
Total neglect of personal needs
5. Habitual burnout
When a person suffers one of these psychiatric illnesses Due to the burnout symptom, this can trigger work or personal depression. Furthermore, the symptoms intensify so much that the person ends up seeing themselves in this way. So much so that an individual burned out by work or personal circumstances experiences a continuous mental, physical or emotional problem. This last stage of burnout is characterized by the following symptoms.
What are the consequences of suffering from Burnout?
He Burnout syndrome It can cause a series of consequences in the person who suffers from it. So much so that in many cases where it is chronic it can produce changes in the personality and mental health of the burned person.
Constantly feeling exhausted or depressed
The lack of control of the situation, the high expectations and the multiple tasks that accumulate due to burnout syndrome end up causing the person to not disconnect from their work or caregiving duties. He spends most of the day working, even outside of his working hours, and that causes physical and mental exhaustion which can lead to depressed moods, apathy and lack of activity.
Feeling of failure or worthlessness
Being burned out for long periods of time ends up causing the feeling of being a failed person because expectations are never met or goals set are never reached and therefore, the feeling of being useless is common.
Constant state of nervousness
Although the emotional state can be depressive, the level of activity causes the person to always be running, in a hurry and with several tasks at the same time. These nerves can manifest themselves externally or be experienced internally, feeling a knot in the chest, palpitations, rapid breathing even when at rest, etc. In this way, this work or personal syndrome can cause physical havoc in the burned person
High irritability
Prolonged periods of stress, high demands and continued nerves cause patience to be scarce, and therefore, the person finds themselves making aggressive outbursts, giving sharp and too direct answers or having more conflicts than expected with people around them. your surroundings. In the case of caregivers, it is common to lose their temper with the person being cared for and give inappropriate responses that provoke feelings of guilt later. He burnout effect It is such that the person can act in ways contrary to how they would act in their full capacities.
Insomnia, lack of appetite or compulsive eating
If you can’t disconnect and you are nervous all day due to the burnout syndrome, when the day ends it is no less and the time to sleep becomes an endless tossing and turning in bed. The head can’t stop thinking about everything that has been done and what remains to be done and eating disorders appear, such as eating at the wrong time, forgetting to eat due to lack of appetite, or compulsive eating as a way to relax.
Lack of concentration and poor performance
The feeling of constantly going full throttle causes attention to not be fully focused and therefore concentration is not optimal. Forgetfulness, confusion and poor performance occur as a result of this lack of attention and hyperactivity. Many people end up having a feeling caused by personal frustration due to these characteristics of burnout
Communication problems
On many occasions, the person does not know how to say no, they become overloaded and avoid the conflict, so the communication is not correct and when it is done, it can appear in the form of a passive-aggressive outburst, that is, holding on until it is no longer possible. more and say it in a non-assertive way. In this way the Burnout syndrome It can isolate you from the rest of the world and intensify all its damage to your mental health.
Abuse of psychotropic drugs or substances
Insomnia, depressed mood, anxiety, etc., can cause the person to feel the need to take medication to keep up. Sometimes due to the effects of one of these psychiatric or psychological illnesses Drug abuse occurs and on other occasions the way to not think so much, to disconnect or to stop feeling is to abuse toxic substances such as alcohol, cannabis or cocaine.
physical problems
Weight gain or loss, ulcers, migraines, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular problems, etc., among others, are problems associated with Burnout syndrome
sick leave and/or job loss
This whole state is difficult to endure for a long time, so the person ends up needing to take time off work, but since they do not know how to manage themselves in any other way, when the situation returns it is the same or worse and sick leave is chained or the job is lost as a result of the low performance. In this way, burnout syndrome can trigger other psychiatric or psychological pathologies more problematic.
Worsening of social relationships
The people with burnout They tend to take work home and feel like they have little leisure time, so social relationships are neglected and important friendships can be lost.
Difficulties in family life
Problems with your partner or with close family members are common. If the person does not disconnect, is more irritable and also does not feel like doing anything, problems with their relationship or with family members can be their daily bread. In this way, all symptoms of exhaustion due to stress due to burnout can cause a great impact not only in the life of the burned person but also in their closest loved ones.
If you think you suffer from these consequences due to ssymptoms of work anxiety caused by burnout syndrome, it is vital that you consult with a professional psychologist to remedy all its damage.
Tips to deal with burnout
Regulate your expectations, value your achievements, demand a little less from yourself, learn to delegate, do tasks one at a time, improve your self-esteem, impose a schedule on yourself, allow others to help you, organize yourself better, dedicate time to leisure, social area and the family and couple area, learn to say no, be assertive, etc. All these changes will cause improvements in your mood and therefore
