Burnout: what it is, causes, symptoms and how to recognize work exhaustion

Burnout, how do you recognize it? Here are the symptoms and how to avoid work-related stress.

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Burnout, what is it? and how do you recognize it? What are the signs that we should not underestimate to avoid work stress.

Burnout, or the feeling of exhaustion that can affect people who work and which is also capable of causing psychophysical and emotional wear. How do you recognize it? Reduced productivity, a tendency to value people as objects and a feeling of loss of value of one's business. There is talk of a real syndrome. But what does burnout consist of and can it be cured?

Appeared for the first time in the sports world around the '30s to indicate the inability of an athlete to continue to have good results, the term "burnout" only later indicated, in the States of the' 70s, a condition of extreme exhaustion which concerned certain professions, the so-called "helpingh professions", such as nurses, doctors, firefighters or psychiatrists.

The term was then taken up by the American psychiatrist C. Maslach in 1976 to indicate a "behavioral pathology" affecting some professions characterized by a high relational implication. Burnout was then defined as:

"Syndrome of emotional exhaustion, of depersonalization and reduction of personal capacities that can occur in subjects who by profession take care of people" and "reaction to the chronic emotional tension of continuous contact with human beings, particularly when they have problems or reasons for suffering ".

Index

What is burnout

Or better burn-Out, or "burned, burst, melted", that feeling that you can have when you have it up to your hair and you have reached a hard emotional and chronic stress.

Therefore, it mostly concerns the professional sphere and is the pathological outcome of a long process that affects people who practice helping professions (such as nurses or policemen), but also those who feel crushed, frustrated or have a sense rejection of one's work.

Characterized by a progressive decline of psychophysical resources and a worsening of professional performance, burnout syndrome is more likely to develop in situations where there is a large gap between the nature of the work and the nature of the person doing it. If, for example, a work context requires strong dedication and big commitments, this can also result in a refusal to the detriment of work obligations. And when a certain success or goal is difficult to achieve, many people lose their dedication to that job and fall into exhaustion.

Read also: Office: Unrecognized work and commitment causes stress

How it manifests itself

It is also Maslach who explains that the manifestations of burn-out can be grouped into three groups:

Emotional Exhaustion
The feeling of being emotionally emptied and canceled from one's work, but also of social relationships, demotivation, difficulty concentrating and feelings of guilt
Depersonalization
It describes that attitude of distancing and rejection towards those who request or receive professional performance, service or care
Reduced personal fulfillment
It concerns the perception of one's inadequacy for work, the fall in self-esteem and the feeling of failure in one's work

Burnout syndrome, symptoms

Unlike stress and neurosis, in the case of burnout there is no personality disorder but the work role. There may be many symptoms, but all of them can be traced back to anxiety-depressive spectrum disorders and underline the tendency of subjects to somatization and the development of behavioral disorders.

Malaise at the thought of work, loss of emotional involvement, low self-esteem or insomnia are just some of the signs with which burnout takes shape. But, specifically, the symptoms can be distinguished in behavioral, physical and psychic.

Behavioral symptoms

absenteeism or high resistance to going to work every day
isolation and withdrawal
feeling of tiredness and exhaustion already in the morning
fatigue after work
difficulty joking at work
loss of self-control
conflicts in the family
excessive use of cigarettes, drugs, alcohol

Physical symptoms

tiredness and irritability
sonno
fits of breathlessness or crying
pain in the back, head and chest
fatigue in the lower limbs
visceral pains
Diarrhea
loss of appetite and nausea
dizziness

Psychic symptoms

state of constant tension
irritability
cynicism
depersonalisation
feeling of frustration or failure
reduced productivity
negative reactions towards family members and colleagues
apathy or restlessness
trough
disengagement at work and secondment

The cause of burnout

Gender difference (women are more predisposed than men), di age (in the first years of career it is more predisposed) and it marital status (people without a stable mate more predisposed), are considered the top three risk factors for a burnout condition.

But there can be a ton of potential stressors in the workplace that can lead to burnout, primarily the inability to motivate.

Here are the most common causes of burnout at work:

increased liability without proper compensation
frequent conflicts in job scheduling or interruptions
organizational changes or change of duties
unrealistic deadlines and deadlines
schedules that change often
difficult interactions with colleagues or clients (anger, envy ...)
for those who do manual work exposure to bad weather and lifting heavy loads

And not only that, according to Maslach, an important risk factor is the lack of employee involvement in decisions that directly affect his or her work environment (which are thus seen as "impositions").
Furthermore, the uncertain expectations are reasons for exhaustion: role ambiguity, i.e. insufficient information on a specific position, or role conflict, i.e. the existence of requests that the operator considers incompatible with their professional role or an overload beyond their responsibilities .

How to get out of burnout

Recognizing that you have run into a serious problem is already a step forward. To resign, however, also considering the times, it is almost never the ideal solution, or at least it is not the one that guarantees immediate satisfaction.

What needs to be done is first of all work on yourself, start by identifying what led to that excessive stressful situation and develop a "plan" perhaps even with the help of a specialist.

Furthermore, very small things are practicable that, if put together, can lead to a more rosy picture from which to start again with more positivity:

unplug! Treat yourself to a mini-vacation, but also just one day to dedicate yourself to what you like best. If this is really not possible, remember that it is essential to allow yourself small moments of pause, even a slightly longer lunch
sport, one of the best natural remedies to keep stress levels down!
changing attitude is certainly not easy, but maybe if you get out of that bubble of cynicism that has created around you, you can find a more empathic way to interact with others
setting and achieving small goals little by little, this leads to increased dopamine in the brain and small steady but constructive progress. To do this, compile a to-do list, dividing each activity into small parts and tick the list as the tasks are performed.
cultivate a hobby, a hobby outside the office, an interest to cultivate are factors that can decompress stress
talk and seek support, a trusted colleague, partner, friend… but don't keep it all inside!
telework, ever considered the idea of working remotely? It can allow you to carry out your activities in a softer and more serene environment. Ask the boss if it is feasible.
sleep, go to bed early and catch up on the good old good habit of a healthy night's rest