Recognize Burnout and Taking Action On It

In today’s society, work is an integral part of how we organize our everyday lives and activities. For most people, work is a necessity – it ensures economic stability; it gives feelings of self-worth, pow

er, and status; it fills time with productivity and makes a person a valuable part of society.

But, for a big portion of people, work obligations and work environment can become overwhelming.

In this article, we will review a few essential components of burnout and 3 ways to combat its symptoms.

What is burnout?

The term “burnout” is relatively new in the theory of psychology. It was developed in the 1970s when psychologists started noticing how prolonged work stress harms the overall health of employed people.

Burnout is a stress-related condition that arises from dissatisfaction at work. The most common signs are exhaustion and numbness, negative feelings towards work, lowered self-esteem and performance. These emotions are mainly work-related. The effects of burnout might transfer to all life aspects.

If not treated, burnout can have serious effects on your physical and mental well-being, and even lead to suicide.

What causes burnout?

Your burnout has an underlying cause, and it can be one or all of these:

• Unreasonable or unachievable performance expectations

If your employer expects you to do everything, and do it perfectly, while you also finish additional side tasks, they might be pushing you towards burnout. Depending on the work position, some jobs are naturally more stressful, but the person in the position should have the knowledge, skills, and training to be able to manage their stress. If they don’t, they might desperately try to achieve those unachievable expectations and in the process – feel less and less competent, not knowing that they’re aiming very high.

• Negative work environment and relationships

Working in an environment that’s unfriendly, highly competitive, dishonest, or simply dysfunctional, can provoke burnout.

There were a lot of studies made, and a big number of those showed that even though work is one of the least favorite activities for people, socializing and hanging out with co-workers is one of the most favorite. So, if you spend most of the time in an environment that doesn’t suit you, or worse – drains you out, you can be easily on the way to burnout.

• Lack of work structure or unclear role and obligations

The next big cause of burnout is unclear work obligations. When you aren’t sure what your role is, it’s easy to take on tasks that you are not supposed to do – either because you don’t have the knowledge and capabilities, or because you simply are not being paid to do. This is highly plausible for affirmative people who, in order to impress or avoid conflicts, are taking on tasks that they don’t have to do.

• Unfair treatment

Unfair treatment can also be a cause for burnout. Working in an environment that favors a certain group of people, can lead to a lot of dissatisfaction. If one group has a better work environment, higher salary, more work benefits, or is simply treated better – the other group will naturally feel left out. Furthermore, this social environment turns toxic – the privileged group will think that they deserve this inequality and that it’s their right to further push, diminish or violate the rights of the unprivileged group.

• Time pressure

Working under a clock is a stressful task. Having unreasonable deadlines causes stress and anxiety which in turn causes the employee to be less effective. This vicious circle causes the worker to work very hard, and not deliver any results. Prolonged working under pressure can easily cause burnout.

How to tell you are feeling burned out at work:

• Feeling tired or even exhausted
• Not being motivated or creative
• Not wanting to go to work
• Having anxiety or low self-esteem about work obligations
• Lack of sleep and lowered appetite
• Negative or cynical point of view about work or overall life
• Lowered productivity or unproductive actions
• Emotional numbness
• Being frustrated, easily annoyed or irritated
• Physical pain in the muscles, headaches, or gastrointestinal problems

3 things to do to combat burnout

Talk to your supervisor, manager, or employer

The first thing you should do is openly discuss your burnout with your employer or manager. Telling what causes and perpetuates your burnout is the best way to get it resolved.

Instead of living the problem to persist and eventually resign or be fired, you can ask for the changes you need in the workplace. Many of our clients have requested flex schedules, which has significantly reduced their work-related stress. Sometimes, sharing your burdens can cause a lot of relief, and doing small changes can have a big impact on your mental health.

Take a leave

Even if it is an unpaid leave, taking a break from what makes you exhausted is one of the best ways to finally relax, take care of yourself and your family and spend time re-organizing your wishes, needs, and priorities.

Even if you talk to your employer and get some aspects of work changed – the burnout won’t magically disappear. It usually takes some time for people to get burned out, so a problem that has been building up for months or years won’t go away in seconds.

Taking a small break to relax and reorganize is far better than eventually leaving your job for good. When you return to work, you will feel more refreshed, and hopefully some of the work relationships have shifted to release team pressure that may have been building between colleagues.

Get the help of a therapist

Very often, people are not completely aware of the problems’ core. Most of the time, it’s not just one reason that brought burnout, but it is a set of reasons, complexly interconnected.

If you know you need a change, but don’t know what exactly that change is – you need the help and guidance of a therapist.

Actively working with a therapist can give you a lot of tools to battle your burnout. You will also learn and implement changes in your mindset or behavior that will lead to long-term outcomes. This can effect overall improvement of your whole life, not just work. Our clients often mention that having a trusted professional to discuss their frustrations with is part of the reason they create positive changes in their work/life settings.

Feelings of stress or anxiety, physical and emotional exhaustion, and lowered self-esteem, are all signs of “burnout”.

Recognizing the symptoms is the first step in seeking help, whether you reach out to your employer, resolve the issues by making changes in your life, or seeking out a mental health professional.