Burnout syndrome has several translations. The one most faithful to its meaning in English is burnout syndrome from work, although it is also known as burned head syndrome, burnout syndrome, or occupational burnout syndrome (ODS). It is actually a response to chronic work stress.
Burnout generally occurs in people with satisfactory performance, high commitment to work, and high expectations regarding the goals that are set, in which burnout develops as a response to constant stress and work overload. In today's article we will see its causes, symptoms, what to do if you suffer from it, and how we can prevent it.
Burnout causes
Burnout syndrome is usually due to multiple causes, and originates mainly in professions with high contact with people, generally demanding clients, and with excessive work hours. It has been found in multiple investigations that burnout attacks especially when the working day exceeds eight hours a day; when the work environment has not been changed in long periods of time; and when the economic remuneration is inadequate.
This prolonged work stress also happens when the person feels that colleagues and / or superiors treat him incorrectly. It especially affects areas where working conditions are inhumane; when there is a lousy work environment; and in cases of mobbing.
Burnout symptoms
The main thing is a strong feeling of helplessness, since from the moment you wake up you already feel tired. The work is endless and even though you do everything to keep your commitments, the work is never done. You lose the ability to enjoy. Even when you have time (you are not aware), you always feel stressed.
Work no longer produces incentives for the person affected by burnout. Seen by other people, he appears to be sensitive, depressed, and dissatisfied.
In addition to the symptoms of stress at the body level, there are multiple discomforts: insomnia, headache, dizziness, muscle pain, digestive disorders, infections, spots or skin conditions, respiratory and circulatory or digestive disorders (variations in weight).
It is usually defined in three dimensions:
- Exhaustion: it is the feeling of no longer being able to offer more of oneself on an emotional level. Suspicion / skepticism: it is a distant attitude towards work, towards the people to whom the service is being offered and also towards co-workers.Ineffectiveness: it is the feeling that the tasks are not being carried out properly and that one is incompetent at work.
What to do if you already have Burnout syndrome
- If you suffer them, eliminate self-demand and perfectionism, be aware that they are making you sick. Learn to focus and organize your work. If you can't do it alone, ask your superiors for help. If you are denied, hire yourself, your own well-being and your health are the most important. Outside of work, do things that satisfy you. It is essential that you have a good time, both doing activities and being with family and friends. Study if there is a solution (do not do it alone, you are so exhausted that you will see it all black. Find someone objective to help you). If there really is no solution, ask yourself if you really want and you can continue in that work. But you have to be very honest, because if the problem is you, you will take the problem wherever you go. If you start to feel the symptoms but they do not overwhelm you,Consider hiring a coach (if you have to learn skills) or a psychologist (if you have to solve problems with anxiety or depression), to help you manage your problems. If symptoms are advanced, assess the need to request a medical leave. I already know your answer: "I can't, I have too much work…" Still, a week of rest is better than 3 months of depression leave. When you are better, it will be time to look for a coach or a psychologist to help you manage your problems. A sentence from the Spanish Supreme Court in 2000 recognized this syndrome as a mental illness causing periods of temporary disability and as an accident at work.to help you manage your problems. If the symptoms are advanced, assess the need to request a medical leave. I already know your answer: "I can't, I have too much work…" Still, a week of rest is better than 3 months of depression leave. When you are better, it will be time to look for a coach or a psychologist to help you manage your problems. A sentence from the Spanish Supreme Court in 2000 recognized this syndrome as a mental illness causing periods of temporary disability and as an accident at work.to help you manage your problems. If the symptoms are advanced, assess the need to request a medical leave. I already know your answer: "I can't, I have too much work…" Still, a week of rest is better than 3 months of depression leave. When you are better, it will be time to look for a coach or a psychologist to help you manage your problems. A sentence from the Spanish Supreme Court in 2000, recognized this syndrome as a mental illness causing periods of temporary disability and as an accident at work.That helps you manage your problems. A sentence of the Spanish Supreme Court in 2000, recognized this syndrome as a mental illness causing periods of temporary disability and as an occupational accident.That helps you manage your problems. A sentence of the Spanish Supreme Court in 2000, recognized this syndrome as a mental illness causing periods of temporary disability and as an occupational accident.
What to do to prevent Burnout
Regarding yourself:
- The techniques of personal self-knowledge or "personal development" are essential to solve these difficulties. Also practicing yoga, tai-chi, or meditation, will help you alleviate stress. Here are also the techniques that I mentioned in the previous section: eliminate if you suffer from self-demand and perfectionism; learn to focus, manage your time and organize your work (if you can't do it alone, find a coach); do things that satisfy you; Spend time with your family and friends. Learn to disconnect from work when you walk out the door. In addition, taking care of your diet, your rest and your sleep is essential.
Regarding your team:
As a good leader, one of your functions is to ensure that no member of your team suffers from this syndrome, since in addition to their suffering, it will have consequences for the company and your area (absenteeism, reduced performance quality, etc.). For it:
- Create a good team spirit, shared loads weigh much less. Make regular meetings with them analyzing the situation.
Analyze if a redistribution of tasks is necessary, we tend to overload the most efficient or submissive people.
- If you start to see symptoms on your computer, talk to them to discuss the stressors and study the necessary changes. Sometimes it helps to train the team in Focus, Time Management and Organization. If it is a single person, talk to them and try to put the improvement of skills at their disposal, whether they are professionals (in the previous point), or personal (assertiveness, self-esteem, emotional management…), to help you overcome it.
If you suffer prolonged work stress, it is important that you recognize the symptoms of burnout so that you can act as soon as possible if you are beginning to suffer it, or if you already suffer it. In addition, learn to manage your emotions so that going to your job does not become a torture.
"Sometimes it is enough to decide that an event is not serious to make it, immediately, less serious than we feared." Catherine Rambert.
