What Is Burnout?

2023 Author: Wallace Forman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 11:04

If a long-term stress becomes excessive and cannot be avoided, it can lead to burnout syndrome. The job doesn't always have to be to blame. Private or personal burdens, such as caring for a seriously ill relative, often lead to a state of being burned out.

Everyone can be affected. Burnout has nothing to do with personal failure. Often it is very motivated and motivated people who burn out.

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Definition of burnout

Burnout means physical and emotional exhaustion. The burnout syndrome falls in the international classification of diseases (ICD-10 code) under the heading “Problems related to difficulties in coping with life” and is referred to as being burned out. Those affected should seek professional help. Burnout can lead to panic attacks, depression and total emotional, mental and physical breakdown.

The causes of burnout

Usually the causes lie in an overwhelming interaction of factors from the following fields:

Operations: time pressure, lack of room for maneuver, poor leadership behavior, etc.
Private: demanding care duties, financial tightness, conflicts etc.
Person: expectations that are too high, difficulties to separate oneself, lack of recovery, etc.
Society: very high performance requirements of society, unrealistic role models, labor market situation, etc.

Long-term stress, not being able to cope with this well combined with insufficient recovery - this massively increases the risk of developing a burnout syndrome. You can find more information under Stress & Recovery.

Do not become your own enemy

In many cases, starting with oneself is the only way to defuse situations. Many know the urge to prove yourself. But the question is: do you really have to do this always and in front of everyone? Always saying yes for fear of conflict can also turn out to be a dangerous trap. An explicit no should be given to everyone. Perfectionists usually set too high goals in many areas of life. But the truth is: Nobody is perfect.

Not only people in social or helping activities or in management run the risk of not paying enough attention to themselves. Secretaries or workers (e.g. in factories) can also be affected. The fact is: you can only do a good job if you have enough resources yourself. Take care of yourself and get professional help in a timely manner.

When work makes you sick

Work can be a lot of fun and health, but it can also cause a lot of stress and illness. The greatest stress factors in the workplace include multitasking, “hamster wheel syndrome” (always having too much to do), mistrust, competition, a lack of feedback and a lack of scope for action.

Burnout in the work area is noticeable through three core symptoms:

Professional ineffectiveness (self-assessment, "Can I still do it?", "My work is worthless")
Exhaustion as a sign of an individual stress reaction (emotional "burnout")
Distancing and cynicism (depersonalization)

You can find out how you can prevent burnout in the workplace under Healthy engagement at work.

You can also find more information under Stress at Work and When the Psyche Needs Help.