Psychology Facts

▲ Burnout ▲

》Burnout is an occupational phenomenon where employees experience a mix of physical and psychological symptoms that result in decreased job satisfaction and productivity

》Occupational burnout was first recognized in the mid-70s (Freudenberger, 1974) among healthcare professionals. Nowadays, burnout is not limited to only healthcare professionals, but can occur in any industry.

》The World Health Organization (2019) defines burnout as "a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed."

》Stress occurs for a short period of time due to a specific circumstance." explains Prairie Conlon, licensed mental health professional and clinical director of Therapetic. "Burnout occurs when we're stressed or overwhelmed for a long period of time."

》it's burnout if you feel it constantly and it seems more intense. If it comes and goes and is related to one thing in particular, it's probably just stress.

》Burnout often stems from your job. But anyone who feels overworked and undervalued is at risk for burnout, from the hardworking office worker who hasn't had a vacation in years, to the frazzled stay-at-home mom tending to kids, housework, and an aging parent.

》But burnout is not caused solely by stressful work or too many responsibilities. Other factors contribute to burnout, including your lifestyle and personality traits. In fact, what you do in your downtime and how you look at the world can play just as big of a role in causing overwhelming stress as work or home demands.

》Stress vs. Burnout -

Stress:

Characterized by over-engagement.

Emotions are overreactive.

Produces urgency and hyperactivity.

Loss of energy.

Leads to anxiety disorders.

Primary damage is physical.

May kill you prematurely.

Burnout:

Characterized by disengagement

Emotions are blunted.

Produces helplessness and hopelessness.

Loss of motivation, ideals, and hope.

Leads to detachment and depression.

Primary damage is emotional.

May make life seem not worth living.

》You may be on the road to burnout if:

Every day is a bad day.

Caring about your work or home life seems like a total waste of energy.

You're exhausted all the time.

The majority of your day is spent on tasks you find either mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming.

You feel like nothing you do makes a difference or is appreciated.

》Researchers say that burnout is made up of three different feelings: exhaustion, cynicism, and a lack of professional efficacy.

》The physical symptoms of burnout include:

Feeling exhausted

Unable to recover from a common cold

Frequent headaches

Frequent gastrointestinal problems

Sleep disturbances

Shortness of breath

》The behaviors include:

Irritability

Heightened emotional responses
(quick to cry, quick to anger)

Suspicious and paranoid about colleagues

Substance abuse

Stubbornness, rigid thinking, and unwillingness to listen to other people

Negative attitude

Appears depressed

》Burnout can also cause severe exhaustion. Holistic leadership and mindset coach Amina AlTai explains, "I characterize burnout as extreme stress to the point that our mind or our bodies give out or demonstrates extreme fatigue and resistance. This can manifest as fatigue and lethargy that is so severe we're unable to complete normal tasks."

》Three dimensions of burnout:

Feelings of exhaustion or energy depletion

Feeling increasingly distant/negative/cynical about one's job

Reduced professional efficacy/decreased self-evaluation of output/performance

》Burnout isn't just bad for you emotionally. It has physical consequences as well. Burnout is associated health risks that include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, bone and joint pain, fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal and respiratory issues, and even death before age 45.

》Burnout and depression can cause very similar feelings, so it's easy to confuse one for the other. "Some experts believe depression is at the root of burnout," explains Leslie Campisi, Mayo Clinic-trained wellness coach with Alma.

》While some research has found that burnout is basically equal between the two genders, some studies have found that it affects men and women differently. For example, one 2011 study found that female physicians are more likely to feel emotional exhaustion from burnout, while male physicians are more likely to feel cynicism and detachment.

》If you're an extrovert, you may not be as prone to burnout as your introverted friends. Extroverts tend to be more positive, which can prevent burnout from taking over. According to a study on burnout, depression, and anxiety, people who are more extroverted are also more emotionally stable, and so they're less likely to develop burnout.

》It's obvious, but true: research suggests that one of the best ways to get rid of burnout is to stop working so much. You have to learn how to say no to things like unnecessary overtime and skipping a vacation

》Most importantly, however, burnout is not recognized by the American Psychological Association as a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

》The World Health Organization (2019) recognizes burnout as an occupational experience, and they include it in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD code Z73.0).