Burnout is a new phenomenon of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress in the workplace which has been an increasing concern in terms of work-related mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently included Burnout Syndrome in the list of the 11th Review of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which will come into force in January 2022, as an “occupational phenomenon”.
WHO has not yet considered Burnout to be a disease like depression but characterized it as a “problem associated with employment or unemployment.” Being recognized by WHO gave greater visibility to this disease, recognizing work as a factor that influences the individual’s health.
The new International Classification of Diseases describes Burnout Syndrome as:
“a syndrome is known as a result of chronic stress in the workplace that has not been successfully managed. The three main characteristics of the Burnout are:
- feelings of energy exhaustion or exhaustion;
- increased mental distance from work, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to work; and
- reduced professional effectiveness.
Exhaustion refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context. It should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.
In other words, Burnout Syndrome is a condition of mental Burnout strictly linked to stress. The cause may be the work environment itself or because of it. However, the characteristics pointed out in the description give rise to several symptoms that point to the problem.
Today in this article we will try to find the balance in life and self-knowledge about Burnout which is fundamental to avoid that professional Burnout that hinders your career performance. We also will focus on the companies’ contribution to form a barrier against stress at work to take care of the most precious asset: the employee.
Burnout: Prevention is Better Than Cure!
Getting tired after an intense week of work is completely normal. So it is with the stress caused by the busy routine and routine problems that we all have to deal with. However, ignoring these sensations altogether can be dangerous.
Paying attention to the signs of the mind and body, especially when all tiredness and stress seem to get worse in the work environment, is essential to prevent an even bigger problem, such as Burnout, from installing itself.
Watch out for warning signs!
Notice how your body reacts when you arrive and leave your workplace. Headaches, tachycardia, wheezing… these are some physical signs that can point to a level of Burnout that needs to be controlled.
Realize that these feelings and sensations do not mean that your mental health is already totally compromised. This can often be related to other issues, and this is yet another reason to observe your reactions at different times and places.
The discouragement to accomplish the tasks, the lack of concentration and focus, or that desire to turn off the alarm in the morning and “kill the job” are strong indications that something is not going well.
So don’t ignore your body’s reactions and listen to your “inner voice”. It will point the way and give the first signs that it is necessary to slow down.
Mental health care inside and outside the company
There is a common factor among people who have lived with Burnout Syndrome: most of them, for a long time, forgot that there is life beyond work. For professionals from many different areas, especially entrepreneurs, being a workaholic is a vital condition. There are people who breathe work 24/7 and are extremely happy that way.
However, merging all aspects of life, personal, social, and work, can be very tricky. There is even a risk of loss of identity which, for some people, can cause an existential crisis and consequent low self-esteem.
It is possible to say that separating each area of life tends to be healthier, as long as one seeks to balance the functions of each one. However, to avoid Burnout, you don’t necessarily have to work less or stop working.
The need is for the work to be carried out with quality and respect for one’s own limits. For this, it is important to channel the energy used in the work functions to different points, thus forming a barrier against stress inside and outside the workplace.
The importance of a personal agenda
Even the most brilliant, intelligent, dedicated, and engaged founders are nothing more than human beings and are more vulnerable to burnout. In fact, entrepreneurs are the ones most affected by chronic stress, resulting in Burnout.
It is humanly impossible to give 120-130% of yourself over a prolonged period of time. Famous Belgian philosopher Pascal Chabot came to define Burnout as the “disease of civilization” which is very true.
Below are five simple steps you can take to avoid Burnouts:
1. Practice physical activity regularly
Busy schedules rob your time which you would otherwise have dedicated to your physical activities. So, despite of the busy schedules, you have to find a way to be able to fit the physical activity back into your daily routine. If you are super busy in the evenings, then try to start doing activities in the morning. You can create a routine where you can sleep earlier and wake up early at 5:30 am every day to walk, run, or any sort of exercise.
2. Maintain sleep hygiene
Most of us have heard about the famous businesswoman Arianna Huffington, founder of the news site The Huffington Post. In 2007, Arianna fainted at home causing her jaw to break. After undergoing numerous clinical examinations, she was told that she has a condition of Burnout due to a prolonged period of sleep deprivation.
So, among 24 hours a day, keep at least 7 hours are for sleep. Please make this is a cardinal rule among your habits. If you mess the hours of sleep, the result will be much worse for your health and also for the company you cared for.
When we talk about sleep hygiene, that means a number of small practices that allow sleep to be restorative and efficient for the body to recover. Among them some are:
- avoid caffeine consumption after a certain time of the day;
- control the consumption of alcoholic beverages;
- avoiding very heavy, high-fat or highly processed foods after 8 pm (they can cause poor digestion and compromise sleep);
- have a relaxing and regular sleep routine (take a book to bed);
- avoid exposure to the bright lights of electronic devices half an hour before bedtime.
3. Meditate
Meditation is an activity that helps in reducing stress hormones in our bodies. Meditating helps not only to avoid Burnout but also to increase focus and attention in the present moment, contributing to reduce anxiety. It is an activity that consumes very little time, but it brings huge benefits. You can use any widely available apps for guided meditation.
4. Do not delete appointments with friends and family
Understand that having moments of leisure and social life is a vital component for maintaining mental health. We are social beings, we need to enjoy the company of loved ones to keep our lives balanced.
When we are in trouble, it is common to neglect that happy hours with friends, the family birthday, or even leave the date for another time. However, whenever we leave these activities aside, we compromise our ability to have contact with the new and be more creative as well.
In addition, when time goes by, that regret can beat and self-charging can be another offender for daily stress.
5. Take care with the excessive use of the smartphone
One of the strategies is to adopt monitoring the time spent on the cell phone. Measure the usage by screen time and try to police yourself every day so you don’t overuse social networks, WhatsApp, and so on.
You also can set an alarm clock at 9:30 pm to make the habit of sleeping earlier. This is the time to turn off any electronic devices like a notebook, television, or smartphone.
Finally, if you try not to leave the device near the bed or within reach of your hands at bedtime, it will precisely prevent the first action of the day from checking social networks. This check of the networks, which apparently seems harmless in itself, is capable of generating anxiety and even causing depression.
Many hyper-connected people experience the idealization of a world that, for the most part, is not real. They always want the trip that their colleague posts on Instagram or the objects purchased by a close friend.
This daily comparison can also lead to Burnout, since it ends up triggering a “desire” for the other’s life, making the individual work even harder to fulfill goals, receive bonuses or be promoted more quickly.
Healthier Work Environment
If there are a number of resources to promote mental health outside the workplace, we also need to establish some routines to preserve our emotional balance.
After all, Burnout is a product of that environment when we fail to set limits, for ourselves and for the people around us. We can follow these actions to make the workplace less stressful:
- try to set limits on relationships within the company, so that friendship is not used as an excuse to transfer more work and responsibility to you than you can assume;
- whenever possible, avoid reading emails and messages from work after hours, including your lunch break and breaks;
- create relationships based on trust and honesty, including with the boss;
- if you are a manager or CEO, learn to delegate functions to the right people, so it is possible to decentralize work and reduce the burden of tasks;
- don’t give up on vacation: this is a fundamental period to “recharge your batteries”.
Dealing with Burnout: how to deal with the problem?
There is something almost cathartic in the legitimization of Burnout, as the medical world reaches an omnipresent condition that has shaped our lives for a long time, especially for young people.
As Anne Helen Petersen wrote in a viral BuzzFeed article earlier this year, “Burnout, your behaviors and the weight that go with it are not really something we can cure by going on vacation.”
The weekly breaks and annual vacations are very important and welcome but unfortunately are insufficient for those who are already dealing with Burnout.
However, even though it seems to be extremely difficult to transpose – since work is inherent to human beings and you cannot simply leave your job or position – this exhaustion can be treated, restoring your productivity to the person.
Even when seeking help and treatment for the ills caused by Burnout, professional and personal skills can be developed and enhanced.
Practicing self-knowledge through psychotherapy helps to deal with emotions and get around problems. However, it is often necessary to go further and seek medical help from a psychiatrist to treat physical symptoms. Thus, the use of antidepressants is not ruled out to treat a condition of Burnout Syndrome.
However, in addition to medication and psychotherapy, other alternative therapies. For example, acupuncture can go a long way towards reducing tension and mental stress caused by the problem.
But how to identify the problem? Let’s see the main signs of the presence of Burnout:
- mental and physical exhaustion
- irritability and impatience
- lack of concentration
- trouble sleeping
- drop in performance of activities
- little interaction in relationships
- the permanent feeling of dissatisfaction
- lack of motivation and interest in day-to-day activities
- absence from work without the apparent need
If you identify yourself with these conditions and symptoms, it is important to seek medical and psychological help as soon as possible. It will help to avoid further damage like physical, mental, and professional. Talking to your boss or person responsible for the company’s Human Resources department is also essential. Or, if you know someone who is experiencing the problem, try to talk and alert to the importance of seeking professional help, offering support and understanding.
Contribution of companies in mental health care
Since Burnout is a product of the workplace environment, it has to be tackled where it flourishes. Taking care of mental health in the workplace must be a two-way street, not least because both employees and bosses are subject to professional exhaustion. These days more and more companies have developed activities for the well-being of employees, including investing in the team’s mental health care which certainly will lead to better returns in the productivity field. Encouraging team members to give feedback anonymously will be a big step towards developing a more cooperative and healthy environment for the team.
Facilitating online psychological counseling sessions for the team members, among other activities carried out within the company, such as Mindfulness programs and mapping the team’s mental health, it is possible to improve the overall work environment and to make employees more motivated. We can see and feel the result very clearly. The majority of the workforce are showing up for the work fresh and ready to contribute to increasing productivity, and finally achieving the company’s competitive advantage to obtain the desired goal.
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