Reasons for burnout and how to deal with it

Is your job gratifying but at the same time too demanding and you feel overwhelmed? Do you run from meeting to meeting, juggling deadlines, dealing with soulless bosses, and an endless string of emails? You are not alone!

Suppose you think that it is your problem or because of your character traits - you are wrong. Burnout is a problem for many companies and their organizational culture, and usually, their bosses tend to ignore it.

What is burnout?

Burnout is a chronic stress condition that leads to exhaustion, a lack of attachment to the company, and a decline in productivity. Burnout can seriously worsen your health, relationships, and overall happiness.

Burnout may be different in different sectors of employment. In most cases, burnout begins with a feeling of being overloaded with work and disappointment with its results. It is often accompanied by emotional exhaustion, which manifests itself through a sense of emotional overload, general body fatigue, emotional emptiness, or lack of mental and physical energy.

Burnout is also a lack of job satisfaction, a tendency to negatively assess one's achievements, or reduced commitment to fulfilling duties. Problems at work can spread to private life, which results in a tense atmosphere with loved ones, lack of mutual understanding, or distance from loved ones. Sometimes professional burnout can also take on features external to third parties - cynical, indifferent, or contemptuous towards clients, patients, or colleagues, which may lead to the loss of the position held.

Who is most likely to experience burnout syndrome?

Employees with long, at least several years of experience are affected by professional burnout. Nothing could be more wrong! Young people under the age of 30 are most exposed to it, especially corporate employees and people running their businesses, i.e., those who have irregular working hours or want to climb quickly, achieve success as soon as possible. Burnout syndrome often affects employees who have a lot of responsibility and a lot of stress, such as doctors, nurses, psychologists, teachers, etc.

How common is an employee burn-out?

A Gallup study (involving nearly 7,500 full-time employees) found that 23% of respondents felt burned out at work very often or always, while an additional 44% reported that they sometimes felt burned out.

According to Harvard Business Review research, 1 in 5 employees involved are at risk of burnout at work.

According to the research by Blind (research on employees of Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Uber), more than half (57.16%) of respondents suffer from burnout.

What causes burnout?

Workload: An employee has an unmanageable amount of work to do, has to work overtime, and has few opportunities to rest.

Control: The employee is not able to influence decisions that affect his work or access to resources necessary to perform his job effectively. The expectations for support, additional employment may be unclear or unrealistic for him. The employee may not see the connection between his role and organizational strategy.

Reward: The employee receives insufficient recognition and awards.

Company Culture: The company culture is dysfunctional; there is a conflict in the workplace or a lack of support between colleagues.

Integrity: The employee feels disrespected or feels unfairly treated.

Values: If your values ​​conflict with your company values. There is a discrepancy between the motivation of the company and the employee.

How to avoid burnout?

Good habits that reduce your risk of burnout include:

• rest, i.e., taking breaks while working, not overworking, finding time to relax after work every day and taking care of sleep hygiene,

• devotion to passion - a hobby effectively distracts from everyday problems, drives away thoughts about work, and gives a sense of meaning

• sport - as a result of exercise, the body releases endorphins, i.e., the so-called happiness hormones, which are the best stress reliever,

• walks in green areas - allow you to relax, calm down and reduce the level of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone,

• setting priorities, i.e., the most important goals, and focusing on them, but with the head, without exaggeration, without taking on more than you can bear,

• managing oneself in time, i.e., effective organization of time to have time and work duties, family, friends, and own pleasures.

How to deal with burnout?

Relaxation

It is essential to replenish your physical and emotional energy and your ability to concentrate by prioritizing good habits such as adequate sleep, proper nutrition, exercise, practices that promote peace and well-being, such as meditation and enjoying nature.

Change of perspective

Take a look at your mentality, beliefs, and assumptions. What aspects of your situation can you change? Are there ways to change something in your job to gain more control or focus on the most rewarding tasks? Could you build positive, supportive relationships at work to counteract those who 'drain you'? And if you feel ineffective, what help or development can you expect?

Reduce your exposure to the so-called stressors

It requires resetting the expectations of others - colleagues, clients, and even family members. They need to know that you are making these changes to improve your long-term self-efficacy and protect your health.

Are you feeling burned out?

What if it is too late to prevent burnout because it has already appeared and has established itself for good? Well, and there are ways to do that. You can, of course, start creating the right habits listed above, try to work on yourself, find a way to relieve excess stress. But it's good to do something more for yourself, for example, signing up with a psychologist or possibly a coach to work together to improve the situation.

A professional will help you change not only your lifestyle but also find the reasons why the patient succumbed to burnout. Thanks to this, a burned-out person will be able to avoid these causes in the future or learn to work with them in such a way that they do not threaten them.

Besides, it is also worth talking frankly with your employer, telling him about the problem, and looking for a solution together (it may be, for example, reducing or changing the scope of duties). A wise employer depends on satisfied and well-rested employees, as these factors translate into motivation to work and high commitment to performing professional tasks.