Have you ever felt drained and without energy? You could be suffering from burnout.
Today we’re going to talk about a silent enemy that can unknowingly affect your work and life that is the occupational burnout syndrome.
Have you ever felt drained and without energy in doing something that you previously did with enthusiasm and a lot of passion? This is the condition that comes closest to those suffering from Burnout.
Excessive and/or prolonged stress is one of the main causes, leading to total energy exhaustion. It is a condition that often has to go to extremes to be consciously perceived. However, its effects will affect you right away.
Therefore, in this article we will describe in more detail what burnout is, and why it must be prevented.
In addition, we will identify useful tips to prevent this occupational syndrome from heavily affecting your work and your life.
What is Occupational Burnout Syndrome?
Occupational burnout is a syndrome characterized by a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion.
Burnout syndrome is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), which classifies it among the forms of occupational stress.
In fact, those affected suddenly become unable to face the daily work responsibilities, even the simplest and most immediate ones.
Unfortunately, this condition often also affects one’s private life. The total absence of physical and mental energies prevents you from carrying out normal daily activities, and progressive isolation.
Furthermore, all this then leads to fueling resentment, apathy, cynicism and insecurity in one’s own means.
This condition, unlike excessive stress, is much quieter, because it acts very slowly. For this reason, it is difficult to recognize it right away.
However, below we will describe some characteristic symptoms of burnout syndrome sufferers.
Occupational Burnout Syndrome symptoms
Those who suffer from occupational burnout syndrome have symptoms of a different nature, sometimes not easily identifiable.
First of all, the most immediate ones are the total lack of energy, a sense of constant exhaustion. Often these are associated with altered sleep-wake rhythms and appetite.
Sometimes, all this can turn into real physical, joint and muscle pain.
Next, we have behavioural and emotional symptoms. Burnout sufferers tend to be slower and more aloof in carrying out tasks or procrastinating them.
Furthermore, lack of motivation also leads to incessant insecurity in one’s means, accompanied by defeatism and frustration.
We have all experienced all these symptoms at least once. However, this condition can become dangerous when it becomes prolonged over time, or even habitual.
As mentioned earlier, this syndrome is progressive and develops very slowly. Therefore it is important to identify it immediately and take the right countermeasures.
Occupational Burnout Syndrome causes
As mentioned above, the causes that lead to Burnout are mainly related to work.
You are probably at risk if you are constantly overwhelmed by pressures, long hours, or a tough competitive climate.
However, there are also other causes responsible for physical and emotional exhaustion, mostly related to one’s character or lifestyle.
Taking little time to rest, sleeping little, eating too much or not enough are examples of off-work causes.
There may also be too many responsibilities and little support, an unexpected bereavement, or a relational disappointment.
Furthermore, even one’s character can predispose to suffer a day of burnout. Some examples can be found in excessive perfectionism or in those who have a pessimistic view of life and the world.
Finally, those who need to be in total control of people, events and their lives are highly at risk. In fact, you can’t control everything that happens, and the resulting stress can lead to burnout.
Useful tips to prevent occupational burnout syndrome
1. Slow down
The daily rhythms of most people are sustained, from morning until evening, every day without a break.
The holidays are spent totally doing some planned activities or attending to household chores neglected during the week. Rest is no longer considered as a recovery and reset from everyday life, but as an extension of it.
So how do you feel the effects of burnout if you never have time or a way to listen to yourself?
Have you ever wondered why after the age of 18 life goes by so fast without realizing it?
The answer is simple because we run so fast that we lose sight of the goal. Because it is considered important to run as an end in itself more than the destination. In addition, we are so used to fast rhythms that slowing down scares us.
However, to live life to the fullest, it is necessary to slow down, sometimes even stop. The landscape around us, as well as the one inside us, is perceived and observed slowly, not at 200 km / h.
2. Reduce the pressure
In truth, there is no reason to put yourself under pressure, nor to judge your being or your choices.
This does not mean that there are no difficult situations to deal with, or that there are no problems. It is simply about facing them without judging yourself or expecting more than your best.
Improvement is a constant and gradual process, but it cannot take place without serenity and safety in one’s own means.
In the world of work, many people will put you under pressure and will demand the impossible. However, the greatest skill consists in not letting this pressure affect you.
Sometimes, we all experience moments when we struggle the most, but remember that they are only passing moments.
Skills are acquired, and in no time at all what we thought impossible becomes possible. Therefore, use your criteria to monitor your work, do not be influenced by that of others.
3. Take care of yourself
Self-care is taking on an increasingly important role in everyday life, as well as in working life.
Taking care of yourself means healing the mind, resetting it with meditation, or simply through relaxing activities.
In a nutshell, it means to love yourself, it seems a trivial concept but it is not.
We often think about the career, the expectations of others, how to face obstacles. We rarely think about ourselves.
We cannot love others if we do not start from our person. Burnout can really be prevented if we dedicate part of our activities to self-awareness and relaxation.
4. Take time for yourself
As mentioned before, there are a lot of activities we can do to take care of ourselves. Watch a movie, take a bath, play video games, or even go to a quiet place for a few days to relax.
However, to do all this you need a more precious asset than gold, more important than career and money: time.
There are numerous ways to carve out the right one. First of all, if the working day is full, you can start with waking up. In fact, the first tip to get more time is to wake up early in the morning.
In addition, use breaks to disconnect from work, and socialize, relax, or just close your eyes.
Time management is a fundamental skill for increasing self-awareness and living better.
5. Share (not on social networks)
In conclusion, sharing is essential to avoid or even cure burnout syndrome. In fact, telling someone honestly what we are feeling is very effective in relieving us from bad moments.
Cultivate relationships, but only those that are healthy, that is, those that fill you up, not empty you. So, hang out with people you value, not those who just meet your needs.
The only way to share part of yourself is in person. The use of social media is often confused with socializing (hence the name “social”).
This is a deleterious mistake because, in reality, nothing replaces a healthy and sincere conversation. Many people believe that friends can be counted through followers on Instagram, or among Facebook “friends”. In reality, real ones never get past the fingers of one hand, and it’s often fortunate to have even just one.
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ATTENTION
The information contained in this article is presented for informational purposes only, in no case can it constitute the formulation of a diagnosis or the prescription of treatment, and it is not intended and must not in any way replace the direct doctor-patient relationship or the specialist visit. We recommend that you always seek the advice of your current doctor