This file was written by Raïssa Blankoff, naturopath

Suffering at work is more and more widespread and the imbalance between personal and professional life is increasingly the subject of complaints. It affects not only professional life but also sometimes personal and family life and can lead to situations of chronic suffering. It represents a human and economic cost that must be urgently considered. Many people in this situation feel helpless and sometimes continue to experience suffering for many years from which it is possible to escape. There are many avenues available to those who feel locked in a setting that does not suit them: leaving, staying and developing, training, moving, but more…. These situations very often generate silence and tension. Yet change is possible for everyone. This distance and this awareness often requires courage, sometimes support (coaching, psychotherapy …) because changing professional orientation is not only changing jobs, but also deeply transforming our relationship to ourselves – themselves, with patience, confidence and listening to oneself.

Frederique Lallemend¹, a psychologist specializing in occupational clinics, is closely interested in these questions: “To build ourselves, we all need a loving and reassuring emotional context as well as a fulfilling professional and / or social life. This balance concerns both men and women, whether the work is paid or unpaid. Today, we see, in some people, an overinvestment in work. What does it mean? This undoubtedly attests to suffering; Overinvesting allows thinking to be paralyzed so as not to hurt anymore. But bad of what? Often it is a lack of recognition in the professional environment. Faced with this disappointed hope and to avoid suffering more, the person in this context will continue to invest more and more in work, possibly until burnout, until neglecting his health and his personal life (family, leisure, vacations). , sports, circle of friends…). The suffering of this situation may be denied or biased, not allowing the person caught in this spiral to regain self-confidence. On the contrary, as time goes by, her self-esteem will decrease, she may wonder, she who does so much, why she is not able to receive this long-awaited recognition. The guilt of not arriving at this long-awaited recognition despite so many means will end up weakening it. This balance between professional and personal life is one of the first areas of work when I help executives or managers to think about their work or even patients in individual consultations. Often the situations encountered, sometimes repetitive, highlight where there is a difficulty to overcome, it will therefore be a question of learning to listen to yourself to (re) become an actor in your life. “

Source: Frédérique Lallemend: psychologist, specialized in occupational clinics and trauma clinics, holder of the work psychologist diploma from CNAM Paris and DU psychopathology and psychotraumatism from Paris VII. Experiences in the world of business, local authorities or associations. frederiquelalle@gmail.com 06 50 33 32 35