Contents
The XNUMXst century is a time when people put even greater emphasis on self-development, and professional life more and more often becomes convergent with their interests. Of course, not everyone combines passion with work, but a lot is said about the fact that it is worth fighting to do what you love. But is combining work with a hobby a cure for any problems related to the area of work in life and does doing what you really enjoy mean that we will be doing our chores with a smile every day?
As you might guess – it’s not that simple. Such people – fascinated by their position and related duties – are highly exposed to professional burnout. Find out what it is, how it manifests itself and what preventive measures to take to reduce the risk of its occurrence.
What is burnout? Is burnout a disease?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to include occupational burnout in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Health Problems ICD-11 in 2019, which comes into force on January 1, 2022. Including occupational burnout in this list does not mean, however, that the syndrome itself is a unit and its confirmation is not yet a reason to issue a medical certificate L4. Only the diseases it can lead to (e.g. depression) can be the basis for this.
How to recognize burnout? The first signs
It is a long-term (often several months) work-related mental crisis. It is accompanied by: high levels of stress, disturbances in the sense of one’s own identity, achieving goals and the feeling of being constantly stuck in one place or a feeling of helplessness.
There are several phases of it. At the very beginning there is the period of the so-called honeymoon. Then the person is characterized by a high level of fascination with work and a great enthusiasm for it. As we will hear in the webinar organized by the Mindy app, in order to burn out, you need to light up first.
The first, “correct” phase of the syndrome is exhaustionwhich can be recognized by the drain of strength, a feeling of emotional emptiness, headaches, constant fatigue or disturbed appetite. When talking about the second phase of the process, the term depersonalization comes in. ” – explains Gabriela Droździel, a psychologist from the Mind Health clinic, during Mindy’s webinar “3 dimensions of burnout”.
It manifests itself as cynicism, avoidance of contact, difficulties in communication and a decrease in the quality of the activities performed. After the depersonalization phase, comes the phase of a reduced assessment of one’s own abilities. Then there is a withdrawal, there may be aggression, a sense of harm and loneliness.
If you experience similar symptoms, you may have an internal criticism that is not easy to deal with. However, you can try, starting by entering into a dialogue with him. How to do it? Hear some tips below.
The causes of burnout: how was work affected by the pandemic?
It can be seen that the problem has increased due to the social isolation associated with the pandemic. For many of us, the stress of having to find ourselves in the new reality of remote or hybrid work, combined with the atmosphere of uncertainty and anxiety caused by the pandemic, has become the cause of difficulties in our professional lives for many of us. According to research, mental resilience is normal in 68%. population, but this means that 68 percent. copes well with normal situations, where the period of the last two was definitely not a part of it. This is directly related to the limited interpersonal contacts that usually act as a protective shield and support for us.
– The employer should be aware of the level of pressure it creates on the employee. Or it is able to relieve this pressure in some way, but there are positions and companies where this pressure will always be high. Then, people who are more mentally resistant should be recruited. – explains the labor market expert Katarzyna Lorenc during the MIndy webinar “3 dimensions of burnout”.
Furthermore, causes include work overload and lack of time to rest (which was also apparent when the offices moved to our homes). It is also worth mentioning the problems of an emotional nature, e.g. the lack of the ability to communicate emotions and analyze them and the feeling of a lack of control in professional matters – which may result from the fact that our superior / supervisor requires us to consult every small decision and we feel a lack of autonomy. The organizational culture of the company and the team in which we work also have a great influence. The lack of understanding and friendly relations is conducive to the emergence of professional burnout.
- Physical activity can protect against burnout
Prevention and combating. Work-private life balance
Prevention is better than cure, so it is worth knowing simple ways to protect yourself from this syndrome. It is important to separate work from time for yourself. Perhaps you will set an hour after which you will turn off notifications from instant messaging used at work? Or, if you’re working from home, you’ll always be changing rooms at finish time so your brain sees this as the moment to switch to another mode? Physical activity and interpersonal contacts are also extremely important. Meanwhile, preventive measures on the part of the employer include the reasonable distribution of tasks at work among employees, building relationships in the team and not imposing time pressure.
If burnout already affects us, prophylaxis alone is not enoughbecause it will be too late for it. In such a situation, the right person to help is a psychologist – preferably one who has knowledge of work psychology. It is he who determines how developed and serious the problem is and indicates further actions – he can also refer to a psychiatrist who will order appropriate pharmacotherapy.
- Relaxation exercise – lying down [CALM HEAD – Mindy]
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
If you feel that you are just experiencing burnout, contact a psychologist and talk to someone close to you. This is a problem that can certainly be combated.
For more psycho-educational content and exercises to improve your mental health, visit the Mindy app. As part of the “Peaceful Head” campaign prepared by Mindy and Medonet, you get access to the best promotional offer for access to the full library of recordings. Try it for free with the code: MEDONET and be sure to listen to the course »Burnout» created by a psychologist, job coach and trainer – Katarzyna Kaźmierczak.