How to Recognize Burnout Syndrome, Tips to Prevent It, and How to Deal with It
In the lives of many, especially those with demanding professions, the feeling of burnout occurs at some point. In certain professions, the risk of burnout syndrome is particularly alarming. This primarily affects professions on the front line of contact with people – teachers, healthcare workers, but also police officers, sales clerks, and other professions. Symptoms and progression can be more or less severe, but they can significantly affect functioning and should not be taken lightly. Healthcare workers and caregivers have experienced pressure over the last year and a half that they could hardly have imagined before, and for many, the pandemic has had an adverse impact on mental well-being. How to prevent burnout, how to recognize it, and how to deal with it once it occurs? This is the topic we will address in today's article.
How Does Work Burnout Manifest?
You feel that you have to force yourself to go to work, it doesn't fulfill you, regardless of how rewarding the activity you perform is. Usually, the trigger is prolonged stress. The most common symptoms include alienation from work and associated nervousness and apathy, as well as physical manifestations such as exhaustion, digestive issues, or headaches, reduced performance and a tendency to make mistakes, difficulty concentrating, and also emotional manifestations like sadness, anger, and frustration.
The body can cope with short-term stress relatively easily, but in the long term, the brain becomes exhausted, which affects work performance and often functioning outside of work. A burned-out person then neglects themselves, which only exacerbates overall dissatisfaction. Is there a way to prevent burnout?
Prevention Against Burnout
Research indicates that most people bring work home with them—not just in the literal sense of completing work tasks at home, but also in the inability to mentally detach from work. In healthcare and caregiving, this is perhaps doubly true, as these professionals are responsible for the health and often the lives of their clients.
The most important prevention against burnout is maintaining a balance between work and personal life, which for many in this sector has been almost impossible over the past year and a half. Everyone has this balance set differently, and what suits you may not suit another. It is important to learn to rest/meditate and also to have a place of refuge. A lot also depends on the work team, so it always pays off to cultivate friendly relationships in the workplace. It is also important to set boundaries and maintain a healthy distance from patients. But what if you already feel burnout?
How to Combat Burnout Syndrome
A person experiencing burnout should definitely make changes in their work environment, such as confiding their feelings to their supervisor or colleagues who may understand their situation better and can provide support. Communication, not only in the workplace, is very important; talk about your feelings. Many people in such cases choose to leave, but that may not solve the problem itself. If nothing changes in the functioning of the burned-out person, there is a high probability that they will burn out again.
Setting clear work goals and focusing on one task without trying to handle too much at once is a good start. Take regular, even short breaks, which will help you concentrate better. Effectively managing stress is also an important part of recovering from burnout syndrome. Stress is a natural body reaction, but it should not control us. Techniques such as breathing exercises or the aforementioned short breaks for rest and meditation can help manage it. This also includes getting enough sleep, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, and spending time outdoors, ideally in nature.
Rewards can also boost motivation, so don't forget to reward yourself for a job well done. Regularly engage in activities that bring you joy, whether it's playing with a pet, taking a bath and relaxing in it, or reading a book. Don't forget about yourself and give yourself the care you provide to your clients. If you feel that you can no longer handle the situation alone, don't hesitate to seek professional help; sometimes just talking to an outsider who can provide an objective perspective on the situation is enough. A combination of professional help and simple activities that bring you joy will help you recover from burnout syndrome and prevent its return. How do you protect yourself from stress and burnout?