Dr. Francis SANWO

Burnout is a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job, [which results is] an overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment from the job, and a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.

Burnout syndrome can have serious consequences to both our physical and mental health. Over time, it can even lead to memory, attention, and emotional problems.

Burnout isn’t just increased stress. More than being simply irritated or tired from the workload, a person suffering from burnout syndrome will feel constantly exhausted, like their work doesn’t matter, and have skewed and often pessimistic conceptions of both themselves and others.

 Individual burnout is regarded as the outcome of factors associated with excessive negative self-talk

Interpersonal burnout is seen as the result of difficult relationships with others at work such as a boss or coworker

Organizational burnout is viewed as a mismatch between the person and the job.

While these classifications won’t change the effects of burnout syndrome, they are the first clue in understanding where the biggest stressors are in our lives.

Signs and symptoms of burnout syndrome.                           The symptoms of burnout syndrome are very similar to the symptoms associated with work-related stress in general; however, in the case of burnout, these symptoms are more intense, especially in the area of changes to behavior or character. Let’s look at some of the emotional and physical symptoms:                                                                                                   Emotional symptoms

Mood changes: These are the principal symptoms of burnout syndrome. A worker suffering from burnout is often irritable and in a bad mood. In many cases, his manners disappear, and he creates unnecessary conflicts with clients. Suspicion, defensiveness and sarcasm frequently become habitual. In some cases, however, this change of attitude takes a totally different form: the worker simply shows indifference towards clients, and even towards his coworkers.

Lack of motivation: The worker loses all interest in working. Goals and objectives give way to discouragement and to the oppressive thought of having to support stressful situations that are beyond his ability to handle, day after day; and every work day seems long and interminable.

Mental exhaustion: Burnout gradually wears a person down, reducing bit by bit his resistance to stress, such that his mind has to work harder and harder to face stress-causing factors.                                                                                                            Cynicism and detachment

It’s only natural to go through periods of feeling less enjoyment about the work you do. But if this feeling won’t leave, persists even during time with friends and family, or you become preoccupied with thoughts of how you can escape work and projects altogether, it’s a major red flag that you might be suffering from burnout.

Additionally, burnout syndrome can lead to increased pessimism, being less trustworthy of coworkers, friends, and family, isolation and antisocial behavior, as well as a general sense of being disconnected from people and your environment.

A sense of ineffectiveness and a lack of accomplishment

Once your burnout reaches a certain level, it’s sure to affect your work and how you perceive your own value in the workplace.

You might start to feel apathy, helplessness, and even hopelessness, and continually ask yourself ‘What’s the point?’

This can lead to feeling ineffective and useless and even frustrated and angry over your lack of productivity. If you feel like you’re paddling as hard as you can and still drifting away from shore, you’re most likely facing a serious bout of burnout syndrome.

Lack of energy and diminished performance: This is a logical consequence of the previous point. Since the person manages his internal resources poorly, his capacity for productivity diminishes, and his performance declines. Furthermore, every drawn-out situation of work-related stress results in cognitive deterioration over the medium and long term, which can manifest itself in memory loss, lack of concentration, and greater difficulty in learning new skills or learning how to carry out new tasks.                                                                                       

Physical symptoms

Burnout syndrome doesn’t only affect us on a psychological level; its effects on a physical level can be very harmful to our health. Among the physical symptoms it causes, we may see:

Effects on the musculoskeletal system: Sufferers of this syndrome often experience muscle and joint pain resulting from the tension created by work-related stress, which often provokes muscle contractions.

Various psychosomatic symptoms: People with burnout often suffer from gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular problems, skin conditions, headaches, dizziness, alterations to their sexual appetite, and a greater risk of obesity.

For these reasons, it is of fundamental importance that we take care of both our physical and psychological health, so that our quality of life will not be affected. It is consequently vital that everyone make an effort in the workplace to create a positive climate of collaboration that stimulates greater productivity without compromising workers’ health and serenity.

Possible causes of job burnout.

Job burnout can result from various factors, including:

Lack of control. An inability to influence decisions that affect your job — such as your schedule, assignments or workload — could lead to job burnout. So could a lack of the resources you need to do your work.

Unclear job expectations. If you're unclear about the degree of authority you have or what your supervisor or others expect from you, you're not likely to feel comfortable at work.

Dysfunctional workplace dynamics. Perhaps you work with an office bully, or you feel undermined by colleagues or your boss micromanages your work. This can contribute to job stress.

Extremes of activity. When a job is monotonous or chaotic, you need constant energy to remain focused — which can lead to fatigue and job burnout.

Lack of social support. If you feel isolated at work and in your personal life, you might feel more stressed.

Work-life imbalance. If your work takes up so much of your time and effort that you don't have the energy to spend time with your family and friends, you might burn out quickly.

Risk factors.                                                                               You might be more likely to experience job burnout if:

You identify so strongly with work that you lack balance between your work life and your personal life. You have a high workload, including overtime work or you try to be everything to everyone.If  you work in a helping profession, such as health care or you feel you have little or no control over your work or your  job is monotonous you are also at risk.

 One cause of burnout includes stressors that a person is unable to cope with fully. Occupational burnout often develops slowly and may not be recognized until it has become severe. When one's expectations about a job and its reality differ, burnout can begin.

Burnout is thought to occur when a mismatch is present between the nature of the job and the person doing the job. A common indication of this mismatch is work overload, which sometimes involves a worker who survives a round of layoffs, but after the layoffs the worker finds that he or she is doing too much with too few resources. Overload may occur in the context of downsizing, which often does not narrow an organization's goals, but requires fewer employees to meet those goals. .                                                                                           Consequences of burnout.

Ignored or unaddressed job burnout can have significant consequences, including: Excessive stress, fatigue, insomnia, sadness, anger or irritability and alcohol or substance misuse. Others are heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and vulnerability to illnesses.

Treatment and prevention

At the individual level.

Evaluate your options. Discuss specific concerns with your supervisor. Maybe you can work together to change expectations or reach compromises or solutions. Try to set goals for what must get done and what can wait.

Seek support. Whether you reach out to co-workers, friends or loved ones, support and collaboration might help you cope. If you have access to an employee assistance program, take advantage of relevant services. Bottom of Form

 

It is difficult to treat the three symptoms of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy, as they react to the same preventive or treatment activities in different ways. Exhaustion is more easily treated than cynicism and professional inefficacy, which tend to be more resistant to treatment. Research shows that intervention actually may worsen the professional efficacy of one who originally had low professional efficacy.

For the purpose of preventing occupational burnout, various stress management interventions have been shown to help improve employee health and well-being in the workplace and lower stress levels. Training employees in ways to manage stress in the workplace have also proven effective in prevention of burnout.

Burnout prevention programs have traditionally focused on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT),, stress management, and relaxation. CBT, relaxation techniques (including physical techniques and mental techniques), and schedule changes are the best-supported techniques for reducing and preventing burnout in a health-care specific setting. Combining both organizational and individual level activities may be the most beneficial approach to reduce symptoms.                                                                                           Additional prevention methods include: Starting the day with a relaxing ritual; adopting healthy eating, exercising, and sleeping habits; setting boundaries; taking breaks from technology; nourishing one's creative side, and learning how to manage stress.

At the organizational level

While individuals can cope with the symptoms of burnout, the only way to truly prevent burnout is through a combination of organizational change and education for the individual.