Professional burnout at work - how to recognize and what to do? How to avoid burnout at work

Burnout is a popular phrase. It is believed that you can “burn out” only if you really get carried away with something, if you “burn out” emotionally. Is it so?

People in creative and technical professions are interested in the topic of emotional burnout. Is it possible to protect yourself in the modern world, where there are strict management rules and a constant race to realize your dreams? Is it possible to find means of prevention and protect yourself from a state where work ceases to bring true pleasure, and everyday duties seem meaningless and insipid?

Signs of burnout

Back in 1974, social psychologists began to study the emotional component of people in “helping” professions. These include missionaries, philanthropists, psychologists, and rescuers. It was then, paying close attention to what was happening to professionals in noble affairs, that scientists found three signs that indicate that emotional burnout is “in full swing.” These three signs apply to all people without exception: it doesn’t matter whether you’re writing an essay or proving a theorem.

Fatigue

Fatigue comes in different forms. In one case, it can be pleasant: when you want to take a breath, relax, or go on vacation. Such fatigue is accompanied by a victorious feeling that you have worked hard and coped with all the obstacles with a bang.

The second type of fatigue is accompanied by a feeling that you have been “de-energized”: lack of strength and desires, lethargy, and a depressed state. Symptoms of emotional burnout include this type of fatigue, which worsens as you get closer to work. A call from the office, an extra letter in the mail, the end of the weekend - all this negatively affects the general condition and revives the feeling of fatigue again.

Dissatisfaction and irritation

Dissatisfaction in the case of emotional burnout is directly related to any facets of one’s own work. People with emotional burnout are irritated by clients, responsibilities, getting up early, overwork - in short, any stress associated with their type of activity.

Guilt

At some point, an employee with emotional burnout becomes devastated and stops coping with his responsibilities. He feels that he is not doing his job and does not enjoy his work. As a result, a feeling of guilt and dissatisfaction with oneself is formed, which blocks the desire to look for a new job: there is simply no strength left for this.

How to deal with emotional burnout?

If you want to protect yourself or change the situation that has already developed at your work, listen to the recommendations of professionals. You can combat emotional burnout in the following ways.

Look for a job where your efforts will be noticed

Receiving feedback is the most important human need. If you work in a company where the results of your work are treated only formally, after a while you will feel useless, accompanied by a feeling of emptiness. All people want to be liked, feedback is important to them. Even if it's criticism. The only caveat is that criticism must be objective, constructive and inspiring.

If you have already gotten a job where you are not being paid attention to, ask for feedback, ask how you can improve your results. Silence in response? Then there are two options: change your job or find an additional area where you will receive constructive feedback and real feedback.

Avoid working with maximum control or permissiveness

Both strict control and complete ignorance of what is happening are two serious management mistakes that will lead to emotional burnout. In the first case, you will be a chronically dissatisfied person: it is difficult to work in a situation where you are constantly told and your needs are not taken into account. In the second case, you will start to get bored. This boredom will be caused by a lack of attention to your professionalism.

Make your skill unique

In order not to get tired of yourself and of work, learn to do what others cannot do. If you are a doctor, psychologist, marketer, designer, writer, it is not difficult to measure your professionalism. It is determined by your position, skill set, regalia, awards, bonuses, earnings, the number of your clients, and your personal inventions in your field (even small ones). In this situation, it is important not to stop: you can always improve what you know: take advanced training courses, find new information, do something original.

If you have not decided on your vocation and work in a boring administrative position that does not imply the presence of unique knowledge, do not despair: do your job better than others, and you will see the result. Even if you work as an administrator at a sports club, you can approach the job differently. In the first case, silently give out the key to the personal locker room locker and check the membership, and in the second, communicate, wish a successful training, conduct customer surveys, and offer additional services. It is with this approach to work that a career and the treatment of emotional burnout begin.

Replenish the stock of “childish” emotions

You need to be able to take care of the state of your soul. Emotional burnout occurs if your reserve of internal warmth has been reduced to zero. This reserve consists of children's emotions: immediate surprise, joy, delight, expectation of something good. How long has it been since you felt these emotions? How long has it been since you fell in love with the project you are working on? Think back to the last week, the last month, or the last six months you had at work. What is important here is not the status of the company or the salary. The important thing here is what you really enjoy in the process of work. Does the topic or material you work with fascinate you? This is the antidote to combustion. Do you have it? Can you fall in love with what you do?

Listen to “like” and “dislike” signals

These signals are quiet. The 21st century is the century of exploits and workaholics. In the pursuit of success, we can become cold to our inner voice. We feel discomfort and ignore it, suppress our disagreements, put up with incorrect attitudes. Don't let the situation get worse. Strive to correct the situation immediately. Fill your professional and personal life with warm moments while remaining efficient and hardworking.

If you suddenly feel tired, feel helpless and frustrated, and feel like you're completely out of control, it's possible that you're experiencing burnout. This condition leads to a feeling of powerlessness, so it is very difficult to solve the problem. The detachment and indifference that comes with burnout can cause problems with work, jeopardize normal communication and even physical health. Therefore, you should never let the situation take its course, you need to fight and look for a way out.

What is burnout syndrome?

EWS or emotional burnout syndrome is a condition that is characterized by mental, emotional and physical exhaustion due to chronic stress, which in most cases is caused by work. Most often, representatives of professions associated with constant communication suffer: for example, teachers, doctors, social workers and employees of large companies with a large staff and high requirements for personnel.

Doctors often suffer from SEV

Due to severe overstrain, a person gradually simply loses interest in everything. SEV leads to a decrease in productivity and energy, because of this there is a feeling of helplessness, resentment and hopelessness. The victim feels that he does not have enough strength for anything, and is doomed to meaningless and boring work.

One of the effective ways to prevent SEW is to put work problems aside at work. As you walk out the door, you can even symbolically wipe your feet so as not to drag the burden of problems home with you.

Of course, such symptoms are not uncommon when you are simply tired or in a bad mood. If our work is not appreciated or we are overworked, we too may feel this way. Therefore, SEW should not be confused with depression or fatigue.

How to find out CMEA?

In order not to confuse burnout syndrome with other similar conditions, you need to know its three main differences:

• A person feels emotional exhaustion and devastation, he is not happy with the work that he used to like, nothing brings him pleasure, colleagues and all the people around him are annoying. This results in poorly completed tasks, constant quarrels, and a reluctance to go out and communicate with anyone.
• A feeling of meaninglessness of work appears, the desire to work well disappears, since “no one appreciates it anyway.” Gradually, this feeling can spread to other areas - for example, a person will stop taking care of himself, since he still won’t get better.
• Unlike fatigue, SEV does not go away after rest. After the weekend, a “burnt out” person will remain just as unhappy and lethargic, while a tired person returns full of energy.
• Unlike depression, which is always based on fear and guilt, burnout is based on anger and irritability. A person does not think that he works poorly or is rude to others; it seems to him that the whole world is against him.

Teachers often burn out emotionally

Although burnout may seem harmless at the initial stage, over time it often leads to psychosomatic illnesses, memory loss and concentration. A “burnt out” person can not only lose his job, as his value as an employee will drop sharply, but also his family, which will have to live under the yoke of his negativity.

Development of burnout

To simplify the diagnosis of emotional burnout, New York psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberger created a special scale. The first stages look quite harmless, but it is better to start treatment already at this stage - the further you go, the more difficult it will be to return a normal emotional background.

At first there is an obsessive desire for self-affirmation, perhaps an attempt to prove something to others, rivalry. Then comes a careless attitude towards one’s own needs, refusal of communication, sports, and entertainment. Then there is a refusal to resolve conflicts, which leads to their prolongation. Over time, a person simply stops responding to problems in communicating with family and/or friends. And then there comes a loss of the sense of oneself as a person and an individual, the person continues to act mechanically, without making any effort and without thinking about the future.

Constant fatigue is one of the main signs of burnout.

After some time, a person notices that he has lost himself, feels an inner emptiness and, most often, depression sets in after this. Gradually developing, emotional burnout leads to the fact that he breaks down, becomes physically and mentally ill, and often tends to suicidal thoughts.

Don't be afraid to change jobs. Some psychologists believe that this should be done once every 4-5 years. This brings freshness and novelty to life and prevents you from “burning out.”

The peculiarity of CMEA is that it is easy to hide. A person can go to work, look the same as always, and even communicate more or less normally, attributing failures to fatigue or illness. Often, loved ones learn about the problem in the final stages, when the person is almost ready to say goodbye to life.

Reasons for the development of CMEA (Video)

Many modern psychologists believe that emotional burnout is a protective mechanism in conditions of strong psychotraumatic influences. In such a situation, the body simply “turns off” emotions, preserving itself. SEV allows you to minimize energy costs and save some body systems from unnecessary work: for example, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular. But over time, this “preservation mode” becomes too economical and does not allow a person to work normally and communicate with others.

To understand the reasons for the development of burnout, we must remember that our nervous system has a limit on the execution of certain processes: for example, communication, problem solving, etc. Determining this limit is not easy, since it is not only individual for each person, but also depends on many indicators, for example, on the quality of nutrition and sleep, state of health and time of year, and the situation in the patient’s family. But if a person exceeds it, exhaustion sets in, which eventually leads to burnout.

Often the symptoms of SEV are complicated by pessimistic people and lazy people around. You need to let them know that you don't have to listen to them and help them.

The second reason is the lack of tangible results. Most often this happens to teachers. They can do their best, but they won’t change anything; children will still come or not come to school, get bad or good grades, skip lessons and slack. A similar situation can happen to people in other professions if their successes are not appreciated and encouraged. This leads to a devaluation of work, and later to a loss of interest in it.

CMEA greatly reduces the quality of work

It is also worth remembering that a person’s personal qualities play a big role in the development of burnout syndrome. There are people who do not get tired when they have to do monotonous routine work for a long time, but cannot be activated to complete an urgent project. But it happens the other way around - a person can work successfully and fruitfully only for a short period of time, but at the same time he gives his all, and later simply “runs out of steam.” There are workers who are not capable of creative tasks, but they are efficient. And there are creators who need a feeling of freedom. If a job doesn't match a person's personality, it will very soon lead to burnout.

In most cases, CMEA is a consequence of improper organization of work, management errors and staff unpreparedness for their duties.

How to prevent burnout?

CMEA is a problem that is easier to prevent than to solve. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor your condition and, at the first signs of emotional burnout, take measures to prevent it.

What to do?

• Try to start the day with relaxing rituals: for example, meditate or do exercises.
• Switch to proper nutrition and exercise. This will give you strength and energy to solve problems.
• Set boundaries. If something is annoying or stressful, you need to try not to do it, refuse unwanted requests and do what is really important.
• Take a break from modern technology every day. For a while you need to turn off your phone and computer and just sit in silence.
• Get creative, find a hobby, or attend events more often that have nothing to do with work.
• Learning to manage stress will help combat burnout.

If the situation has not yet started, then it is quite possible to cope without the help of specialists, but you need to realize that there is a problem and you will have to seriously work on solving it.

How to recover on your own

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to prevent burnout. Most often, a person understands what happened when CMEA is already destroying his life. If this has already happened, then you need to concentrate on returning the normal emotional background.

Sometimes you have to quit the race to recover

There are three steps to treating the effects of burnout:

• Step one: slow down. It is necessary to reduce professional activities to a minimum - for example, take a vacation. In your free time you need to rest, relax, forget about work and problems.
• Step two: getting support. When burning out, a person usually withdraws into himself and reduces communication to a minimum. This is a normal reaction - he tries to conserve the remaining energy. But you need to overcome yourself and tell your loved ones what is happening. Even the very fact of conversation can bring relief, and the support of dear people will definitely help cope with stress.
• Step three: reviewing goals and priorities. If emotional burnout has occurred, this is a serious sign that something is wrong in life. We need to analyze everything and understand why this happened. Perhaps you should change your job or your attitude towards it, or even completely redraw everything.

But you should not expect that immediately after recognizing the problem, a solution will come. This may take time, because burnout did not happen in a day. But if you try to follow these simple tips, sooner or later your health will return.

Emotional burnout is a negative phenomenon of a mental nature, leading to emotional exhaustion of the human body.

Professionals whose professional activities involve communication are susceptible to emotional burnout: helping, reassuring, giving people “spiritual” warmth.

The “risk group” includes: teachers, doctors, psychologists, managers, social workers. Specialists are constantly faced with negative emotions and are imperceptibly involved in some of them, leading to psychological “overload.”

Emotional burnout occurs slowly from: working too hard, increased activity, work enthusiasm. A symptom of body overload appears, turning into chronic stress, and depletion of human resources occurs.

Burnout syndrome

This is the exhaustion of the human condition: moral, mental, physical.

Let's sort it out signs of this condition:

1. moral: evasion of responsibility, obligations; desire for loneliness; manifestation of envy and anger; blaming others and loved ones for your troubles.

People try to improve their condition with alcohol or drugs.

2. mental: diffidence; indifferent state: in the family, at work, to events; disgusting mood; loss of professionalism; hot temper; dissatisfaction, lack of life goals; anxiety and restlessness; irritability.

Emotional burnout syndrome is very similar to depression. Subjects feel signs of being doomed to loneliness, so they suffer and worry. While doing work, they cannot concentrate for long.

3. physical: frequent headaches; “loss of strength” - fatigue; increased sweating; muscle weakness; decreased immunity; darkening of the eyes; dizziness; insomnia; pain in the lower back, heart; joints “ache”, digestive tract disorders; shortness of breath: nausea.

A person cannot understand what is happening to him: his immunity is reduced, he feels disgusting, his appetite is impaired. Some people experience an increase in appetite and, accordingly, weight, while others lose their appetite and lose weight.

Emotional burnout is

The response of the subject’s entire body to prolonged stress from any sphere of communication: home, work, environment, regular conflicts.

Altruistic professions are more susceptible to burnout.

People providing professional services (assistance) lose their emotional and physical energy, become dissatisfied with themselves and their work, and cease to understand and sympathize. To overcome emotional burnout, consultation with a psychotherapist and treatment is required.

Herbert Freudenberg, a psychologist from the United States, described in 1974 the phenomenon of emotional burnout - this is a mental disorder that affects the personality of the subject due to emotional “exhaustion.”

Causes of burnout include:

• Low wages, with a busy work schedule;
• Not meeting life's needs;
• Uninteresting, monotonous work;
• Manager pressure;
• Responsible work, no additional control;
• Inappropriate assessment of the specialist’s work by the manager;
• Work in a pressured, chaotic environment;

Methods to combat burnout to restore balance:

1. Monitoring the signs and preconditions of burnout;
2. Timely elimination of stress, search for support;
3. Constant control over emotional and physical health.

Burnout syndrome is

A state of systematic exhaustion of a person, paralyzing feelings, strength, as well as loss of a joyful attitude towards life.

It has been proven that people from a social profession experience burnout syndrome earlier than people from other professions. In personal, unfavorable relationships in the subjects' lives, symptoms of emotional burnout occur.

There are several stages of burnout:

1. Lung

Tired of pleasant caring for children; elderly parents; took exams at school, university; performed chord work.

For a while they forgot about sleep, lack of basic services, felt uncomfortable, increased tension and irritation.

But all the work was completed on time, the situation returned to normal. The time has come to relax: take care of yourself, exercise, get a good night's sleep - the symptoms of emotional burnout have disappeared without a trace.

Hence, energetic, high-quality charging received by a person, after a prolonged load, restores energy, replenishing spent reserves.

Undoubtedly, the human psyche and body are capable of many things: working for a long time, achieving a certain goal (to go to the sea); withstand difficulties (paying a mortgage).

2. Chronic

Symptoms of burnout occur with certain problems:

• not enough money: buy a washing machine;
• presence of fear: tense state, vigilance regarding superiors, afraid of big demands.

Such symptoms lead to overload of the nervous system. In the human body, painful sensations arise in the muscles, all over the place, and turns into chronic burnout. One of the symptoms of overexertion is teeth grinding at night.

The smooth transition from delight to indifference is called dehumanization. Attitudes towards people have changed from gentle, respectful, devoted to negative, rejecting, cynical.

At work, I feel guilty before my colleagues; I perform my work like a robot according to a template. A defensive reaction begins to take effect: retire at home, hide from all problems.

Burnout syndrome is the impact of constant stress, loss of interest in professional activities and motivation. Negative changes in your body are complemented by regular illnesses: colds, flu.

Burnout at work

After high work activity and heavy workload for a long time, a period of fatigue sets in: exhaustion, exhaustion. The employee’s percentage of activity decreases: he does not do his job conscientiously, rests a lot of time, especially on Monday, and does not want to go to work.

The class teacher does not notice the excited state of the class.
The nurse forgets to dispense the medicine on time.
The head of the company sends the employee “through the chain of command.”

Such phenomena, emotional burnouts, occur regularly. The same words sound in a person’s head: “I’m tired,” “I can’t do it anymore,” “no variety.”

This means that emotional burnout at work has occurred, emotional energy has been reduced to a minimum.

The teacher does not introduce new teaching technologies.
The doctor is not engaged in research activities.
The head of the company does not strive to advance his career to a higher degree.

If work activity is reduced and not restored, then professional growth and creativity remain at the achieved level. Therefore, you should forget about promotion.

Dissatisfaction in life and work leads to a lesser extent depression, and to a greater extent - to aggression.
In depression period the subject blames himself for personal and professional failures: “I’m a bad father,” “Nothing works out for me.” Aggressive reaction - blames others - loved ones, bosses.

In the initial stage of emotional burnout, psychosomatic symptoms appear: dissatisfaction, anxiety, which reduce the overall resistance of the body. Blood pressure and other somatic diseases increase. Irritation is present in family, friendships, and at work.

Indifference to interests, hobbies, art, nature becomes an everyday occurrence. The stage of emotional burnout begins, turning into a chronic disease process that requires the help of a specialist - a psychotherapist.

What to do in case of emotional burnout:

1. with mild

• Reduce the load;
• Delegate things;
• Share responsibility;
• Realize realistic goals;
• Accept surprises without pain;
• Do not overestimate human capabilities and requirements.

And:

• Change mental stress to physical (play sports, work in the country);
• See a doctor for sick leave or relax in a sanatorium.

If the symptoms of emotional burnout do not respond to recovery, it means that the transition to chronic burnout has occurred.

2. for chronic

In a state of prolonged stress, the disease intensifies the process of burnout. Remorse over one’s actions continues to increase burnout, and one is unable to replenish one’s health with energy.

Medicines prescribed by a doctor may help for a short time, but will not solve the problem of the disease.

Restoring the internal deficit of joy, reducing social pressure will radically change your attitude towards life and protect you from unexpected actions.

The main task is your physical health. Ask yourself questions: “What is the meaning of my activity, its value? " “Does my work bring me joy, with what enthusiasm do I do it? "

Indeed, joy and satisfaction should be present in your affairs.

If you realize that the symptoms of emotional burnout are preventing you from living a fruitful and dignified life, then it’s time to make an effort - to work on yourself.

And then the question: “What is emotional burnout?” You will forget forever.

• Learn to say the word “no”

Example: “I will not do someone else’s work. It’s not included in my job description.” Reliability in work is good, but integrity is better.

• Replenish yourself with positive charges

Example: Meeting with friends in nature, excursion to a museum, swimming in the pool. Proper balanced nutrition: dietary, including vitamins, minerals, plant fiber.

Discussion and search for constructive solutions with a friend will provide help and support in difficult times; emotional burnout will stop.

• Improve relationships within your workforce

Example: Invite your colleagues to your birthday at home or have a feast at work, in a cafe.

• Observe more people who are not susceptible to burnout.

Take an example from them, treat failures with humor, don’t get hung up on them, have a positive attitude towards work.

• Take on a new direction by being creative

Learn to play the guitar, learn new songs, master the skills of a gardener. Reward yourself for work that brings you joy.

• Take breaks during your work shift

Talk about topics not related to work: about children, family, art, cinema, love.

• Change profession, team

Perhaps your old profession does not bring you satisfaction, you are experiencing burnout at work, or maybe not your team, your manager - you do not feel emotional stability.

• Write down the reasons for “burnout” on a piece of paper.

Solve problems gradually, highlighting priorities.

Sometimes a person receives emotional nourishment from a job he loves. They do not have the need to look “outside” for positive emotions; they are protected from emotional burnout.

Psychologists say that a favorable team climate prevents emotional burnout among employees. Conflicts in teams, on the contrary, contribute to increased burnout at work.

Emotional burnout is mental exhaustion of the subject’s body, which can be restored with the help of the work team, friends and work on oneself.

Burnout is a state of exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. Like impostor syndrome or FOMS, it is not a disease, but rather a complex of psychological and physical problems. Despite the fact that there is no burnout in ICD-10, psychologists have been using this term for a long time, and the problem itself has been well studied.

The term “professional burnout” was introduced by American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in the mid-70s. In those years, he had a private practice on the Upper East Side, one of the most prestigious areas of New York. Many of his clients were successful people, but at the same time they suffered from indifference and even hatred towards their work. Their stories were included in Freudenberger's book Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement, a bestseller published in 1980.

The main signs of professional burnout are a feeling of exhaustion, decreased productivity and, finally, professional cynicism - a cold, detached attitude towards one’s activities, clients and colleagues. However, some psychiatrists add to this exactly the opposite reaction - a manic obsession with work with the same lack of strength.

Is this a problem for everyone who works a lot?

Not really. Professional burnout is associated not only with overwork, but also with high emotional stress, which not everyone is able to withstand. Therefore, it is most difficult for those whose job is to help people. These are doctors, psychologists, teachers, social workers, charity workers and police officers. When they burn out, they often experience depersonalization - a kind of defensive reaction and professional deformation: an insensitive attitude towards clients, an inability to perceive them as human beings.

However, recently burnout has begun to be viewed in a broader sense - as a problem that can affect any person whose occupation requires a lot of dedication. And it's not just about work. There is also parental burnout, which is especially painful for mothers and fathers of children with special needs: they may feel that they are trapped and their whole life comes down to the need to “serve” the child.

But all my friends somehow cope, but I don’t. Why is that?

In fact, not everyone copes. According to research, at least in the USA and Europe, where the issue has been studied since the 70s, every third person experiences professional burnout. It all depends on the situation - maybe your work requires too much emotional involvement and contact with people for you. The degree of burnout can be influenced by both the monotony of work and the lack of its visible results, so another consequence is often disappointment and devaluation of one’s successes.

Is there a list of symptoms of burnout?

There is no clear list - everything is individual. First of all, it is customary to highlight chronic fatigue and depression. In addition, those suffering from burnout may develop insomnia, anxiety, decreased attentiveness and ability to concentrate on tasks, headaches, loss of appetite and irritability. Clinically, burnout and depression are indeed very similar - which is why they are often viewed as related problems. However, there is research confirming the difference between depression and burnout. For example, Canadian scientists claim to have found a “biomarker” of burnout - this is the level of cortisol in the blood.

Cortisol is also called the stress hormone: the more stress, the higher its level. Scientists note that depression is accompanied by an excess of it, but for those who suffer from burnout, on the contrary, there is not enough of it - the body seems to “give up.” But when making a diagnosis, specialists still focus on the overall picture and symptoms.

How can I check how burned out I am?

There are separate tests for this, you can take them online. For example, the “Maslach questionnaire” - American psychologists developed it twenty years ago. The test even has separate options for retailers, healthcare workers and law enforcement officers. All statements (for example, “at the end of the working day I feel like a squeezed lemon”) should be rated on a scale from “never” to “every day.”

So, it seems I'm burned out. What should I do?

In such a situation, many wonder whether it’s time to change jobs, or even professions. But, firstly, this is not a solution for everyone, and secondly, the problem is probably not only in the work, but also in how you approach it. Of course, if you are part of the most vulnerable group - doctors, teachers, hotline employees, and so on, then there is no escaping this specificity.

Support groups, training, and psychotherapy will come in handy here. Even psychologists and psychotherapists themselves go to a supervisor and discuss the problem of burnout in the professional community. So it's not unusual for you to need support.

Try to understand what causes you the most stress, and don’t be afraid to discuss it with your bosses and colleagues - together it’s easier to find new solutions or redistribute responsibilities. Remember why you love your job and try to focus on that. Experts also advise taking short breaks during the workday to do something enjoyable.

For the rest, the so-called work-life balance will help: try to set up processes so as not to live at work. Be sure to set aside time for your favorite non-professional activities, be it javelin throwing or bird watching. Well, allow yourself to rest. Don't check work email in the middle of the night unless it's an emergency.

What if I'm the boss? How to protect your team from burnout?

For starters, it's good that you're thinking about it - because your subordinates are definitely thinking about it: according to sociological research, 53% of working people around the world are now closer to burnout than five years ago. Here it is important to closely monitor the mood in the team and clearly set tasks: burnout often happens where an employee does not fully understand his area of ​​​​responsibility and tries to take on more than you expect from him. A good recipe is a change of focus. If someone is stuck in a routine and has been doing the same thing for a long time, but with less and less enthusiasm, it is worth giving him new tasks - but not as a burden, but instead of some boring ones.

Encourage me, it really works. We are not necessarily talking about bonuses - it is important for subordinates to know that you notice their successes. All this creates an atmosphere of mutual respect, where everyone knows that they belong in the right place. And, of course, don’t demand the impossible and show by example that work is not a marathon, but a series of races. If you are involved in the work process 24/7, employees will feel guilty. In the end, think about yourself - after all, you yourself are not immune from burnout.

In the modern world, with its speed and demands on each individual, emotional burnout is a syndrome that is becoming more common. Moral and mental exhaustion reaches such a point that it is difficult to calmly continue to engage in one’s activities, communicate with people around, and even adequately assess the surrounding reality.

Many people notice signs of this problem and are trying to understand what it is and how to deal with burnout in order to improve the quality of their lives. To do this, you need to understand the characteristics of a mental disorder, be able to detect the stage of development of the syndrome and consult a specialist in time if your own actions and work on yourself do not give the desired result. Although it is better to prevent the development of the problem by taking preventive measures.

What is burnout syndrome?

The concept of “emotional burnout” was proposed and described more than 40 years ago by the American psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberg. Initially, the term described the state of people who, in their professional activities, are forced to constantly communicate with others, wasting all their energy for this. Personal emotional burnout was associated with constant stress at work, a feeling of internal tension and an inability to properly perform one’s duties.

However, today this term from psychology includes a wider range of definitions. For example, emotional burnout in the family is considered separately, especially in relation to women after childbirth who run the house and take care of children. The daily routine of repetitive tasks, lack of free time for oneself and complete concentration on the interests of the family leads to the fact that a woman ceases to feel joy from her family status, from communicating with relatives, from any actions performed.

Thus, emotional burnout syndrome (EBS) is a state of apathy and depression associated with overload of the brain and nervous system, which leads to depletion of the individual. Some people live like this for years, without changing anything, and not paying attention to the fact that their effectiveness is much lower than it could be. Although the problem can and should be dealt with.

Causes and provoking factors of CMEA

To understand how to deal with emotional burnout and improve the quality of your life, it is worth understanding what factors provoke this condition. The reasons for it lie not only in increased workload or constant stress. There are other prerequisites that can trigger complete emotional burnout. Among them:

• monotonous work repeated day after day;
• insufficient reward for work, both moral and material;
• constant criticism and disapproval from colleagues or supervisor;
• inability to see the results of your work;
• lack of clarity of work performed, constantly changing requirements and conditions.

These factors themselves can negatively affect the mood and sense of self of any person. But they have an even greater influence if his character is prone to maximalism, if he is a person with a heightened sense of responsibility and a willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of the interests of other people. Then he will be in a state of constant stress and overexertion.