What is burnout, which affects 36% of French people? How is it characterized and how to overcome it? Why Doctor takes stock of this “professional phenomenon” of the 21st century.
For several years, we have been hearing about “burn out” all the time. In France, according to a CFDT survey published in 2017, 36% of people say they have already burned out during their career, a figure that rises to 54% among those who are currently unemployed. Faced with the scale of this evil which affects workers all over the world, the WHO recognized it in May as a “professional phenomenon”. At the same time, a few companies, especially in the Nordic countries, are beginning to experiment with concepts such as “nap spaces” to try to take better care of their employees. Why Doctor takes stock of this evil of the century.
What is burnout?
If we often think of “caregivers” when we talk about burnout, workers in the social sector, the police and education are also particularly affected. Lawyers, people working in finance or in direct contact with clients also report high levels of stress.
Because burnout is a permanent state of stress. Indeed, if being sometimes exposed to stress at work can stimulate a person’s motivation to improve their mental performance in the short term, this phenomenon should not be prolonged. Thus, burnout is characterized by emotional, physical and psychological exhaustion. The person who suffers from it has the feeling of being “emptied of his resources”.
The usual rest periods (sleep, weekends, holidays) are no longer enough to relieve fatigue. Affected individuals also tend to develop a cynical attitude in the workplace to protect themselves from emotional disappointment. They detach themselves from the people they come into contact with professionally and develop very low self-esteem, constantly having the feeling of no longer being up to the task and of never accomplishing a task correctly.
Why does burnout happen?
In addition to an exhausting workload, other factors may come into play: being pressured to work faster, receiving conflicting demands, being imposed unclear objectives, experiencing job insecurity, lack of control over one’s work or even being poorly rewarded or recognized when one invests a lot.
The fact of being permanently connected and reachable also plays a role. “From what I’ve observed, modern society is so technology-driven that we live in an ever-changing culture where you can be online, reachable and seek information 24/7. days out of 7 – for the human body and its sensory system, it can be overwhelming in large quantities,” Tania Diggory, neurolinguistic programming consultant and mental health trainer, tells the site. Medical News Today.
And unfortunately, many perfectionists don’t realize they work too much and feel guilty if they don’t answer those emails in their free time. Because burnout mainly affects people who are very committed to their work, very conscientious characters or even people subject to emotional instability.
How to overcome a burnout?
Managing burnout and overcoming it starts with acknowledging that you are experiencing it. It is often by talking with their loved ones that people prone to burnout realize that they have it.
Once you have recognized your pain, the important thing is to break the isolation and ask for help. “Find someone you trust at work and ask them what is available, such as a confidential system (employee assistance program), occupational health support and even flexible work options” , advises Kat Hounsell, founder of Everyday People, a British organization specializing in coaching and mental health, to Medical News Today.
Give yourself more time for yourself and get into the habit of doing something pleasant, that makes you really happy, on a regular basis, whether it’s taking a break outside to draw, going to the gym at lunchtime or leaving work early on Monday nights because of your weekly acting class.
If you tend to think to yourself, “I could work more,” try changing your thinking to “I’ve worked a lot today, I deserve a break. I’m saving the rest of the energy I have left at my friends and family and will be more efficient at work tomorrow”.
Finally, if you can’t stop in time and your body gives out first, maybe you should seriously consider changing jobs.
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