What is burnout, how is it dangerous and how to deal with it?

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What is burnout and how does it differ from depression?

Among its symptoms are a sense of exhaustion, detachment and manifestation of negativity or even cynicism in relation to work, as well as a decrease in performance. In Russia, burnout is not considered a disease, but in several EU countries (for example, in the Netherlands and France), as well as in the UK, with burnout you can get sick leave.

Fighting can be depressed, and depression can begin with burnout. Depression may not be related to work directly, but begins with it, since work requires a lot of physical and emotional resources from a person. If your apathy applies only to work, and there is strength in other parts of life, then this is more like burnout. If apathy applies to everything, then there is a chance that this is depression.

If you have thoughts about death, that you are too tired and you can’t live like that anymore - immediately go to the psychiatrist, do not pull. This condition is deadly. It is better not to engage in self -diagnosis, but to contact a specialist.

What professions are most prone to burnout?

Helping professions (psychologists, medical workers, teachers) are most susceptible to burnout, since emotional stress is most of their work. And in the systems in which such specialists (state institutions, NPOs) work, they are not supported by them.

In the risk zone there are also not helping professions, where you also need to communicate with a large number of people, such as a journalist.

Volunteers should be noted separately, since this is not a profession, but nevertheless they also often burn out. The reasons are all the same: insufficient preparation and lack of systemic support from the organization where people are engaged in volunteering.

Are there any personal qualities that make a person especially prone to burnout?

Excessively high motivation to help;
difficulties with personal borders, inability to say no;
hyper -sprayness;
perfectionism;
Difficulties with recognizing your mistakes.

With all these factors, you can and should work with a psychologist if you notice that they negatively affect your effectiveness and well -being. But the main risk factors nevertheless creates the situation at work.

How to notice in time that I'm on the verge of burnout?

For several weeks you have a persistent unwillingness to work or volunteer, to respond in chats;
You feel increased anxiety or guilt before the command;
You have broken a dream, constant and obsessive thoughts about affairs have appeared;
You are worried about a difficult relationship with colleagues for a month or more.

The first signs of burnout can be different. Most often, this is constant fatigue, which does not pass even after vacation. I would not recommend focusing on attempts to recognize signs of burnout - this is difficult. It is better to focus and work with what causes stress and worsens your condition. We can either reduce stress, if possible, or look for ways to support ourselves. So you are, regardless of the stage of burnout, reduce the risk, if not its occurrence, then at least development.

How to understand that the employer does not care about the mental health of employees?

Such an employer, with problems, will more often refer to the personal characteristics of the employee than to systemic difficulties in the project. Phrases like: “Well, you are just so sensitive, other stress tolerates well”, “We have only the most persistent, such work is not suitable for weakmings.”

Also, a alarm bell will be that the leadership supports processing and blurry boundaries between work and personal life: calls are considered the norm after the end of the working day, and delays in the office are encouraged.

What can be the prevention of burnout?

Fighting prevention is a routine that helps to take care of yourself. This is also the development of professional stability skills, namely:

separation of personal and worker;
Understanding your professional role and zone of responsibility;
a clear designation of borders in relations with colleagues, clients or wards;
The ability to adequately evaluate your emotional state and look for resources to improve it.

But do not overdo it with the tasks of burnout prevention: first, select one skill and try to develop it.

One of the risk factors is blurry personal boundaries. How to learn to build them at work so as not to burn out?

The inability to refuse, interrupt, insist on his own - all this can negatively affect the well -being of a person at work or when volunteering. Firstly, it will play against you if the team in which you find yourself distributes the load based on who agrees to carry it. Secondly, blurry boundaries put you in an unprotected position in front of people who will try to push their goals and knock you out of the way.

Building borders is a skill. And if in your personal relations it is difficult for you to stand up for yourself, then you can learn this at work. But do not set yourself a global task to change immediately, start with small working issues.

Invent and write down a few phrases with which you refuse to take additional tasks or work on the weekend. And the next time you are asked to go to the office on Saturday, answer one of the prepared phrases. At first, refusing can be very difficult, especially if you are not used to doing it, so the memorized text is best suited. Gradually, when you see that nothing bad happened, it will become easier to do it.

It seems that I have a burnout. What are the first steps to overcome it?

Take your vacation:
Put the post -and -post on a colleague who replaces you, or write an auto -asset that you will be available for work after vacation.
Put the working chats on the soundless mode and turn off all the notifications. In instant messengers, you can also change the avatar: put your vacation time there and not to disturb the request.
Disconnect the mail and notifications on the phone so as not to waste time reading or coping with anxiety because you do not answer. If the notifications do not come for several days, the alarm will gradually decrease.
Do not take a working laptop with you. If you do not have a separate computer for work, disconnect all notifications on your personal device.
Agree with yourself that you will solve all issues after you return. If in the early days thoughts about the tasks that need to be done, write them in notes to read after the vacation.
Organize yourself high -quality free time.
Maximize the physical and emotional load.
Start working with harmful internal installations. For example, such:
Others are more important than me, so they need to help, even if it is difficult for me.
If I can’t cope, the matter is in me, I have to try more.
You just need to work more, then everything will fall into place.
What I do is not enough.
It is necessary to hide that I am not in order, so as not to load other people.
Find yourself an ally in overcoming burnout. A friend or a loved one, a psychologist, a mentor - all who will help you look at what is happening from the outside.
Start to regain control of the situation. If you are already burned out, then the load (physical or emotional) is excessive and you need to work with its quantity and quality so that you can withstand it. Delegate tasks, discuss problems with the team, negotiate about the revision of your duties - your work, like volunteering, is in your hands.

How to help if my loved one or a colleague has burnout?

It is important to remember that if a person does not ask for help, then it is very difficult to help him. If you are a leader and your task - to help an employee to cope with burnout, then you have more levers of influence than his friend or partner. You can rely on its results and obligations and, based on this, ask a person to pay attention to his psychological state. Sometimes it works, especially if there is already open and trusting relations between you.

In this situation, the rule “measure seven times, one help” (if you were not asked about it). Ask yourself if you really need it.

Do not expect much from a person: everyone needs a lot of time to change. We can act quickly, but then the result will be short -term, and a person is likely to return to the previous strategies. For example, your friend can sharply take a vacation for two weeks, although he has not rested for the past few years, but on the third day of vacation he will not withstand, begin to check the work chats and join in the solution of problems.

General rule - be a person with support, not an opponent. Do not try to convince someone who burns out. Ask if you can help with something. And if the interlocutor persistently refuses, share with him your feelings about this. We may be sad when we see how close is sewn up, but does not allow help. Show that you are ready to listen to him and will be nearby.

Publisher: "There is sense"