Burnout Syndrome Can Affect Anyone
There is a well-established idea that the burnout syndrome is prevalent mainly among helping professions - doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists or teachers.
Professions requiring daily contact with people are more prone to the burnout, nevertheless, it can still affect virtually everyone.
A person doing mental work can end up burned out, as well as someone who experiences a beating routine. Quite often, the burnout syndrome also occurs among people caring for young children or sick family members.
Risk Factors
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mentally and time consuming profession
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workaholism
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inability to separate work from personal life
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unpleasant working environment (unfulfillable demands, bad relationships, bullying ...)
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neglected mental hygiene
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generally poor stress tolerance
Stealthy Hardship
Burnout usually comes inconspicuously, so we usually do not react in time, especially if it is our first time experiencing it.
In addition, the problems are accompanied by some stereotypical prejudices - we do not want to admit mental problems, we are afraid someone will label us as lazy or insufficiently capable.
Thus, we try to overcome the increasing problems by force which mostly just make them worse.
If the burnout is accompanied by complications with physical health, most people will first get a round of pointless examinations bearing no results whatsoever. Only after excluding all possible health problems will it often become clear the culprit behind the unpleasant condition is actually our psyche.
Symptoms of Burnout Syndrome
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aversion to work; feeling that what I'm doing doesn't make sense; feelings of undervaluation
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fatigue - physical and mental
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problems with concentration
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loss of interest in everything
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aggressive, angry reactions
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headaches, back pain, indigestion, sleep problems
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tendency to deal with mental discomfort overusing alcohol, medicaments or drugs
How to Fight Burnout
Fortunately, burnout and other mental health problems and illnesses are being talked about more and more openly, and it is far from being as taboo as it used to be.
If we observe the first symptoms of the burnout syndrome, we can try to manage it on our own. If it does not work, or we are already at a more advanced stage, it is advisable to seek psychological help.
Several tips for Mental Well-being
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therapeutic sessions
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plenty of sport and physical activities
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dedicated time for yourself, your family and hobbies
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break, vacation
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meditation
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healthy lifestyle, enough sleep
Burnout Syndrom and Covid-19
In addition to the primary disease, the coronavirus pandemic brought with it a number of other problems, including mental ones. We find ourselves in a situation where we cannot spend time with our colleagues, and apart from working at home office, we also have to take care of elderly family members, teaching children and much more.
We might be afraid of losing our job or in the context of the crisis we find our work meaningless. Moreover, after a year with the epidemic, it also seems never-ending.
It is no coincidence that during this period many people began to experience mental problems. It can be a burnout syndrome, which is not only caused by work, but also, for example, home schooling, but of course there are also depressions, anxieties and other problems.
Studies show that up to three times as many people experience psychological problems as usual.
Mental health is fragile and we have to take care of it, so if something is wrong, let's not hesitate to seek help.