Living to work: Burnout syndrome

The Burnout syndrome It is a reality more and more frequent that extends in an unstoppable way. The demands of work and family, the high rate at which we daily submit, takes us directly to the burnout and its tragic consequences. The word burnout comes from English (burn out) and literally means to burn, burn or burn out.

The word burnout has given name to a syndrome that refers to that situation of being burnt, exhausted, exhausted, with chronic stress, as a consequence of live to work.

Live to work or work to live

The Burnout syndrome it is a disorder that manifests itself as a response of chronic stress that produces work or work situation that in turn encompasses three dimensions:


1. Emotional tiredness: It is a sense of wear, the person experiences a progressive loss of energy, accompanied by exhaustion and fatigue.
2. Depersonalization: there is constant irritability, demotivation and negative attitudes.
3. Low self-esteem: The person feels useless and unable to do their job.

The people affected by the Burnout syndrome They surpass their personal resources and feel that they can not give more.

Why does Burnout syndrome appear?

More than a single cause, Burnout syndrome appears when there are a series of circumstances that together cause the burnout. The Burnout syndrome appears when the person is subjected to chronic stress, and this chronic response is a consequence of the interaction between the type of work and its characteristics, and the characteristics of the person. These are some of the circumstances that can be the cause of Burnout syndrome:


1. Characteristics of work

- Jobs that require serving the public and consequently withstanding complaints and requests, which can generate constant stress.
- A very high responsibility for a long time. When the responsibility is high, it is necessary to be fully focused on the task and also the pressure to not be wrong appears.
- Very long workdays. When the person does not make their breaks and does not disconnect the stress increases.
- Performance of a very monotonous work that demotivates and burns.

2. Characteristics of the person

- Idealize work, At first they have an idealized belief, too optimistic about their work.
- They are people delivered to work, who often live to work, and forget to disconnect.
- They usually have low self-esteem.
- On many occasions, they are not responsible, They think that what happens does not depend on them.
- Low tolerance to frustration and failure. Failures and criticism go into a state of frustration.
- Very intense emotional responses.


Symptoms of Burnout syndrome

Burnout syndrome has as its main symptom the exhaustion and the feeling of not being able to do more, but let's see the symptoms in detail:

- Demotivation for work. They are people who live to work but begin to feel unmotivated. They feel that things are not done well and that nothing works as it should, they feel unmotivated.
- Changes in mood, Suddenly the person starts to feel irritable, gets angry too often and even loses control saying things, screaming, etc.
- Indifference towards work, Customers, colleagues, etc.
- Disappointment, and loss of ability at work. They make mistakes very often.
- Lack of energy and constant tiredness.
- Difficulty concentrating and decrease in its performance.
- Affectation to social relationships outside of work, you become more scarce and conflicting. The discussions with the couple and family increase.
- On a physical level: weight gain, insomnia, headaches and / or stomach, etc.

Consequences of Burnout syndrome

Burnout syndrome can have serious consequences and lead to more damaging disorders that require treatment. Among the most common are:

- Decrease in performance and work capacity.
- Increased risk of consumption of harmful substances: alcohol, drugs, etc.
- Insomnia and sleep disturbances.
- Mood disorders such as depression or anxiety.
- Physical diseases. Stress leads to a decrease in defenses that can put health at risk.

9 tips to prevent Burnout syndrome

The current rhythm of life makes stress a part of the daily routine, when work occupies a central place, the person focuses on his work and leaves himself aside.It is necessary to bear in mind the importance of taking care of oneself, of taking time and of disconnecting, sometimes it can be difficult, but it is a matter of a change of attitude and to value the priorities.

1. Learn to disconnect from work.
2. Take time for yourself every day. It is not necessary that it be too much time, but it is necessary that this time be of quality and help to leave the mind away from work.
3. Avoid work overload. Learn to organize and prioritize tasks.
4. Change your thoughts and learn to relativize work. Things are not always as they should be, when you begin to accept this you can move forward.
5. Take care of your level of self-imposed and learn not to exceed your limits.
6. Learn to delegate, collaborate and share tasks.
7. Develop an assertive communication style that allows you to communicate with bosses and colleagues and defend your rights and your time.
8. Remind yourself that you work to live, but you do not live to work.
9. Instead of demanding that everything is perfect, learn to enjoy and learn from what you do.

Treatment of Burnout syndrome

But what happens if we have not been able to prevent it and we find the syndrome? What treatment guidelines can we follow?

- Go to a specialist that can guide the process.
- Learn relaxation techniques to help you get rid of daily stress.
- Development of self-esteem. The treatment has to work on the development of self-esteem, to gradually increase the perception of self-efficacy.
- Cognitive restructuring. It is about optimizing the way of thinking, in this way you will learn to see the work from another point of view.
- Development of emotional competences. Tolerance to frustration, communication skills, etc.
- Treatment of possible associated problems.

Celia Rodríguez Ruiz. Clinical health psychologist. Specialist in pedagogy and child and youth psychology. Director of Educa and Learn. Author of the collection Stimulate Reading and Writing Processes.

Video: Dealing with burnout and fatigue- How your brain needs fun and passion in your life.


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