Burnout Syndrome - Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Are you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, stressed? You're not the only one going through this and it's time to understand why your body is reacting this way.

Burnout is a real psychological syndrome that occurs as a prolonged response to chronic stressors at work. Most of the time, people experiencing burnout completely lose their motivation, energy, and feel unable to complete the work they have to do, does that sound familiar? Let's now discover what the symptoms and signs of this syndrome are, how to diagnose it, and how to recover from such a period.

What is burnout?

Burnout is a complex condition associated with mental, physical and emotional exhaustion that occurs as a result of excessive stress accumulated over the long term. Considered an increasingly common phenomenon in the modern world, it is now officially recognized by the World Health Organization as an occupational syndrome associated with an increased risk of hypertension, other cardiovascular diseases, depression and even suicide.

Until recently, the term referred only to the extreme risks faced by professionals in fields such as health, police, emergency situations, those dealing with trauma and human services, but today the risk category includes most people, including children and their parents, with manifestations within the family.

The problem must be treated seriously and responsibly, so it's time to pay more attention to your feelings, your well-being, and your health. They are all pieces of the puzzle of your happiness.

Burnout - Symptoms & Signs

The first three signs to look out for are exhaustion, detachment, and ineffectiveness. Easy to say, not so easy to recognize, we know.

Mental and physical fatigue

The first thing you might notice is that you feel exhausted all the time. In fact, left unchecked, fatigue can quickly turn into chronic depression and affect many aspects of your life. This type of exhaustion can also manifest itself physically, with increased vulnerability to colds, flu, nausea, and headaches.

Cynicism and detachment

You may be suffering from burnout if you are constantly preoccupied with work-related thoughts, but are not focused on solutions, only on problems. You may also notice increased pessimism, lack of confidence, and a sense of isolation and disconnection from other people and your environment, as signs of professional exhaustion.

Decreased professional/school performance

One of the consequences of a prolonged state of exhaustion and damage to the neural circuits in the prefrontal cortex is even a decrease in efficiency and performance at work or school.

Lack of motivation

One of the most common symptoms of burnout is the inability to find the inner resources needed to complete work tasks. Of course, the manifestations differ, so it could also be that you check off your tasks, but do it late or incompletely.

Obsessive work

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the continuation of concerns and work even after hours, during free hours, to catch up on delays. These activities are carried out at the expense of hours of relaxation and de-stressing your body.

Cognitive problems

It's not uncommon to notice a decrease in your ability to concentrate, organize, and pay attention. You forget things, or have difficulty remembering them, you can't focus, and it all leads to personal and professional failure.

Changing sleep habits

If you are experiencing insomnia, frequent awakenings, or changes in your sleep schedule, you should know that these are warning signs of mental and emotional exhaustion.

Negative emotions

Frustration, irritability, disappointment, devaluation, irritation, criticism, lack of perspective, a sense of emptiness, these feelings become dominant when you face professional burnout.

Interpersonal problems

Conflicts may arise both at home and at work, your tolerance may decrease or you may avoid talking to colleagues or family members.

Lack of concern for you

When burnout occurs, people tend to put themselves second and make unhealthy choices: fast food, alcohol, smoking, sleepless nights. Even self-medication can become a problem if, for example, you can't give up sleeping pills, alcohol, or coffee.

Decreased quality of life

As expected, a lifestyle in which burnout is dominant also leads to problems such as lack of personal and professional satisfaction, feeling useless, and blockages becoming a daily problem.

Health problems

Most concerning are long periods of burnout that lead to severe chronic stress. This can create real health problems, such as headaches, migraines, digestive problems, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and even obesity.

The symptoms and signs your body is giving you may be exactly these or completely different. It is important that you take a moment to listen to yourself and understand whether or not there is a problem.

How does burnout affect menstruation?

As we mentioned earlier, your body can also send you physical signals that something is wrong. Among these signals are hormonal imbalances that can be triggered by emotional factors, usually due to prolonged stress. Unfortunately, hormonal imbalances can also lead to consequences related to the menstrual cycle in women.

Countless women say that their periods are heavier and the pain is more intense when they are going through a difficult period, when they are exhausted or stressed. To better understand how hormonal balance works, but more importantly, what to expect in the event of an imbalance, we invite you to read our article that will answer all your questions.

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How do you do Burnout?

A person who reaches exhaustion goes through several stages. These include:

• strong need for affirmation
• neglect of personal needs
• the occurrence of conflict situations (at home or at work)
• denial of problems
• isolation from family and social group
• behavior change
• self-devaluation
• the feeling of inner emptiness, of personal waste
• depressive states
• physical and emotional collapse

There are three types of burnout, namely:

• individual burnout, caused by excessive negative self-talk, neurosis and perfectionism;
• interpersonal burnout, caused by difficult relationships with people at work or at home;
• organizational burnout, caused by poor organization, extreme demands, and unrealistic deadlines, which make you feel like your job or career is in danger.
  

Other causes of professional burnout are:

• unclear responsibilities and expectations from the manager;
• unreasonable time pressure;
• difficult workloads to manage (on your own) or time management deficiencies;
• lack of communication and support at work;
• rude and uncaring colleagues or leaders;
• unfair treatment, failure to recognize merits and efforts;
• the lack of clear demarcation between work and leisure time.

If you identify with the proposed scenarios, don't be scared. We also have treatment methods for you and we will tell you about them right away.

Who is more prone to burnout?

Some people may be at high risk of suffering from burnout due to genetic predispositions or difficult moments in life: trauma, divorce, death). Even personality traits such as pessimism, perfectionism, emotional lability, reduced ability to adapt to stressful situations, the need to be in control, competitiveness, these also have a negative contribution and can amplify the effects of professional exhaustion.

Burnout syndrome - risk factors

The following factors can contribute to burnout at work:

• You have a high workload and work long hours.
• You struggle with work-life balance.
• You work in a helping profession, such as health care.
• You feel like you have little or no control over your work.

Of course, these risk factors are actually largely within your control, but the moment you face burnout, you no longer realize this.

How is burnout diagnosed?

The clinical picture of burnout syndrome is not easy to describe. It differs from person to person, but essentially it represents a set of symptoms of social dysfunction and psychosomatic and somatic disorders. What does this mean?

Burnout presents three broad categories of stress symptoms: physical exhaustion with the presence of physical symptoms, emotional exhaustion with the presence of symptoms related to attitudes and feelings, and behavioral symptoms that lead to low productivity, dissatisfaction at work.

Currently, there are no well-studied methods to determine the diagnosis of burnout syndrome. However, especially in the online environment there are numerous self-assessment questionnaires such as the "Maslach Burnout Inventory” (MBI), available for various professional groups, but it is not accredited for use as a diagnostic test.

The symptoms of burnout can be easily confused with those of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.

The consequences of untreated burnout syndrome

Ignoring signs of burnout or delaying treatment can have significant consequences, including:

• Excessive stress
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Sadness, anger, or irritability
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Cardiovascular diseases
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Vulnerability to diseases

Such cases arise when, for too long, you refuse to talk to a specialist or even make decisions that could improve your lifestyle. The first step is to understand what you are feeling, then act accordingly, for your own good.

What is the difference between burnout and other conditions?

As we mentioned earlier, burnout can easily be confused with other mental health conditions or disorders. So, let's find out together what the differences are.

The Difference Between Burnout & Depression

Both burnout and depression involve excessive fatigue, intense sadness, and reduced performance at work. What makes burnout different is that it often occurs in the context of problems at work. In depression, on the other hand, negative thoughts are related to all aspects of life.

Depression also manifests itself in low self-esteem, a sense of worthlessness in life, and sometimes suicidal tendencies. These are not typical symptoms of burnout, but excessive professional exhaustion can increase the chances of becoming depressed.

The Difference Between Burnout & Anxiety

Anxiety is the feeling that distances you from the things that scare you, it is the state of generalized fear that anticipates discomfort or unpleasantness. Basically, when anxiety is related to the workplace, it fuels the negative feelings you feel and then leads to burnout.

You can find even more ways to calm your mind or methods to understand if you suffer from anxiety in the magical article HERE.

The Difference Between Burnout & Stress

If stress is the result of a transient tension, burnout is the result of a permanent tension. Burnout can be considered the final stage of an adaptation breakdown, developed over time due to long-term exposure to professional stress.

Stress exists independently of burnout and can be easily overcome if managed effectively. Conversely, poor management leads to burnout, especially in the context of a demanding job.

The Difference Between Burnout & Chronic Fatigue

Although they are very similar, the difference between burnout and chronic fatigue is that the former is definitely related to the professional aspect of life, while the latter can manifest itself even in the absence of stress at work, as a combination of several factors.

Chronic fatigue is caused by a combination of factors related to work, family, and other aspects of personal life. Burnout, on the other hand, is caused by aspects related to work, but can also extend into negative feelings about personal or family satisfaction.

Recovery - How is burnout syndrome treated?

Burnout is a permanent condition that can only change if you do something about it. Here are some steps you can take to overcome this period in your life:

• Identify the stressors in your life and reduce the unnecessary, secondary ones.
• Review your priorities and make sure they are realistic and connected to your larger goals.
• Structure your day better, create a plan and stick to it.
• Create a ritual for ending the workday to more easily separate work from your personal time.
• Focus on progress, not just the end goal.
• Practice a hobby every day, at least for an hour.
• Make sure you get as much rest as you need.
• Spend more time with your loved ones, friends or family and disconnect from professional stress.
• Meditate for a few minutes every day to relax your body.
• Seek support from loved ones, people you trust, or a support network.

If you feel like the small changes you're making in your lifestyle aren't having the desired effect, try to find a therapist you can open up to and with whom you can better understand your emotional journey.