The World Health Organization recognizes burnout as an ‘occupational phenomenon’, occupational burnout can affect mental and physical health
when Jacinda Ardern announced his decision to step down as Prime Minister of New Zeland, did not cite burnout as a reason. But she described it. “I know what this job requires, and I know I don’t have enough juice in my tank to do it justice,” she said. “It’s that simple.”
In 2019 the World Health Organization recognized the burnt as an ‘occupational phenomenon’, but burnout can still affect and is closely linked to mental and physical health depression And anxiety.
Burnout is common among healthcare professionals, medical students, and healthcare professionals. But it can be tried in other professions as well. This week, Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman announced that he is “walking away” from the band due to his mental health. And tennis player Naomi Osaka was at her peak in 2021 when she announced that she needed a break from the sport.
Here’s what mental health experts have to say about burnout, how to spot it, and how to deal with it.
What is burnout?
Burnout “can mean different things to different people,” said Jud Brewer, director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center and chief medical officer of Sharecare, a digital health company. “Burnout applies to anyone. So really, it’s when someone is no longer functionally up to the task.”
According to the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a widely accepted diagnostic tool, burnout occurs when three factors are present simultaneously: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment.
Burnout is often described as feeling emotionally drained from work and just not caring as much, feeling cynical or appearing insensitive or distancing yourself from situations.
“Doctors, for example, have a reputation for not being the warmest people,” Brewer said. “Some are great, and a lot of times, when they’re burnt out, they just distance themselves from their patients, and that reads as insensitivity.”
What does burnout feel like?
Elissa Epel, a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, said Ardern’s resignation speech offers a vivid description of burnout.
“I love the analogy he made with ‘my tank is empty. In burnout it feels like your tank is more than empty,” said Epel, author of “The Stress Prescription: Seven Days to More Joy and Ease.” “You’re actually suffering, because you’ve lost your energy. You’ve lost it physically. And you’ve also lost some of the motivation that has helped fuel your tank for years or decades. So it’s very demoralizing to feel drained.”
Burnout is not defined by physical exhaustion or just tiredness from long hours of work. But people with burnout often feel exhausted, Epel said.
“Feeling emotionally drained means you’re not feeling it,” she added. “You are no longer in touch with your emotions. And indeed, your emotions have become limited and you feel numb, when you cared so much.”
Exhaustion can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed.
“We are no longer able to experience specific emotions and our body is responding to this overloaded message that the mind is sending by keeping the stress response system on high alert even when we sleep,” Epel said.
How do I know if I’m really exhausted or just working my ass off?
One way to tell if you’re burned out is to simply think about your work and gauge your reaction, Brewer said.
“What happens?”. A person may be less enthusiastic about work and not burn out. But if the reaction is, “Oh, God. I fear it,” and the person is trying to avoid work, then these could be signs of burnout.
What is the difference between burnout, anxiety and depression?
While burnout is closely related to anxiety and depression, there are stark differences. Some people even refer to burnout as “work depression,” Epel said.
Some of the physical symptoms are the same, such as feeling tired, lacking energy, irritable, sad or anxious.
“The person may also develop a sense of hopelessness about their role and effectiveness and feel that things are never going to change at work,” Epel said. “And that parallels depressive thinking, where you feel hopeless and see no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Depression often focuses on oneself and feels worthless or self-critical, Epel said. Burnout centers on “chronic, unsustainable stress from the demands of the job, whether it’s unpaid work at home, as a caregiver or the demands of your day job,” she said.
Epel said studies of surgical residents have identified high levels of suicide and depression as a result of burnout.
“So chronic stress is, in itself, bad for our bodies and our emotional well-being,” she said. “Burnout is a specific response to overwhelming chronic stress, usually from work. And depression is a more severe emotional response to chronic stress and burnout.”
What can I do to deal with burnout? Are quitting or resigning the only options?
The reasons behind burnout can be different for everyone, Brewer said. Consequently, it is important for people to try to understand the root cause.
Lifestyle factors such as poor diet, lack of sleep, and lack of time for exercise can all play a role in burnout. And mental health issues like anxiety and depression should be considered. Things people have the least control over, like long work hours, impossible deadlines and little time to recover from work, can all play a role in burnout, she said.
“It’s really looking inward and seeing what’s driving this depletion and then getting to those causes and seeing what can be done,” Brewer said. Focusing on healthy habits and treating anxiety, for example, can help. “There are individual elements to burnout and there are institutional elements,” she said.
While addressing individual issues can help, the overall problem won’t be solved if workplace changes aren’t possible.
“The most dramatic way to deal with burnout is to quit your job,” Epel said. “And it’s unfortunate that people often have this as their only option, because as individuals they can’t change the existing system and structures that are creating a culture of burnout.” Managers, however, can make the difference.
“I think managers at all levels can change the environment to mitigate the burnout culture,” she said. “And part of that is managing daily schedules to be flexible, providing needed breaks, encouraging a culture of well-being, modeling one’s vulnerability to stress.”
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
