The main reasons provoking the development of such a condition. Symptomatology, which allows it to be recognized.
Emotional burnout means mental, physical and psychological exhaustion accompanied by anxiety. Such a condition most often develops under the influence of a strong stress. It can be caused by workaholism.
Burnout is usually caused by constant routine and prolonged emotional strain. As a result, people start to ignore everyday things and refuse to act. The state of emotional burnout is a peculiar response to external life circumstances. The body partially or completely shuts down emotions in order to protect itself. The first one to focus attention on the problem of emotional burnout was an American psychologist – it happened in 1974. He studied the influence of the syndrome on personality, described the cause and symptomatology in detail.
Chronic fatigue is a condition familiar to many people. It is what generates emotional burnout, when nothing feels good. The WHO is seriously concerned about this problem and has even included psychological exhaustion syndrome in the list of the International Classification of Diseases. The new version will take effect in 2022.
As for the situation in the world, the problem is particularly acute in Japan and Russia. It is these countries that lead in the number of deaths in the workplace.
Why does burnout occur?
People working in law enforcement agencies and rescue services are more prone to the emotional burnout syndrome. This list also includes:
- employees of medical institutions;
- teachers;
- employees of service centers, where there is a large flow of customers on a daily basis.
In their case we are talking about professional burnout. They have to deal with the human factor every day on duty, experience the consequences of the bad mood of people around them, and encounter inadequate behavior. All this is connected with enormous stress loads.
The syndrome of chronic fatigue and emotional exhaustion generates stress. In the zone of risk are people who have to work in low-paid jobs involving a high level of interaction with human suffering: employees of ambulance services, social services and palliative care. As a result, they develop mental disassociation from professional duties, and their ability to work decreases..
Other causes of burnout include:
1. Increased training load.
2. Need to assimilate huge volumes of information in short terms, strict deadlines.
4. Inability to organize own time correctly.
4. The constant need to learn something new.
5. An excessive amount of forced social contacts.
6. Lack of motivation.
7. Lack of psychological support, frequent conflicts with others.
How to identify emotional burnout?
The state of emotional exhaustion is accompanied by certain symptoms.
These include:
- сonstant fatigue;
- insomnia;
- frequent cold-related diseases;
- concentration problems;
- decreased work efficiency;
- unrelenting anxiety.
Lack of sleep and rest results in fatigue immediately upon awakening.
Sleep problems can manifest themselves in different ways. Some people have difficulty falling asleep, some people constantly wake up in the middle of the night, and some suffer from insomnia. This is one of the most pronounced symptoms of burnout.
Constant mental and physical stress damages the immune system. It becomes more difficult to cope with harmful microorganisms.
Emotional burnout is often accompanied by anxiety, lack of desire to gain new experience. There is excessive shyness, a feeling of constant fatigue. There are attacks of fear, panic attacks for which there is no reason.
With mental exhaustion, memory deteriorates and concentration decreases. In this case it is very difficult to concentrate on any particular action, new information is poorly remembered. Productivity decreases drastically, there is laziness and reluctance to take any action.
The problem of emotional burnout cannot be ignored; it can lead to unfortunate and costly consequences. If you have realized that you are now in this state and are ready to get out of it, we suggest that you subscribe to our newsletter, in which we share practical tips for restoring the balance of life.