Burnout Syndrome, Symptoms and Treatment Methods?

While we define ourselves as someone who is in love with their job, we may sometimes not realize how intense and exhausting a cycle it can be.

In our quest to be our best, we can sometimes push ourselves too far and make this a habit.

This new, unsustainable habit of ours can cause us to feel dissatisfied even if we perform adequately.

Does what we said sound familiar to you?

If your answer is yes, as Terappin Blog, we invite you to read this article where you can find answers to many questions such as what is burnout syndrome.

So let’s get started!

What is Burnout Syndrome?

It is a state of physical and emotional fatigue and exhaustion.

It may cause the person to lose motivation, decrease performance, and have negative attitudes towards himself and others.

The World Health Organization (WHO) first defined the question of burnout syndrome as “an occupational phenomenon” in 2019. However, before that, it was defined by Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in the 70s as a severe state of stress that causes severe physical, mental and emotional fatigue in the individual.

The pandemic process has greatly affected our work-private life balance and working conditions. During the time we stayed at home to protect against the epidemic, although our working lives continued, there were great restrictions in our social lives.

Undoubtedly, this situation changed people’s perception of burnout and brought to the fore the question of what burnout syndrome is.

What are the symptoms of burnout syndrome ?

The first thing we can say about the symptoms of burnout syndrome is that they may differ from person to person, just like the question  of what stress is and how it affects individuals.

These symptoms; They are examined in three groups: physical, psychological, cognitive and behavioral, and the most common ones are as follows:

Tiredness

Fatigue is one of the important symptoms that can affect every aspect of our lives and sometimes make us feel sleepy. Our desire to postpone even a simple task that we can complete in a short time during the day, or the fact that our work takes longer than it should, may also indicate that we have a concentration problem.

Headache

Tension-type headache is a frequently encountered side effect. Tension-type headache, a type of mild to moderate headache that hits the head, face and neck, is among the physical symptoms of burnout syndrome.

Changes in nutrition and sleep patterns

Disturbance in sleep patterns is definitely one of the most important findings to look for. Depending on your routine, you may sleep less or need more sleep at different times of the day. Another factor that can be added to the irregularities experienced is eating habits. Considering your usual meals, you may have no appetite or want to eat more.

Indifference and dissatisfaction with the profession

There were times when it was difficult to get out of our warm bed and go to work. Sometimes we may question whether the work we do has any meaning or whether we enjoy it, which is normal. The persistence of these feelings may indicate the existence of some problems.

Along with this, the feeling of helplessness and stuckness, looking at life more negatively, and feeling lonely are also notable symptoms.

What we would like to draw your attention to at this point is that this feeling can happen to us at every stage of our profession, even during our student years.

It is possible for someone who has just graduated from university or someone who has been pursuing their professional life for a long time to ask the question of what burnout syndrome is.

In Whom Is Burnout Syndrome Most Common?

When the discourses made in the research are examined, it is observed that women and young people are more prone to anxiety and pressure. In addition, the reasons for predisposition may vary depending on the profession and the characteristics of the environment.

A study found that employees who had enough time to complete their duties were 70% less likely to do so than those who experienced time pressure. Healthcare workers and firefighters would be suitable examples for this category. However, it is also possible for employees to feel inadequate as a result of incorrect work distribution.

What are the Causes of Burnout ?

Working in a physically, emotionally or mentally tiring job for long periods of time and living with an ongoing sense of boredom can make us more vulnerable.

Although our eyes usually turn to our work environments when asked what is burnout syndrome, we should not forget the side elements.

It is possible to say that many factors causing this situation come from outside professional life. Some of these factors are as follows:

Insomnia : We mention that feeling exhausted can cause insomnia. However, we can say that insomnia can also reduce our tolerance and cause burnout syndrome. Taking small notes about your sleep patterns allows you to monitor yourself. Trying to create new habits that you can apply regularly and help you relax may be a good idea to solve the sleep problem you are experiencing.

Unhealthy life: Moving during the day, exercising, eating well and sleeping makes it easier for us to have a happier and calmer mood. At this point, it cannot be considered that our mental health is independent of our physical health. Doing short-term activities during the day allows you to release serotonin and endorphin hormones, which are associated with happiness. Of course, other elements that come to our mind when we talk about a healthy life are also valid in this regard. Drinking enough water, eating a balanced diet, reducing smoking and alcohol as much as possible, and quitting if possible, will also take us to a better point.

Our relationships with ourselves and our environment: The bond we establish with ourselves is very important for our mental health. Lack of this can make us more susceptible to negative emotions. Everyone’s self-care may be different. While this may be maintenance for some, it may be a long walk for others.

However, human relationships with which we can share our feelings, hopes and concerns are also very important. It is of great importance in all relationships, including partnerships, that people listen to each other, share their feelings and thoughts, make time and feel each other’s presence when they need it.

Financial concerns: Having to maintain our lives and meet our needs can cause our financial concerns to increase to the highest level. To deny this factor would be to deny a great truth. We stated that individuals can experience this syndrome at every stage of their careers. It is appropriate to say that especially Generation Z, who is always worried about career, has difficulty in this regard.

How to Fight Burnout Syndrome ?

In a busy schedule, it may not be easy to realize this at first and ask what burnout syndrome is and what it is not. However, unfortunately, this syndrome is not something that can heal on its own. You may feel temporarily bored and think it’s just an ordinary feeling. You may reject it until it starts affecting your life, and this can cause physical and mental harm to your health.

One of the points you should pay attention to is not to confuse this syndrome with depression. Although they cause people to show similar symptoms, they are different concepts.

While depression is a diagnosable disorder, burnout syndrome is not.

While the response to the syndrome’s triggers is to work harder or focus too much on a particular thing, depression does not require a response to a trigger. Depression does not always have a source, or the process may continue even if the cause is resolved.

This is exactly why asking the question of what burnout syndrome is and observing the symptoms yourself will be a powerful first step. We can say that there are many things you can do to prevent this. Here are some of them:

Take a break and listen to yourself

In our daily hustle and bustle, it is sometimes possible for us to neglect taking care of ourselves. At this point, you need to ask yourself some questions such as “How do I feel emotionally?”, “How do I feel physically?” and answer them. However, it will be good for you to identify the things that cause you stress during the day and get away from them as much as possible.

you can exercise

Exercise is essential to have a healthy body. However, it is a scientific fact that exercise is very beneficial not only for physical but also for mental health. We would like to underline that the exercise mentioned here is not heavy training done in a closed gym. We can say that a walk you can take during the day or even short-term physical activities you can do at home will help you in this process.

It may be good to do mindfulness exercises

Mindfulness practices are shaped around the idea of ​​staying emotionally present as much as possible. This exercise asks you to take deep breaths while encouraging you to focus on the moment. Creating time to feel this reflex, which we do thousands of times in our daily lives without realizing it, will enable us to listen to ourselves and realize how healing it can be in our lives.

You can create a daily routine

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, the line between work and social life may become blurred in some periods. What we need to do here is to make that distinction well and establish a routine for sleep, nutrition and time outside working hours, which affect our quality of life. The times mentioned are critical because they are valuable time we spare for ourselves. We can set the limits for the things we aim to do with lists, which will make them more concrete and turn them into achievable goals.

How to Treat Someone Suffering from Burnout Syndrome?

The question of what burnout syndrome is is not only addressed to people who suffer from this problem.

If you think that the person around you is experiencing burnout syndrome, you need to make sure of it first. The way to do this is to know what burnout feels like and what its different manifestations are like in people.

It might be a sensible idea to weigh the goals, routines, and realistic expectations of the person you want to support. In fact, as we mentioned at the beginning of the content, the fact that a person is in love with his job and extremely devoted to it may even give you a clue about his vulnerability to the situation.

In the later stages, the opposite and more easily understood symptoms include feelings of inadequacy and negative thinking.

A person experiencing burnout syndrome may feel isolated and lonely, thinking that he will fail.

One of the most important things you can do in this regard is to try to relieve your loved one’s feeling of loneliness. It will be good for him to know that you exist for him and that he will listen to him whenever he wants, without judging him.

Informing someone who has symptoms but denies what they are experiencing about what burnout syndrome is, and even referring them to a specialist, will be the greatest support you can give them.

What Can Be Done to Prevent Burnout?

The career you want to build, your responsibilities and your environment may expect a lot from you.

In this case, what you should not forget is to maintain the balance between work and social life and listen to yourself.

In other words, the answer to this question is that at that point where we all have difficulty, we can convince ourselves that we have made enough effort and say stop.

In addition, we should point out that we need to learn to say no to others. In theory, we talk about the importance of boundaries, but in practice, we are reachable 24 hours a day. This causes us to not be able to disconnect from work in the time we spare for ourselves.

We are all aware of the difficulty of saying “No”, but we need to find balance when it comes to our mental and physical health.

However, another thing we can do is to control the anxiety that continues to exist in our lives by examining the question of what is stress management . In this way, we can take steps to prevent many illnesses that may occur due to stress.

It may not always be that easy to implement the things we talk about. It is normal to have difficulty changing our attitudes that have become habits. In such cases, meeting with an expert will help you manage the process better.