What is Burnout Syndrome? How do we know if we have it? And if we have Burnout Syndrome, how do we solve or deal with it?
Burnout Syndrome or Occupational Phenomenon is a type of mental health problem that the World Health Organization has classified in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). In medicine, burnout is still considered a mental change, but it is not yet a psychiatric illness.
Are burnout and boredom at work the same thing?
When we talk about burnout, some people mean it as being bored with their job. Of course, there can be mixed feelings. But to understand this issue more, we need to know and understand what burnout is.
Chronic stress from work or in the workplace is the main reason why we or many people enter into a state of burnout at work. According to the World Health Organization’s ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines, it says that burnout at work will have 3 main symptoms as follows:
- Symptom 1 : We feel a loss of energy or fatigue.
- Symptom 2 : We feel resistance and view our work in a negative way. We lack the sense of determination to succeed or in other words, we lack the motivation to succeed in our work.
- Symptom 3 : We feel distant from others, whether they are coworkers or customers, and lack of connection to the workplace.
“People can’t just run out of steam. Everything has a cause and a reason.”
We have probably seen it or even we ourselves may have been in it. In the first few years of starting work at our first new workplace, we will feel excited and have the intention to learn many things. We will be especially focused and try hard, not just in work but also in building relationships with friends or seniors or juniors at work.
But after 3-4 years, the determination and effort that I used to have, has diminished. In the first few years, I used to want to go to work every day, but now I feel bored, don’t want to go to work, and may not even want to see the people I work with. I only think about resigning. How is it? Does this situation sound familiar? Why, all of a sudden, when time has passed, can the same person become someone who has lost their passion?
“So how do we know when we are experiencing burnout?”
In fact, in psychology, there has been a study on the Burnout Syndrome cycle or burnout at work and there is an explanation on this matter that the cycle of burnout at work consists of 5 stages.
Stage 1: Honeymoon : The name tells you that it is the honeymoon period. That is, it is the period when we are starting work somewhere. When we start work in a new place, we will feel excited, want to devote ourselves to work fully, are interested in learning about everything, and are full of expectations. It is also a period of adjustment. Overall, during this time, for us, everything looks good. It is usually found that the honeymoon period occurs when we start working, during the probation period, and may last for 1-2 years.
Stage 2 Balancing Act : This is the balancing period that occurs after the honeymoon period. This means that we have been working for a while until we start to encounter unexpected problems. Or previously, we had expectations for the work we did, but the results were not as expected. Or the boss gave us hope in the first year, but in the following year, it did not follow through. At this point, we may start to feel that the work we are doing does not meet our needs, start to feel that we are not being treated fairly, or are not being recognized at work, to the point that we may feel that we have made the wrong decision and are unable to solve the problems that arise, or that we are not able to work as we wish. These things cause fatigue due to stress resulting from not getting enough rest because of overthinking, etc.
Stage 3 Chronic Stress : If we cannot manage ourselves in stage 2, the problem that follows is chronic stress. This is stress that occurs every day and the body cannot respond or express itself to that stress. Over time, that stress will accumulate into chronic stress. For example, it occurs when we have to face the same situations, face the same thoughts, and face the same problems continuously until we feel tired, chronically exhausted, easily irritated, easily angry over small things almost every day, have arguments with coworkers, start to criticize their own department or organization in a negative way. Some people may even isolate themselves, choose to live alone, or turn to alcohol or intoxicants in the hope that these things will help cure them, etc.
Stage 4 Burnout : If we cannot manage ourselves in stage 3, we will enter a state of burnout at work. Symptoms that indicate this include: behaviors in life that have completely changed for the worse, a feeling of emptiness in the heart, starting to feel hopeless, feeling like a failure, losing self-confidence, or obsessing over and over about problems. In terms of health, there will be frequent headaches, gastritis or intestinal problems (due to stress). In terms of society, there will be an attempt to live a solitary life, not caring about anyone at work or at home, etc. (Try checking yourself or the people around you to see if they have these symptoms.)
Stage 5 Habitual Burnout : If we are unable to manage ourselves in stage 4, we will become a person who has no passion for work. Symptoms that indicate this include symptoms of people who are burned out (as in the example in stage 4), starting to have symptoms and mental health problems caused by illnesses resulting from constant fatigue, mood swings, feeling bad about oneself, being depressed, hopeless, and sad all the time. If these symptoms are left untreated for too long, they may lead to depression in the future.
“Warning signs that we are approaching burnout”
We can check the warning signs that we are starting to enter the state of burnout at work. They are divided into 3 areas as follows:
How does burnout affect us?
It affects us in many ways, such as the mental impact. Burnout at work can easily make us feel discouraged and hopeless, entering a stressful state that causes insomnia. The physical impact causes fatigue, frequent headaches, or even Office Syndrome. The work impact causes us to become someone who is looked down on because we are often late for work, frequently absent, and our work performance decreases or continues to decline, until we may eventually resign.
What careers or types of work are at risk of easily causing us to lose our motivation to work?
It would be difficult to say which job or type specifically. Let’s just say that the occurrence of Burnout Syndrome or burnout at work depends more on the behavior and nature of the work we do. Mostly, it will be the nature of work such as:
- There is stress, pressure, and having to work too hard.
- It is a type of work that is rushed or requires a large amount of work in a limited time.
- Working hard but receiving inappropriate (i.e. too little) compensation
- Doing work that makes you feel worthless or that you have no pride in what you do.
- Working in a place where there is no justice, no trust, or no acceptance of work.
- Working in a company or organization that has no work system and no clear goals
Conclusion
The issue of Burnout Syndrome or burnout at work can happen to anyone, especially in this era where we are facing COVID and changes that are coming faster and more intensely every day.
If we or our family members are experiencing Burnout Syndrome, please understand this. This is not a serious disease, but just a symptom caused by the inability to cope with change promptly.
The power of love and goodwill among family members is important. If we and our family members help each other, encourage each other, promote and support positive thinking, or help each other find ways to solve problems, it is believed that the Burnout Syndrome or burnout at work that occurs can also be completely cured.
