What is burnout? And how do we deal with it?

Burnout is an emotional state often brought on by chronic internal stress. It’s seen in busy business professionals, as well as students and even homemakers. It’s related to feelings of failure when we’re super busy, and of feeling unsuccessful despite our actions. The level of stress varies according to the way we interpret events. Unachievable goals, difficulties, and mistakes can reduce hope in a person.

Burnout begins when activities we used to enjoy are no longer fun. We become unable work during the day due to quick feelings of anger, fatigue and forgetfulness, which all stem from a loss of motivation.

What causes burnout?
Setting goals that aren’t attainable, feeling pressured, spending long hours focusing on a job, and ignoring your other needs and desires are some of the main reasons behind burnout.

Money and mental health are two interconnected factors, so a lack of budget has an effect on feelings of being stuck and overwhelmed. People experiencing burnout have difficulty saying no and move forward in life with a perfectionist structure that’s too focussed on the details. These unrealistic ambitions of achieving the best will tire the person out.

What are the symptoms of burnout?
Symptoms are both physiological and psychological, as burnout means being physically and emotionally exhausted.

The most obvious symptoms include:
Feeling unsuccessful and unsatisfied
Decreased physical strength and energy

Burnout symptoms vary from person to person and develop differently for everyone. In order to diagnose this illness, psychologists or psychiatrists should be consulted. Experts can evaluate burnout by applying the MBI test. In the later stages, burnout causes anxiety and depression.

Physical Symptoms
Physical exhaustion
Irritable bowel syndrome
Increased headaches and joint pain
Sleep disorders
Increased frequency of illness

Behavioural Symptoms
Decreased performance in daily tasks
Isolation or withdrawal
Procrastination
A sudden outburst of anger or emotion
The use of drugs to cope

Psychological Symptoms
Despair
Feeling useless
Lack of belonging
A diminished perception of competence and accomplishment at work
Aimlessness

What is burnout syndrome?

Burnout is seen as a syndrome everywhere in the world except Sweden and the Netherlands. Burnout syndrome arises from a specific situation. For example, if burnout syndrome begins in a workplace, the person might not want to spend time at that workplace anymore. Taking time off sick doesn’t always help. It might not be enough to get away from the annoying situation for a short time, as it arises as a result of an accumulated situation.

Burnout syndrome has also been included in the list of international diseases by the World Health Organisation. The majority of people experiencing burnout don’t seek medical advice, and as their circumstances become more difficult, the effects of burnout increase. If the problem is ignored, it can result in depression, so procrastination makes things even worse.

What are the stages of burnout syndrome?

It’s important to take regular steps to recognise and prevent burnout in advance. Before we turn your life upside down, we've covered the common stages of burnout, as mentioned in various studies.

Honeymoon Phase: When we start a new job or take on a task, we first experience emotions such as excitement, creativity, commitment and satisfaction. Our stress level may increase due to the difficulties we encounter over time.

If we determine a strategy that can control our stress and use it efficiently in this first stage, we will have turned this problem in our favour while we’re still in the honeymoon period.

Common symptoms include the compulsion to prove oneself, unnecessary optimism, constant effort to appear energetic, high productivity, etc.

Onset of Stress: We realise that we think some days are worse than others. This can lead us to pessimism and expose us to physical, mental or emotional strain. The most common symptoms at this stage can be diversified as anxiety, dissatisfaction, indecision, clenching while sleeping, heart rhythm disorder, and decreased sleep quality.

1. Chronic Stress: Transitions from the previous stage to a state of stress are experienced more intensely. Intense symptoms such as increased anger, inability to communicate properly, feeling under pressure or out of control, increased caffeine consumption, morning fatigue, procrastination and withdrawal from social life are seen.

Burnout: At this stage, the symptoms become evident and we really begin to experience burnout. Our chronic ailments increase, we distance ourselves from people, we feel aimless and we approach everything pessimistically.

It's not easy to live like this. We look for support and solutions. One of them is to do breathing exercises in a regular and guided way. By downloading the Breath Hub app, you can find a breathing exercise that works for you.

2. Habitual Burnout: At this stage, we experience the symptoms of burnout syndrome that can lead to emotional and physical problems. By showing symptoms such as depression, chronic sadness, physical and mental fatigue, it pulls us into the burnout syndrome and causes us to stay there.

How does burnout syndrome pass?

When detected early no medical treatment is ndeeded. By determining the subject and event, arrangements can be made to avoid this situation. Self-adjustments can solve the problem.

It’s important to examine the problems magnified in business life and to start with small changes in the operational plan during the day. Find creative activities like painting, start keeping a diary, or taking pictures to increase your focus.

Paying attention to your sleep patterns, taking breaks, spending time doing the things you love, and optimising your body PH to regulate your hormones, can largely regulate your life. Body PH can be regulated with nutrition, exercise and breathing techniques.

Disconnect from communication tools such as mobile phones, social media, computers and news sources for a while. Live in the moment by meeting with friends and take time to appreciate your quality of life.

Taking time for yourself is a very broad concept. Please, make time to relax for yourself.

Download the Breath Hub app to join a family of supportive friends and experts, who can guide you through some simple breathwork practices to help you learn to live, and keep burnout well away.