Burnout means burned out. Burnout is a response to both physical and psychological exhaustion, mainly due to long-term stress. This is often accompanied by tension, vulnerability, sensitivity, irritability or sadness. Burnout patients often formulate it as: ‘a battery that is really empty’, ‘a rubber band that has been stretched further and further until the stretch disappeared and it snapped’. ,I couldn’t do anything anymore, just cry., Burnout = exhausted, exhausted and burned out.
Burnout
According to the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), approximately 500,000 people suffer from burnout. In addition, a large number of the working population has an increased risk of burnout. More than 30,000 people are unable to work due to complaints that are largely related to stress, depression and burnout.
Term burnout
Burnout is a term that is widely known today. Originally it is a word from so-called pop psychology (1960s). At the time, it originally referred to the condition of people who used drugs extensively and were weakened or suffering from physical and emotional exhaustion. Nowadays, the concept of burnout has a broader meaning and includes a state of fatigue, tension and exhaustion in general.
Burnout and stress
People often think that burnout is a typical phenomenon of modern times. That it is a disease related to the 24-hour economy. Not everyone agrees with this. Some argue that the same type of complaints has existed for much longer, but was referred to by different terms in the past. Most people are familiar with the terms overstressed, overtired or overworked. These concepts are more concrete, as the term itself is more indicative of what is wrong. The term burnout is somewhat less concrete in this sense.
The terms ‘burnout’ and ‘stress’ are often used interchangeably. There is also no clarity among experts. One person says that they are first burned out and then overstressed; the other says that one is first overstressed and then burn-out. This difference is mainly due to a lack of theoretical framing of the concept of burnout.
In contemporary language in the field of healthcare, stress is a somewhat more complex concept or phenomenon. This is a condition in which a person is so exhausted and tense that virtually nothing is possible anymore. However, in popular parlance, burnout has come to mean stress.
Burnt-out
Burnout is an exhaustion response to long-term (sometimes years) stress; physically and psychologically. This image of exhaustion and loss of energy is often accompanied by tension, vulnerability and sensitivity to all impressions, which often manifests itself in the form of irritability or sadness.
People with a burnout often formulate it as: ,a battery that is really empty and can no longer be charged,, ,a rubber band that has been stretched further and further until the stretch disappeared and it broke,. ,I couldn’t do anything anymore, except cry., People are exhausted and burned out: burnout.
The process is generally slow. It is also often indicated that people have been working at too high a gear (sometimes too low) for years. And another important factor: personal and social circumstances; sometimes also problems in the relational sphere. People indicate that they have the feeling that things are no longer going well and that they are not being heard or understood. A feeling of failure, tension, insomnia, anger towards the partner, colleagues, boss, the entire work situation and organization grows. The feeling of not having anything under control anymore. Work is left behind, problems are avoided. The smallest things are already too much.
Signals burnout
A burnout is therefore characterized by feelings of physical and emotional exhaustion. The first signals are usually quite vague: poor sleep, not feeling well, feeling rushed, no desire for sex, no desire to work, tired, etc. Ultimately, the feeling of being completely burned out and poor concentration. The memory also no longer functions properly. The uncertainty that results from this can manifest itself in not daring to make decisions and sometimes or in some cases also in having anxiety attacks.
Stress
Stress is not always harmful to our mental and physical health. Positive short-term stress can even lead to success if it is handled properly. Some people actually feel at their best in stressful situations. They perform better when they are under pressure and have to meet deadlines or deliver an important achievement. Even short-term negative stress does not always have to be harmful. But our body cannot cope well with chronic, long-term negative stress.
Stress test
To see how likely it is that you will develop stress complaints or whether you already have physical stress symptoms, you can do the following tests:
- Test your chance of stress
- Stress physical symptoms test
Burnout diagnosis
In terms of diagnosis and classification, there are no official international definitions for burnout yet. There is still no definitive and absolute explanation for this phenomenon. There are a number of theories and methods regarding burnout. Not much is known about the underlying physiology of burnout. However, publications often show that stress hormones (such as cortisol) can play an important role in the development of burnout. Over time, various explanatory models have been developed.
What I now assume (not yet proven) is that chronic stress is such an attack on health that the immune system becomes disrupted, causing greater susceptibility to all kinds of diseases. There is also an increased risk of a rise in blood pressure. Ultimately, chronic stress can lead to a disruption of neuroimmunology and hormonal regulation and hormone balance. The body remains in a constant state of readiness because one does not relax or rest regularly. This can be maintained for some time. But if you keep going on and on, it will eventually break.
People in the immediate environment usually notice it earlier, because they have been experiencing changes for a long time. They often notice: disinterest , cynicism, irritability and irritability. For the person themselves, a burnout is often unexpected, because warning signs such as fatigue, headache, insomnia, lethargy, palpitations, etc. have often been ignored for a long time.
Burnout general characteristics signals
- feeling exhausted every day after activities
- Being tired in the morning (or going to work tired)
- no longer feel like doing anything (going to work)
- headache, lethargy, palpitations, insomnia
- concentration problems
- feelings of incompetence
- quickly become irritated over the smallest things
Burnout characteristics in the work situation
- react in a hurry
- often doing extra work
- taking a day off for no reason
- returning tired from a (rest) holiday
- increasingly postponing work
- get irritated easily
- reduced concentration
- work below or above his/her level
It is also indicated that someone has put a lot of energy into all kinds of things, but that it has yielded little and has therefore burned out. A lot of energy was given, which did not yield much, resulting in few positive or stimulating results. So the energy is spent on things that yield little to nothing. (In America it has sometimes been said about women with burnout complaints that they are women who suckle a dead litter. In the Netherlands: people who flog a dead horse).
As mentioned, there are no official diagnostic criteria yet and there is no real certainty about the precise cause and development of burnout. However, there is more insight into certain characteristics that appear to increase the risk of burnout (inventory of burnout patients). This is reflected in various publications.
Groups at risk for burnout
The risk groups can be divided into eight groups:
- The so-called ‘forced perfectionists’: people who want to make a career, have a great sense of responsibility and do not want to make mistakes
- People who have difficulty dealing with changed working conditions. (e.g. a new boss, new responsibilities, working too long, under pressure too often)
- Those who work hard and have a lot of tension at home or have to deal with a personal loss. This results in a lack of relaxation and the ability to concentrate on something.
- People who have little sense of time, who postpone everything and are late with everything. This causes a pile of problems and they lose the overview
- People who have sought security all their lives in their position, financial independence, their home base and are then suddenly confronted with insecurity (e.g. moral blackmail, threats, an unfaithful partner or stalker)
- People who always feel responsible for others and cannot say no. Some of them find it difficult to express themselves, quickly feel guilty, remember everything that goes wrong and worry and worry endlessly. Others, who can express themselves, are (too) concerned about the suffering of others and feel (too) responsible. This group includes many people who work in healthcare and people who work in the police (workload, hardly get around to investigative work, do not want to disappoint the citizen)
- People who are so driven that they have difficulty with the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day. They move mountains and are capable of great things in a relatively short time. Even during the holidays they are often still arranging things. These are people who work at double speed six days a week.
- Women in a dual role. Women often feel that they have to prove themselves extra at work, while they also take/have the greatest responsibility at home
So it is not ‘slackers’ who get burned out, but often the well-motivated, conscientious, perfectionist hard workers and the helpers: people who have difficulty saying ‘no’ when they are called upon. A relatively high percentage of men appear to experience burnout after the age of fifty (penopause); in women this is a few years earlier (pre-menopause). Twenty-somethings also appear to be a risk group, who do not yet dare to say ‘no’ to their boss and are often assigned far too heavy tasks and too much responsibility. In addition, most people in their twenties often have a very busy social life. It is not possible to say with certainty
why one person gets a burnout and another does not. In any case, some people are more resistant to stress than others, can cope better with a high workload, are less likely to fear dismissal or reorganization, can cope better with a difficult boss or annoying colleagues, etc. Sometimes only a very small thing needs to be done in private. -life to happen, which is just the well-known straw that breaks the camel’s back. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, a combination of factors play a role.
Since a precise and deeper insight into the background, nature and cause of burnout is still lacking, it is of course also difficult to determine what a good treatment is. Various therapies and treatments are possible, both psychological and physical support and therapy.
The treatments offered vary widely. From rest and spa resorts to combined physical, behavioral and mental therapies. The time at which the burnout is tackled is important . There is a significant difference in approach before and after the point at which the patient becomes ‘disconnected’; when the energy is completely gone.
Burnout test
Burnout tests appear in various publications. You also come across them frequently on the Internet. The one below is not (as far as I know) found on the internet, but it seems to distinguish the burnout symptoms well.
Burnout test 1
Questions that reveal possible burnout symptoms.
Stress factors
- I got divorced not too long ago
- I have problems in/with my relationship
- I am retired
- I have financial problems
- I care for someone who cannot care for themselves
- Someone I loved has died or moved away
Thoughts and feelings
- When it comes down to it, life is meaningless
- All days are the same
- Why doesn’t anyone just leave me alone
- I have to do everything myself, no one helps me
- Nobody cares about me
- I can’t take anything anymore
- I constantly feel overstimulated
- No matter how hard I try, things always go wrong
- Sometimes I don’t like it anymore
- I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up
Symptoms
- I have difficulty falling asleep, sleep restlessly, wake up too early
- I have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. I always feel tired, even when I have slept well
- I suffer from dizziness and palpitations
- I have stomach or intestinal complaints
- I have a headache
- I tend to overeat
- I drink more alcohol than is good for me
- I have a lot of little accidents
- Sometimes I spend way too much money shopping
- I often cry without knowing why
- I use tranquilizers without a doctor’s prescription
If you recognize multiple characteristics per category, you must remain alert to the fact that there may be burnout symptoms.
Burnout test 2
A burnout test that you often encounter on the Internet and can do online, consists of the questions below. You can directly type your answers online and you will receive an immediate response. Below are just the questions, so you can see what the test entails.
Instruction
Consider the past six months, your work and your personal life. Read through the following items and rate all questions to indicate how often the symptom applies to you (scale: from never/rarely to almost always true).
- I feel tired even though I have had enough sleep
- I am dissatisfied with my work
- I feel sad for no real reason
- I’m forgetful
- I am irritated and snap at people
- I avoid people at work and in my private life
- I have trouble sleeping because I’m worried about my work
- I am sick more often than before
- My attitude towards my work is: What should I worry about? I’m a bit indifferent to it
- I get involved in conflicts more often
- The work suffers as a result
- I use more alcohol, drugs or tranquilizers to feel better
- Communicating with other people is a source of tension
- I can no longer concentrate on my work as before
- The work bores me
- I work hard, but achieve little
- I feel frustrated in my work
- I dread going to work
- Social activities really exhaust me
- Sex requires too much energy
- In my spare time I mainly watch TV
- I have little to look forward to in my work
- I worry about work in my spare time
- My feelings about my work bother me in my personal life
- My work seems pointless.