Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress (Representational image from Pexels.com) 
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Unmasking Burnout and Surviving in a Demanding World

Understanding the Silent Toll of Burnout

Swati Sharma

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. It’s most often caused by problems at work; however, it can also appear in other areas of daily life.

British Study reveals

  • The study shows workers making less than USD 38,000 annually are more prone to depression burnout and lack of productivity.

  • Physical health struggles led to a 54% productivity dip,

  • Mental health issues hit harder, causing a staggering 150% loss in productive days, particularly for the youth.

  • The decrease in production and burnout reportedly cost the British economy $176 billion annually.

British workers are not the only ones suffering from decreased production due to declining mental health or burnout.

Parents, partners, and non-professional caregivers also experience endless exhaustion and feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities. (Representational image from Pexel.com)

The Three Dimensions Of Burnout

  • Feelings of energy depletion or emotional exhaustion

  • Increased mental distance from one’s work and negative or cynical feelings toward one’s work

  • Reduced sense of efficacy at work

Non-work Burnout

It is less well-known than that caused by career stress. Stereotypes and stigma related to parenting —can make those suffering from non-work-related burnout feel as if they are to blame for their challenges. As a result, they often hide their struggles from others.

Parents, partners, and non-professional caregivers also experience endless exhaustion, feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities, or secretly believe failed in their roles. These forms of burnout are referred to as parental burnout, relationship burnout, and caregiver burnout respectively.

Work Burnout

According to a 2018 Gallup report, 5 job factors contribute to employee burnout.

  • Unreasonable time pressures. Employees with enough time to do their work are 70% less likely to experience burnout. Individuals who cannot gain more time (such as paramedics and firefighters.) are at a higher risk of burnout.

  • Lack of communication and support from management. Support from superiors offers a psychological buffer against stress.

  • Lack of role clarity. When expectations are like moving targets, employees may become exhausted simply by trying to figure out what to do.

  • Unmanageable workload. Feeling overwhelmed can quickly lead to burnout symptoms.

  • Unfair treatment. Employees treated unfairly at work are 2-3 times more likely to experience burnout. Unfair treatment includes favoritism, unfair compensation, and mistreatment. 

Navigating the Path Away from Burnout

A vacation may offer some relief, but a week away from the office won't be enough to help you beat burnout. (Representational image from Pexels.com)

Prioritize

Remember not all deadlines are hard deadlines. Add tasks to your calendar with periodic reminders to give yourself leeway.

Delegate

Ask for help. Manage your workload and give a small task to a capable subordinate.

Leave work at work

Do not take the day’s work into your night’s peace. Heard the story of the man hanging his worries in a bag on a tree, outside his home. Only to pick it up again when he leaves for work the next morning.

Be firm about your needs.

Ask for help if, there is a way to lighten your home duties that will help relieve you of mental stress.

A vacation may offer some relief, but a week away from the office won't be enough to help you beat burnout. Regular breaks from work, along with daily renewal exercises, help to combat burnout. Social support is also critical. This can come from various sources, including coworkers, friends, family, and mental health professionals.

Most people need to work to sustain a decent quality of life. However, work does not have to be a reason you cannot maintain a good mental and physical quality of life.

References

1.Edú-Valsania, Sergio, Ana Laguía, and Juan A. Moriano. 2022. "Burnout: A Review of Theory and Measurement" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 3: 1780. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031780

2. The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Parental Stress | Psychology Today.” Accessed November 9, 2024. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inside-out-outside-in/202410/the-surgeon-generals-advisory-on-parental-stress

3.Edwards, Kandiss. “Study Says Burnout Is Affecting Millennial And Gen Z Workers.” Black Enterprise (blog), November 1, 2024. https://www.blackenterprise.com/gen-z-millennial-workers-burnout-mental-health/

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Dr Swati Sharma/MSM)

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