Emotional burnout: diagnosis and prevention

The state when there is no strength and already, it would seem, nothing pleases, today it is familiar with almost every modern person. However, you should not fall into depression, because psychologists know how to deal with such syndrome.

The scale of such an emotional problem of modern society today is quite widespread among the adult population. And it is not surprising, because the template signs of burnout can be found in many others around themselves. The modern pace of life and age of exploitation of all and all inevitably leads to the rapid exhaustion of the body physically and psychologically.

If you notice that your activity at work and in public life has decreased significantly, then it should be understood as the causes of such a state. The way out of this situation depends on the level of overwhelming stresses and their quantity. It should also be paid to the prevention of emotional burnout and those who feel positively configured and continues to live with enviable activity in order not to lose joy in life.

Emotional burnout syndrome concept

The very determination of psychological "burnout" (emotional burnout) (eng. Burnout) was introduced by the American psychotherapist in Freudenberg quite recently (1974). Such syndrome in psychology is usually customary to be determined as a manifestation of long-term depression and stress caused by overvoltage or as a period of professional crisis. Any negative emotions should receive their expression and discharge, and if this does not occur, the personal emotions and the energy of the person are depleted.

Later, Professor of the California University of Psychology developed a scientific method for studying this problem, which involves a three-level grouping:

1. Psychological exhaustion. Sensual oversaturation, a decrease in positive reactions to what is happening or complete indifference.
2. Deformation of the personality. Detection of relations with others in society, decrease in independence and independence, manifestation of negative and cynical emotions to people.
3. Reduced personal achievements. Negative self-esteem, limiting opportunities, success, achievements and responsibilities.

Causes of emotional burnout

Modern psychology allows you to distinguish several basic stressogen, which is saturated with our daily life and which lead to the occurrence of syndrome:

1. The need for constant intensive communication with society. Often emerging problems and labor weekdays make us come across every day with a variety of people, different by emotional state. If you are in modesty and closure, the excessive concentration on our own and other people will lead to the accumulation of stress and emotional discomfort.
2. The need to work in conditions of increased efficiency. Every day requires us collections, punctuality, self-organization, courtesy and permanent self-control. The publicity and excessive openness of our lives makes us and surrounding rigidly control themselves, which leads to internal instability and emotional irritation.
3. Constant strength of the surrounding atmosphere. The accelerated rhythm of modernity and the control of actions at work, as well as excessive workloads and catastrophic lack of free time for relaxation, our body is depleted. Stress is a natural consequence of overpriced requirements and lack of external and personal energy resources.

Diagnosis of emotional burnout

To adequately evaluate its psychological state of health, all the characteristic symptoms and signs of exhaustion are accepted as follows:

• psychological;
• social behavior;
• physiological.

Physical symptoms of emotional burnout

The physiological aspects of burnout must be attributed:

• insomnia or violation of the day mode, a complete lack of sleep until early in the morning or a sharp fall asleep, the inability to fall asleep again among the night, heavy awakening;
• breathing disorder and shortness of breath with any load;
• reduced reaction to environmental changes, complete absence of joy and curiosity or fear feelings in case of danger;
• constant physical fatigue, when the feeling of powerlessness does not pass even in the morning after normal full sleep;
• constant wishes to sleep, drowsiness, inhibition;
• constant headaches for no reason;
• sharp change in weight indicators (reduction, increase);
• reduction of vision, smell, touch, hearing, loss of tactile sensations;
• chronic disorders of digestive and metabolic processes (constipation, diarrhea);
• chronic feeling of weakness, lowering energy reserves, decrease in immunity, biochemical indicators in the blood and hormonal background;
• feeling physical and psychological exhaustion.

Psychological signs of emotional burnout

To psychological aspects of burnout, it is customary:

• unfounded nervous breakdowns, closure, outbreaks of aggression and anger, suspending from others;
• negative attitude to the future and professional growth;
• increasing irritability, aggression and rapid response to occurring events;
• continuous excessive experience and feeling of unfortunate concern, shame, guilt, resentment, shyness and suspicion;
• a sharp decrease in self-esteem and dissatisfaction with itself;
• stress, depression, passivity, boredom, apathy, reducing emotional reactions, sense of depression;
• chronic and inexplicable feeling of fear and premonition of a negative result and failure;
• excessive feeling of anxiety and malfunction and situations.

Social aspects of emotional burnout syndrome

Social and behavioral burnout reactions include:

• abuse of alcohol and cigarettes, overeating or complete absence of appetite, concentration, increase and appearance of harmful addictions and habits;
• change of the day and sleep mode;
• inadequate criticism of others, alienation from loved ones;
• the impossibility of performing the main tasks due to looping in small problems, waste of useful time and energy for non-priorities;
• delaying plans the next day and the failure of them as a result;
• sense of understanding of the usual work and catastrophic lack of energy resources;
• a sense of selflessness, lowering interest and incentive, indifference and indifference to the result;
• increased irritability, unreasonable malice and aggression, resentment, hysterics.

Emotional burnout levels

Psychological exhaustion or burnout may be unnoticed, and the person is practically not able to independently determine the beginning of the emotional burnout syndrome. The diagnosis of the level of emotional burnout is often carried out by psychologists in the form of testing and allows you to identify symptoms of syndrome as early as possible for its effective treatment.

The first stage of emotional burnout

At the first stage, emotions are simply muffled, which is manifested in light indifference and insensitivity to what is happening and surrounding people. Also reinforced displeasure, life and acute flashes of response in relations in society are also manifested. At the physical level, a person often experiences unreasonable headaches, spasms in the back and convulsions of the limbs, it is worried about insomnia and frequent colds.

Second stage of emotional burnout

At the next stage, emotional burnout syndrome begins to manifest itself more noticeable with the emotional side. Just like a mirror image, you begin to reflect your discontent and internal discomfort in the external manifestations of irritation, malice and aggression in relations with people with whom it is necessary to communicate throughout the day. In order to avoid harsh unreasonable aggression, a person can remove from others to get into itself and fulfill the minimum necessary work and not to be active in order to contact people in society as little as possible.

Third stage of emotional burnout

Irritation cannot continue forever, so the third stage of burnout comes - emotional and physical exhaustion. A person no longer remains no effort to work or on the fulfillment of their daily responsibilities, nor on vacation and communication with loved ones. This stage is characterized by manifestations of cutting of embitrability, resentment, rudeness, closetness and complete removal from society, sometimes the fear of communication and inexplicable excitement appears when leaving the familiar zone of comfort, as well as the body is subject to serious diseases (dermatitis, asthma, ulcers, hypertension, cancer).

Emotional professional burnout

Psychologists have identified several professions that fall into the first group of risk zone for burnout syndrome:

1. Medical workers.
2. Social workers.
3. Teachers.
4. Senior managers and managers.
5. Employees of power structures.
6. Management workers.
7. Professions related to permanent travel departures.
8. Workers in the service sector in constant contact with people.
9. Harmful conditions (noise, vibration, polluted air).
10. Working on shift schedule, without a certain recreation and nutrition mode.

In addition to professional affiliation, any person may be subject to psychological burnout, at work, organizational changes and conflicts are constantly occurring. Much depends on personal qualities, for example, the extroverts are burned out less than introverts. People who have high ideals and overestimated personal requirements, as well as those who are not used to distinguishing work and personal life fall into the risk zone.

People susceptible to stress prone to empathy, dreams, psychologically unstable and idealizing events and society are more susceptible to such burnout. In addition, each person has periods of professional crisis (usually experience from 10 to 15 years of work), during which a person or develops further, or work ceases to interest him and delight. The impossibility of career growth, the lack of an incentive and constant vocational training is one of the most important factors that leads to the psychological apathy of man.

Prevention of emotional burnout

Lower risk of psychological burnout are subject to people with such qualities:

• adequate self-assessment of abilities and confidence in personal capabilities;
• good health;
• regular care of physical condition (healthy lifestyle, sports).

Also, the burnout syndrome is less susceptible to people with experience positive overcoming problems and capable of rapid adaptations to changes in environmental conditions. Such people are distinguished by independence, positive mood, the desire to communicate and start dating, continue to study and travel. An important characteristic of the surrendered stresses of people is an optimistic mood in relation to yourself surrounding and what is happening.

So, the prevention of emotional burnout syndrome is the following means:

1. Sport. Physical activity is not only good prevention of diseases and excess weights, but also panacea from all psychological injuries. Another thing is that someone comes up yoga and meditation, another - hardening, morning jogging or charging in the morning, and for others, group classes in the gym or in dance sections are perfect.
2. Recreation. The efficiency of work directly depends on full relaxation. At rest, just like to work, you need to spend some time to return to the duties with a new portion of energy. It may be a change in the situation in connection with the trip, and new positive impressions of the meeting with friends, and even receiving a portion of adrenaline for extreme lovers.
3. Mode. An ordered and planned day will help to concentrate on work in a timely manner and timely accustom the body to rest.
4. Psychological protection. The ability to put an imaginary barrier among themselves and an unpleasant person to you will allow you to control your emotions and do not respond to possible emotional provocations of others, which will save your nervous cells and keeps away from unnecessary stress.
5. Harmony. Keep inner calm and mental balance, do not mix work and personal life, and lead conversations for general distracted topics. Do not waste personal energy resources for discussion of personal life and problems, both your own and your colleagues. Keep your personal problems only for very close people and do not waste explanation or empathy with familiar and employees.

Video about emotional violation of personality

Available video of the psychological burnout syndrome will help in the fight against the problem: