Man : Worn (Emotional exhaustion/burnout)

Emotional Exhaustion/burnout

 

Emotional exhaustion/burnout 
  a.  is a chronic state of physical and emotional  depletion 
  b.  that results from excessive job and/or personal demands and continuous stress. 
  c.   A feeling of being emotionally overextended and exhausted by one's work. 
 d. It is manifested by both physical fatigue and a sense of feeling psychologically and emotionally "drained".

Emotional exhaustion/burnout is a condition that results from an excessive amount of stress. When suffering from this condition, known as emotional depletion or exhaustion/burnout, a person tends to feel as if her inner resources have been drained. 
This condition can have psychological, physical, and social effects. A medical intervention is not sought unless more severe problems, such as depression or high cholestrol, have developed. In most cases, a person can recover if he takes a vacation, gets rest, or eliminates the cause of stress.

Exhaustion/burnout

Exhaustion/burnout reduces your productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.

We have days when we feel bored, overloaded, or unappreciated; not noticeable, rewarded; when dragging ourselves out of bed requires the determination of Hercules. If you feel like this most of the time, however, you may be flirting with exhaustion/burnout.

You may be on the road to exhaustion/burnout if:

• Every day is a bad day.
• Caring about your work or home life seems like a total waste of energy.
• You’re exhausted all the time.
• The majority of your day is spent on tasks you find either mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming.
• You feel like nothing you do makes a difference or is appreciated.

The negative effects of exhaustion/burnout can spill over into every area of life – including your home and social life. Exhaustion/burnout can also cause long-term changes to your body that make you vulnerable to illnesses like colds and flu. Because of its many consequences, it’s important to deal with exhaustion/burnout right away.

The difference between stress and exhaustion/burnout

Being burned out means feeling empty, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing exhaustion/burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations.

Stress vs. Exhaustion/burnout
Stress	Exhaustion/burnout
Characterized by over-engagement	Characterized by disengagement
Emotions are over-reactive	Emotions are blunted (numb)
Produces urgency and hyperactivity	Produces helplessness and hopelessness
Loss of energy	Loss of motivation, ideals, and hope
Leads to anxiety disorders	Leads to detachment and depression
Primary damage is physical	Primary damage is emotional
May kill you prematurely	May make life seem not worth living
Source: Stress and Exhaustion/burnout in Ministry

Causes of exhaustion/burnout/exhaustion

There are many causes of exhaustion/burnout. 
i.    In many cases, exhaustion/burnout stems from your job. 
ii.  But anyone who feels overworked and undervalued is at risk for exhaustion/burnout – 
iii.  from the hardworking office worker who hasn’t had a vacation or a raise in two years 
iv. frazzled stay-at-home mom struggling with the heavy responsibility of 
       a. taking care of kids, 
       b. the housework, and 
        c. aging father.

But exhaustion/burnout is not caused solely by stressful work or too many responsibilities. Other factors contribute to exhaustion/burnout, including your lifestyle and certain personality traits. What you do in your downtime and how you look at the world can play just as big of a role in causing exhaustion/burnout as work or home demands.          

i.     Work-related causes of exhaustion/burnout

• Feeling having little or no control over your work
• Lack of recognition or rewards for good work
• Unclear or overly demanding job expectations
• Doing work that’s monotonous or unchallenging
• Working in a chaotic or high-pressure environment

ii.    Lifestyle causes of exhaustion/burnout

• Working too much, without enough time for relaxing and socializing
• Being expected to be too many things to too many people
• Taking on too many responsibilities, without enough help from others
• Not getting enough sleep
• Lack of close, supportive relationships

iii.  Personalityersonality traits can contribute to exhaustion/burnout

• Perfectionist tendencies; nothing is ever good enough
• Pessimistic view of yourself and the world
• The need to be in control; reluctance to delegate to others
• High-achieving, Type A personality

Symptoms of exhaustion/burnout

Exhaustion/burnout 
a. is a gradual process that occurs over an extended period of time. 
b. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it creep up on you if you’re not paying attention to the warning signals. 
c. The signs and symptoms of exhaustion/burnout are subtle at first, but they get worse and worse as time goes on.

           Think of the early symptoms of exhaustion/burnout as warning signs or red flags that something is wrong that needs to be addressed. If you pay attention to these early warning signs, you can prevent a major breakdown. If you ignore them, you’ll eventually burn out.

a.   You dread doing things that you normally love to do.  

It may sound like a symptom of depression, which it could be and that is why severe exhaustion/burnout can lead to other issues.  Exhaustion/burnout can take energy away from your career or favorite past-time, and it may be difficult to cut back on tasks because they are where you typically find joy and fulfillment.

b.   You are emotionally unbalanced.  

It could mean a variety of things and only you can be the judge for your own emotions.  For some, it could mean that things that typically don’t upset you or impact you very much are somehow having a greater effect on your emotional state.  For example, a minor conflict with a co-worker can create a heated discussion and cause one of you to leave in tears.

c.   You have trouble saying “no”.

Now this is a tough one.  How many of us have trouble saying no?  I certainly do.   If you are feeling emotionally unbalanced and lacking motivation to do things you normally love but continue to say yes to events or commitments that intensify the symptoms, this may lead to exhaustion/burnout.  This takes a keen ability to sense your own limits and know when you need a break, which can only occur with practice and compassion for yourself.

d.   You avoid loved ones.

Isolation is an indicator of many types of mental issues — depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, and domestic violence to name a few.  Sometimes this can mean physically avoiding loved ones, or it can mean (and more devastatingly so) emotionally withdrawing from them.  Exhaustion/burnout can lead to feeling hopeless and overwhelmed and closing those feelings in yourself so that others do not have to bear them.  In actuality, opening up and sharing the burden of the feelings can help heal exhaustion/burnout.

e.   You are making mistakes or consistently forgetting things.

When we are filled to the brim with tasks and responsibilities, it can be difficult to make room for new learning and memories.  Feeling burned out can appear in ways that might look like “I don’t care anymore” and lead to mistakes in paperwork or being short with co-workers.  In reality, you really do care but are emotionally exhausted and cannot fit any more stimulation into your emotional and cognitive brain until you clear out some of the “junk” – or factors that are keeping you stuck.

f.    You become sick more often and to greater degrees.

The mind and the body are strongly connected.  When one hurts, so does the other (and vice versa – when one is joyful, so is the other).  When you are emotionally exhausted and spent, your body will feel it.  Stress affects mind, body, and spirit.  This could affect energy levels as well as physical symptoms.  I have had clients who have developed hives as a way to avoid work (without their conscious knowing) because they are burned out.  Listen to what your body is telling you.

g.   You are neglecting your own needs.

This can turn into assertively denying your own needs to meet a higher demand (or so the exhaustion/burnout wants you to do!).  Working late or adding hours to your schedule that take away from personal time are indicators of this type of exhaustion/burnout.  It is almost as if your own needs lose value and the influence of others’ needs (bosses, family, children, etc) makes them appear to be more important.  Nothing is further from the truth and this is an important lesson in avoiding exhaustion/burnout: never let your needs go unmet for long periods of time, and give them the same values as other needs in your life.

Physical signs and symptoms of exhaustion/burnout

Feeling tired and drained most of the time Lowered immunity, feeling sick a lot

Frequent headaches, back pain, muscle aches Change in appetite or sleep habits

Emotional signs and symptoms of exhaustion/burnout

Sense of failure and self-doubt Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated Detachment, feeling alone in the world

Loss of motivation Increasingly cynical and negative outlook Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment

Behavioral signs and symptoms of exhaustion/burnout

Withdrawing from responsibilities Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done

Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope Taking out your frustrations on others Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early

Serious adverse effects on a person's relationships may also take place as a result of emotional exhaustion. Individuals suffering from this condition often become more prone to conflicts. They may become cynical, rigid, or passive. It is also likely that they may begin to isolate themselves.

Exhaustion/burnout prevention tips

• Start the day with a relaxing ritual.

Rather than jumping out of bed as soon as you wake up, spend at least fifteen minutes meditating, writing in your journal, doing gentle stretches, or reading something that inspires you.

• Adopt healthy eating, exercising, and sleeping habits.

When you eat right, engage in regular physical activity, and get plenty of rest, you have the energy and resilience to deal with life’s hassles and demands. 

• Set boundaries.

Don’t overextend yourself. Learn how to say “no” to requests on your time. If you find this difficult, remind yourself that saying “no” allows you to say “yes” to the things that you truly want to do.

• Take a daily break from technology.

Set a time each day when you completely disconnect. Put away your laptop, turn off your phone, and stop checking email.

• Nourish your creative side.

Creativity is a powerful antidote to exhaustion/burnout. Try something new, start a fun project, or resume a favorite hobby. Choose activities that have nothing to do with work.

• Learn how to manage stress.

When you’re on the road to exhaustion/burnout, you may feel helpless. But you have a lot more control over stress than you may think. Learning how to manage stress can help you gain your balance 

Exhaustion/burnout recovery strategy

Recovering from exhaustion/burnout

Sometimes it’s too late to prevent exhaustion/burnout – you’re already past the breaking point. If that’s the case, it’s important to take your exhaustion/burnout very seriously. Trying to push through the exhaustion and continue as you have been will only cause further emotional and physical damage.

While the tips for preventing exhaustion/burnout are still helpful at this stage, recovery requires additional steps.

Recovering from exhaustion/burnout: 

Acknowledge your losses

Exhaustion/burnout brings with it many losses, which can often go unrecognized. Unrecognized losses trap a lot of your energy. It takes a tremendous amount of emotional control to keep yourself from feeling the pain of these losses. When you recognize these losses and allow yourself to grieve them, you release that trapped energy and open yourself to healing.

• Loss of the idealism or dream with which you entered your career
• Loss of the role or identity that originally came with your job
• Loss of physical and emotional energy
• Loss of friends, fun, and sense of community
• Loss of esteem, self-worth, and sense of control and mastery
• Loss of joy, meaning and purpose that make work – and life – worthwhile

 

#1: Slow down

When you’ve reached the end stage of exhaustion/burnout, adjusting your attitude or looking after your health isn’t going to solve the problem. You need to force yourself to slow down or take a break. Cut back whatever commitments and activities you can. Give yourself time to rest, reflect, and heal.

#2: "Three R" Approach

• Recognize – Watch for the warning signs of exhaustion/burnout
• Reverse – Undo the damage by managing stress and seeking support
• Resilience – Build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health

#3: Reevaluate your goals and priorities

Exhaustion/burnout is an undeniable sign that something important in your life is not working. Take time to think about your hopes, goals, and dreams. Are you neglecting something that is truly important to you? Exhaustion/burnout can be an opportunity to rediscover what really makes you happy and to change course accordingly. 

#4: Get support

When you’re burned out, the natural tendency is to protect what little energy you have left by isolating yourself. But your friends and family are more important than ever during difficult times. Turn to your loved ones for support. Simply sharing your feelings with another person can relieve some of the burden.

Coping with job exhaustion/burnout

The most effective way to combat job exhaustion/burnout is to quit doing what you’re doing and do something else, whether that means changing job and changing  career. 
But if that isn’t an option for you, there are still things you can do to improve your situation, or at least your state of mind. If you recognize the warning signs of impending exhaustion/burnout in yourself, remember that it will only get worse if you leave it alone. 
But if you take steps to get your life back into balance, you can prevent exhaustion/burnout from becoming a full-blown breakdown.

i.            Actively address problems.

a. Take a proactive rather than a passive approach to issues in your workplace, including stress at work. 
b. You’ll feel less helpless if you assert yourself and express your needs. If you don’t have the authority or resources to solve the problem, talk to a superior.

ii.         Clarify your job description.

a. Ask your boss for an updated description of your job duties and responsibilities. 
b. Point out things you’re expected to do that are not part of your job description and gain a little leverage by showing that you’ve been putting in work over and above the parameters of your job.

iii.       Ask for new duties.

a. If you’ve been doing the exact same work for a long time, ask to try something new:
b.  a different grade level, a different sales territory, a different machine.

iv.        Take time off.

a. If exhaustion/burnout seems inevitable, take a complete break from work. 
b. Go on vacation, use up your sick days, ask for a temporary leave-of-absence—anything to remove yourself from the situation. 
c. Use the time away to recharge your batteries and take perspective.

Excerpt and extracts taken with thanks from:

Wikipedia
Kate Daigle