Emotional burnout: what it is, stages, signs, causes, how to fight

psychologist, family therapist, expert of the online school of psychological professions “Psychodemia”

“Burnout is emotional, mental and physical exhaustion, alienation from other people, affairs and even pleasures, as well as a decrease in productivity.”

The state of emotional burnout was first talked about in the 70s of the twentieth century. Then, after several years of intensive labor activity, American psychiatrists noticed the following points for their colleagues: loss of responsibility, complete unwillingness to work, negative attitude and loss of sympathy for patients.

Soon official medicine introduced the concept of emotional burnout and its characteristics, and the term itself was included in the international classification of diseases ICD-10 under the code Z73.

Specific professional syndrome was not officially recognized as a disease, although it is one of the most widespread problems of modern society. The World Health Organization in 2005 announced that about one third of medical workers, teachers, psychologists and police officers have signs of nervous system exhaustion, and the cost of eliminating such a problem in European countries exceeded 3% of gross income.

Now scientists consider emotional burnout as a mechanism of psychological defense against various traumatic situations. Work ceases to bring satisfaction, everyday tasks become too difficult to fulfill. So in response to psychotraumatic moments, emotional response is partially or completely turned off.

Table of Contents

How to distinguish burnout from other psychological conditions?

Burnout can easily be confused with depression, anxiety disorder, fatigue, acute stress.

Acute stress is the body’s response to environmental challenges. It mobilizes us to help us endure hardship. Stress does not destroy us by itself. Once circumstances change, the body returns to normal. Burnout, on the other hand, is the result of chronic stress, when even in the absence of damaging factors, the body is exhausted and has no resources for recovery.

There is another condition that can easily be confused with burnout – depression. Some researchers equate the two. They have similar symptoms, mechanisms of occurrence and ways of recovery. And yet today it is considered that burnout is an independent syndrome.

The tension that can cause anxiety disorder can look the same as burnout: severe anxiety and irritability, sleep problems, constant restless thoughts that do not allow you to focus. What’s the difference here? It consists in the fact that anxiety disorder extends broadly beyond work activities and touches most areas of life. In burnout, however, non-work areas usually remain intact, even lifesaving for the person.

Burnout can also be confused with fatigue. A person who is tired from their daily activities may also feel exhausted, disengaged, and less effective.

Sometimes it is really hard to know immediately whether we are dealing with burnout or fatigue. How to check? If it is fatigue, then after a vacation a person returns to his work full of energy and enthusiasm. A burned out person even after a vacation does not feel very well and with great resistance and reluctance starts his duties.

Why is burnout serious?

The problem of emotional burnout is important for modern society for the following reasons.

The impact on people’s well-being and quality of life. A constant feeling of fatigue, irritability, apathy and loss of interest in life – all this is the result of emotional burnout.

Health consequences. Physical manifestations include headaches, sleep problems, high blood pressure and even cardiovascular disease.
Impact on work and career. There is a high significance of employee burnout factor in the functioning of an organization and its success in the market. In today’s world, people are increasingly exposed to stress, competition and continuous tension. Employees often find themselves under pressure to accomplish a large amount of work in a short period of time, as well as facing the demands of constant self-improvement. All of this can lead to burnout and an overload of emotional resources.

Signs of emotional burnout

The main signs of burnout can be divided into internal and external signs.

Internal signs are:

anxiety;
depression;
irritability;
increased sensitivity to any disappointment and discrepancy between the expected and the real;
lack of pleasure in previously pleasurable activities;
dissatisfaction at the end of the day;
fatigue;
difficulty relaxing;
reluctance to do daily chores;
feeling ineffective;
feeling heavy and tense, as if you have a lot of things piled on top of you;
a desire to argue over small things;
impatience or intemperance with other people;
lack of time for yourself or family/friends;
a desire for privacy;
feelings of detachment and indifference toward people;
lack of interest or time for socializing and/or entertainment;
difficulty concentrating;
mental confusion;
memory problems;
sleep and/or appetite disturbances;
cynicism about one’s responsibilities or life in general.

External signs may include situations where a person at work:

Starts making mistakes that never happened before;
blows off deadlines or constantly postpones deadlines;
stops taking any initiative in general discussions;
has a “blank” look when talking about work tasks;
is concerned about the meaning of the tasks he/she has to perform, more often asks why things are done in the company;
sabotages changes, has a negative attitude towards new things;
is tense and irritable when communicating;
responds to messages less often, drops off the radar or is late for important events;
stops taking work notes and scheduling his or her tasks in task managers;
exhibits cynicism about other people, their feelings and problems;
demonstrates a decline in work productivity.

Stages of emotional burnout development

The stages of burnout development are most clearly described by Jerrold Greenberg in his book “Stress Management”. Let’s break them down.

1. The first stage – Honeymoon. The employee is usually happy with the work and tasks, treats them with enthusiasm. But as work stresses continue, professional activities begin to be less and less enjoyable, and the employee becomes less energetic.

2. Stage Two – Lack of Fuel. Fatigue and apathy appear, and sleep problems may occur. In the absence of additional motivation and stimulation, the worker loses interest in work or the attractiveness of work in a given organization and the productivity of his activity disappear.

Violations of labor discipline and suspension (distancing) from professional duties may occur. In case of high motivation, the employee may continue to burn, fueled by internal resources, but to the detriment of his health.

3- Stage Three – Development of chronic symptoms. Excessive work without rest, especially in workaholics, leads to physical phenomena such as exhaustion and susceptibility to disease, as well as to psychological distress: chronic irritability, aggravated anger or feelings of depression, “cornered”.

4. Stage 4 – Crisis. As a rule, chronic illnesses develop, as a result of which a person partially or completely loses the ability to work. Experiences of dissatisfaction with one’s own efficiency and quality of life increase.

5. Stage Five – Breaking Through the Wall. Physical and psychological problems become acute and can provoke the development of dangerous life-threatening diseases. The employee develops so many problems that his or her career is jeopardized.

The process of burnout development usually looks like this: due to exposure to chronic stressors every day, negative emotions accumulate and begin to feel like an unbearable load. Its weight becomes intolerable and we break down. A large amount of small stressors day in and day out is dangerous! Acute stress in response to large-scale events is more easily tolerated and has less impact on our resilience.

What can trigger burnout?

Organizational risk factors for developing burnout are:

workload;
result-oriented culture, high demands;
the degree of control over one’s own workflow and autonomy;
efficiency of business processes;
monotony of tasks, low level of responsibility;
lack of recognition or reward;
team: fairness, relationships, friendship;
meaning of activity;
ethical conflict (work is perceived as something immoral, unacceptable);
environment: solitude, comfortable conditions for work;
encounter with suffering, pain and injustice in other people;
correspondence of a person’s position to his competences and interests.

Also, people with increased neuroticism (emotional instability), low levels of benevolence and extraversion, high rigidity (not flexible) and perfectionism (especially when combined with self-criticism and a negative attitude towards oneself) are considered more prone to burnout.

Personality traits cannot be changed, but can be compensated for. It is also realistic to work with beliefs, behaviors and personal resources that influence the effectiveness of behavioral strategies at risk of burnout.

At high risk of developing burnout are also:

young people with little work experience;
individuals with high work-family conflict (both areas require more attention than can be given to them while combining both jobs);
young parents;
people who are caring for sick relatives.

Stress response strategies that exacerbate burnout

Quite often, to cope with the onset of burnout or its consequences, people resort to ineffective strategies. These can be devastating to physical and mental health. Usually it is about avoiding problems or, on the contrary, trying to control the situation from A to Z. To improve your condition, you should abandon these strategies.

Let’s analyze the negative strategies in detail.

Avoidance. It can be behavioral (do something else) and cognitive (just don’t think about it). The problem escalates, the sense of control decreases, burnout increases.
Detachment – blockingout unpleasant emotions. It helps in the moment, but later we lose the ability to feel joy and understand our needs. Deterioration in the long term becomes the cause of negative physical symptoms, when in fact the real problem is not being addressed.
Denial and devaluation. This is where we fail to recognize or downplay the importance of the problem. When we don’t see a solution, burnout develops more strongly and unnoticed by the individual.
Capitulation, or learned helplessness – a passive “I can’t change anything” attitude. This is a direct road to burnout and depression. As we lose hope, we lose interest in life.
Self-soothing – “nibbling”, “drinking” and other activities that provide temporary relief. The strategy does not solve the problem and can cause addictions to develop.
Hypercontrol. This is where we do everything we can to avoid negativity. And we encounter the “stress trap” – no matter what a person does, his thoughts will be occupied by frightening circumstances. This will not allow to relax and recover.

Economic consequences of burnout

Burnout affects the economic performance not only of individual companies, but also of the state as a whole. For example, burned-out employees are 63% more likely to take time off work and 2.6 times more likely to look for a new job (according to Gallup).

Depression as a consequence of burnout costs $51 billion and is one of the leading causes of disability in the U.S. (according to Mental Health America).

Constant stress at work is now experienced by more than 2/3 (72%) of Russians, of which 57% complain of professional burnout, showed a recent online survey of 2675 job seekers from all federal districts.

How to cope with emotional burnout?

Emotional burnout can lead to serious physical, emotional and psychological consequences. What kind of consequences?

On a physical level, people suffering from burnout can experience chronic fatigue, insomnia, and headaches. It’s also a realistic place to earn digestive problems, heart problems, and high blood pressure. Sleep and eating disorders can also be exacerbated by constant stress and lack of self-esteem.

On an emotional level, people can experience feelings of helplessness, irritability, apathy, depression, lowered self-esteem, aggression, and feelings of loneliness. There are also problems with concentration, memory, and decision making.

Psychological consequences can be expressed in loss of motivation, cynicism, feelings of dissatisfaction with work, alienation from others, despair, meaninglessness of life. A person loses the meaning of his activity, ceases to enjoy life and loses interest in what used to bring him satisfaction.

In general, emotional burnout can seriously affect the general well-being of a person, his relations with others, professional activity and quality of life. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to your condition and, if necessary, seek help from specialists.

Measures to combat emotional burnout

1. Create a balance between work and personal life. It is important to be able to relax and spend time with family and friends. Have hobbies and pastimes. Rest and relaxation will help restore emotional resources and prevent overwork.

2. Enlist the support of coworkers and supervisors. It is important to have an open dialog with coworkers and supervisors, communicating about problems and stressful situations. Support from those around you can significantly reduce stress levels and help you cope.

3. Take preventative measures to maintain mental health. What does this include? Regular exercise, psychological support, self-development. All of these can help keep things balanced. It’s also important to follow a sensible diet, daily regimen, and ensure you get enough sleep.

Following these measures will help prevent emotional burnout and maintain mental health in general.

If you have symptoms of emotional burnout, it is important to help yourself, first of all by seeking professional help from a psychotherapist or psychologist. They will help you recognize the causes and mechanisms of your burnout, teach you effective stress management strategies, and support you in the process of restoring your mental balance.

Practicing self-care and relaxation is also an important element of helping yourself with symptoms of burnout. This may include practicing yoga, meditation, deep breathing, walking outdoors, reading books or listening to music on a regular basis. It is important to make time to look after yourself and your mental wellbeing.

Changing your job or environment can also be an effective way to help yourself with symptoms of emotional burnout. Consider changing your work schedule, delegating tasks, setting boundaries with coworkers, and finding a new job that is more in line with your needs and values.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help and seek support during difficult times. It’s important to remember that taking care of your emotional well-being is an integral part of taking care of yourself as a whole. By taking care of our inner world, we become more resilient to stress, more effective in our work and relationships, and provide ourselves with a happier and healthier life.