Burnout Trap. The Reverse Side Of Helping Professions - Quality Of Life, Self-development

Professional, or emotional, burnout is a painfully hot topic. While diligence and multitasking are reasons for every resume owner to be proud of, we are all doomed to live in a regime of chronic overwork. Add to that the need to constantly interact with people - and burnout is right there

What is the threat of burnout of specialists in helping professions to consumers of their services?

One day in the life of a burnout

… Morning, dark. The hated alarm clock rings. From the very moment of awakening, the head is cast-iron and I want to sleep for another month without getting up. The morning feed contains news about the economic collapse, natural disasters and happy photos of friends at an expensive resort. And I'm on the subway, shoulder to shoulder with coughing students.

The working day begins with clearing away yesterday's rubble - and today's ones are already starting to pile up. In the reception area, irritated visitors, the authorities impose new, high demands … Do they really not understand that I am a living person ?! And the amount left on the card is enough for exactly one modest dinner.

The whole day is filled with other people's problems and troubles, which I will have to deal with. But the result is still unlikely to satisfy the suffering. It’s not clear why I’m doing this at all. But my job meant so much to me!

It will not be possible to leave in time again … It's good if you have enough strength to go to the store on your way home. What hobby can we talk about when my legs are able to carry me only to the sofa and TV? I ought to meet with an old friend, although whom I am deceiving, people are already sick of it.

On the screen - joyful faces, romance, adventure, dream life. Oh yeah, and a feed of photos, of course. Bloggers who know how to live, eat and fall in love right. Funny videos, from which a long-forgotten glimpse of carelessness appears in the soul, and even something like a smile on your face. Leafing through, leafing through, I cannot tear myself away until two in the morning. Eh, I won't get enough sleep again. Now the hated alarm clock is ringing …

How do you feel now that you have immersed yourself in this image? How different is it from your everyday experiences? I would like to wish all of us to be far from this. But take a look around. There are many more such people around you than it seems. And one of them might be your husband's doctor, your child's caregiver, your boss, or even your psychologist. It's about burnout.

Stress or Burnout?

Stress and burnout are just about the most common concepts in modern psychological self-help guides. But it's important to understand that stress itself is awesome. It makes us faster, stronger, and increases our efficiency.

A person at rest goes to the treadmill, begins to move his legs faster, his heart beats faster, and the cardiovascular system rejoices at the opportunity to pump his endurance with a stress response. But here's an important point: a person gets off the treadmill, heart rate and breathing slow down, a state of conditional rest returns. Physical stress ends.

Only here you can't turn off everyday and work stress like a simulator. Household chores give way to work duties, which are generously strewn with anxiety for themselves and their loved ones, cleaning and mortgage await at home, and the children have not learned their lessons. We all carry tons of stress on our shoulders, which our bodies deal with as best they can. And sometimes it cannot, and then an overload occurs.

Unlike stress, which is the body's normal response to increased physical, intellectual and emotional stress, burnout is the end. A vicious circle of perfectionism, inhuman working conditions and a lack of mental hygiene skills leads us to this dead end

If the stress in your life has become chronic, then burnout always lies around the corner. The bad news is that burnout vaccinations, such that once and for all, do not happen - only persistent, regular, daily prevention in the form of self-care works.

Why does burnout happen?

According to Christina Maslak (in Russian-language sources she is more often called Maslach), the leading researcher of the phenomenon of burnout, this condition appears when two factors are combined:

In other words, any work with people that requires concentration and responsibility from us increases our risk of burnout. That is why representatives of the service sector (sales, customer service, marketing) and management, law enforcement agencies and, of course, helping professions, especially the non-profit sector: doctors and nurses, teachers, social workers, hotline consultants, psychologists are most susceptible to burnout. and psychotherapists.

The last candle on the burnout cake is a long-term conflict of a person's capabilities and intentions with the conditions for their implementation in work and life. For example, if the salary, in your opinion, does not compensate for the efforts that you put into your work. Or if the requirements of the leadership are contrary to your moral and ethical principles. Or if your enthusiasm and creativity run up against the concrete wall of regulations and protocols over and over again. Finally, if you are forced to endure discrimination, criticism, humiliation from colleagues, clients or bosses. And especially if all this lasts for months and years

The most unpleasant paradox is that burnout itself causes behavioral changes: a person begins to do things that will only make it worse. Do you think that the final burnout nurse at the rayon clinic will sleep more, engage in regular exercise, include more protein and fiber in her diet, and build close, trusting relationships with people who are willing to provide support? Oh, hardly.

As a rule, people who burn out begin to resort to the least effective methods of emotional avoidance: alcohol, overeating, computer games, TV shows, social networks, passive rest and social isolation. And workaholism, of course. Everything we love. As you might have guessed, burnout doesn't get any less.

Ethics issue

In our country, the topic of burnout is only gaining popularity. Very few professionals in the field of education, healthcare and customer service seek professional help. Selected gold employers provide mental hygiene facilities for their staff, such as lounges, relaxation equipment, mindfulness training, and extended insurance packages. Only now, not all employees understand the true value of these gifts or even suspect about such amenities.

At the same time, employers are most interested in promoting the topic of preventing burnout. A burnt out worker is an ineffective worker. Its productivity and quality of work decreases, customers leave, the organization suffers losses. Plus, burnout is highly contagious. As soon as someone alone begins to express their depressive moods in a team, this becomes the norm: gradually people in whole departments plunge into a background state of irritation, dissatisfaction and meaninglessness. The staff turnover begins.

Obviously, this also has a detrimental effect on those whom such specialists are called to help. Abroad, the burnout of psychologists, doctors and educators is viewed as an ethical violation. It is believed that the specialist is responsible for his own state of mind. He should reduce the load and start restoring his psychological and physical health as soon as he feels the first signs of burnout. Otherwise, if he begins to load himself with additional work, then at least it will be ineffective. Or he will even start to harm his clients, patients or students.