What is Burnout? Main Signs and Causes

Burnout is a state of chronic physical, emotional and mental exhaustion resulting from prolonged stress that does not go away after rest. It is characterised by emptiness, decreased performance, indifference and loss of interest in work and everyday life. It often manifests itself as fatigue, cynicism, and difficulty concentrating. The signs and causes of burnout are described in familiar signs and symbols.

Main symptoms

Let’s take a closer look at the main symptoms of burnout that many people experience.

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Emotional exhaustion

Emotional exhaustion is almost always observed in burnout. It is characterised by apathy and a loss of interest in everything that is happening around you. You find yourself in a state of indifference, becoming uninvolved in the reality around you. You may also suffer from feelings of depression: hopelessness, loss of interest in life.

Emotional exhaustion is accompanied by irritability and acute reactions even to minor irritants. Other negative aspects include:

Feeling helpless. Feeling unable to cope with everyday tasks and difficulties that previously seemed solvable.
Panic attacks. A sudden feeling of intense fear and emotional discomfort, accompanied by physical symptoms.
Feelings of guilt. Self-flagellation for real or imagined mistakes and shortcomings.

Attention! If you suspect you are experiencing emotional burnout, consult a psychologist or psychotherapist.

Detachment

Detachment often refers to an unwillingness to perform any duties. This condition is also called depersonalisation. It is the body’s response to chronic stress.

The person becomes detached, internally distancing themselves from what previously concerned them so much. They feel indifferent to what is happening around them, and if they perform their duties, it is purely formally, without any so-called ‘enthusiasm’.

With detachment, the ability to empathise with loved ones almost completely disappears: if a relative is sad or crying, it causes nothing but irritation.

Attention! Burnout does not happen in a day; it is caused by a number of factors. They accumulate, gradually depleting a person’s emotional resources. Burnout differs from fatigue in that its symptoms do not disappear after a weekend or even a holiday.

Decreased efficiency

Many people experiencing burnout complain of low productivity and a lack of positive dynamics, despite the fact that they put a lot of effort into their work.

It becomes difficult for a person to cope with the amount of work that previously did not seem so difficult. There is a drop in productivity, difficulty concentrating, and mistakes in routine tasks.

Causes

Burnout is best described as ‘chronic’ because it develops over months and sometimes years. It is caused by a combination of factors that deplete a person’s physical and emotional resources, ranging from excessive workload and lack of control over work processes to life challenges and personality traits.

Chronic stress at work

Chronic stress at work is one of the most common causes of burnout. This condition is caused by regular overtime and impossible deadlines, which deplete the body’s resources and prevent it from fully recovering.

Burnout can be triggered by a lack of control over work processes — when a person feels that they are unable to adjust their workload, goals or methods of performing tasks. Gradually, this leads to a feeling of helplessness.

People who perform monotonous work and are stuck in a routine often complain of burnout. Monotonous tasks do not provide the opportunity for growth or change that most people desire.

Burnout can be caused by a lack of recognition and feedback — when efforts go unnoticed, employees develop a feeling of uselessness.

Professional burnout syndrome develops against a backdrop of conflict or tense relationships with colleagues, superiors or clients. It is caused by misunderstanding, lack of support, as well as:

inefficient time management — an overly busy schedule of meetings, lack of time for rest;
unrealistic or vaguely defined expectations from management, lack of clarity in job responsibilities;
lack of balance between work and personal life — long hours that interfere with personal life and rest.

When there is conflict or bullying from colleagues in the workplace, or harassment, a feeling of ‘falling out’ of the team arises — this also does not lead to anything good.

Poor working conditions: lack of holidays, low wages, non-payment or delay in payment of bonuses can easily lead to burnout, as can an overly stressful working day and the need to constantly meet targets and KPIs. Added to this are numerous distractions that make it impossible to concentrate and the need to constantly switch between tasks.

Please note! Not all stress causes burnout — much depends on individual abilities and strategies for coping with stress, the availability of support from those around you, and the characteristics of the working environment.

Life challenges

One of the causes of burnout lies in life challenges. Its symptoms arise when a person faces prolonged stress, excessive pressure or emotionally difficult situations. For example, they may be forced to work two jobs to pay for the treatment of a close relative or to pay off a mortgage, otherwise they will have nowhere to live.

In such situations, the sense of responsibility puts a lot of pressure on the psyche, and the lack of support from relatives also has an impact. The condition can be exacerbated by the discrepancy between expectations and reality, and the lack of time for oneself.

Personality traits

Certain personality traits can lead to emotional burnout:

Perfectionism — the desire to achieve perfection, constant fear of making mistakes, unrealistic standards.
Excessive responsibility — the belief that everything depends solely on the individual, that they are obliged to control even those things that are objectively beyond their power.
Low stress tolerance and difficulty regulating emotions — negative feelings ranging from anxiety to anger and disappointment that are difficult to contain or express constructively.
External locus of control — the belief that events in life are controlled by external forces, superiors, fate or the system, rather than by one’s own efforts and actions.
Pessimism — the habit of seeing constant and personal reasons for failure in everything, which undermines motivation to act.

Recovery from burnout can be compared to a marathon. It takes from 3 months to half a year, and sometimes even longer. In severe cases of burnout, temporary removal from work may be necessary, and possibly a change in socialisation and environment.