Intense fatigue, feeling of being squeezed like a lemon… “Burn out” is a syndrome of professional exhaustion. What are the causes ? How do I know if I’m burning out?
Burnout is a very contemporary illness, also known as “burnout syndrome”. The term “burn out” cannot not be used for parental burnout (we cannot speak of “parental burnout”) since it is reserved for the professional context.
Definition: what is burnout?
Burn out (“burn” means “to burn” in English) is a syndrome which brings together several symptoms characteristic of professional burnout. “Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic occupational stress that has not been successfully managed” defines the WHO in the ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases). “At first, it seems like the walls are holding, but it’s just a facade. In reality, we can no longer resist thestress build-up prolonged and repeated in his work. We are mentally and physically exhausted. And all of a sudden, it collapses. We end up collapsing, as devoured from the insidewhile displaying a pleasant facade: that’s what burn-out is.” explains Dr Yves-Victor Kamami.
What are the signs of burnout?
According to the WHO definition, the symptoms of burnout are:
- a feeling of intense fatigue and exhaustion,
- negative or cynical feelings related to work,
- reduced professional efficiency.
At first : burnout starts without the affected person being aware of it by a over-commitment to one’s professional activity during which the person feels fulfilled. Over the months or years, this overactivity begins to spill over into family and social life. A anxiety manifests worsened by the fear of no longer being as efficient and effective. The first faults appear and the afraid of doing wrong is compensated by the desire to work even more. Several years generally pass before the collapse occurs, which sometimes manifests itself by the sudden onset, one morning of the impossibility of getting up to go to work but also by signs of depression.
The following may then occur:
- irritability,
- sleep disorders,
- oversights
- a feeling of worthlessness.
- the feeling of being “empty”, to no longer be able to recharge your batteries
- great fatigue at the idea of going to work which does not disappear during rest periods, weekends and vacations.
People gradually become detached, negative and indifferent. We then observe a drop in positive consideration towards people encountered in professional life which can spill over into social and personal life. “They have the impression of being like a squeezed lemon“, compares Doctor Kamami. According to him, “as long as you maintain an interest in your private life, in your loved ones, in your family, it’s still okay. But watch out for the next step, when it spills over into private life. People completely shut down: they cut themselves off from their relationships, their activities…They don’t do anything anymore, except sleep. Privacy no longer exists. At that moment, you have to react, these are the symptoms of burn-out.”
Who can burn out?
“Everyone can be affected by professional burnout, whatever one’s profession and sector of activity, certain risk factors are common to many work situations: work overload, loss of meaning, isolation and successive reorganizations. specifies psychologist Magali Manzano. “THE women are particularly affected by burn-out”, specifies Dr Kamani. Increasingly involved professionally, they must manage professional life and at the same time the concerns of family life.
The doctor questions the patient’s symptoms and work situation. A psychological assessment is imperative to implement medical treatment and psychological monitoring, after a blood test has eliminated any infection explaining the fatigue.
► The MBI test, Maslach Burnout Inventory was established in 1986. It explores three aspects: exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment. The test CBI, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory focuses on personal burnout, professional burnout and relational burnout. These are two self-assessment scales. If their results do not have medical diagnostic value, they can provide information on the opportunity to seek medical or psychological help.
How to get out of burnout?
Burnout management must be organized in several stages: rest (sick leave, general practitioner), identity reconstruction (therapy), accompaniment to a new professional project (occupational psychologist), help with returning to work (occupational doctor). Care and treatment methods are assessed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity of the symptoms.
► Stop. The first step of treatment is to prescribe a work stoppage. The latter lasts as long as necessary: it is essential to initiate the healing process. The patient needs rest.
► Get help. Treating burnout involves psychotherapy provided by a clinical occupational psychologist.
► Learn to relax to reduce stress and anxiety. “When you are out of breath, you need to know how to refocus and concentrate on your breath and the present moment. It’s about breathing deeply : inhale then empty your lungs slowly while listening to the sound of your own breathing.“You have to try at least once or twice and the more you do it, the simpler it becomes to enter into meditation,” explains the doctor. Besides, it is not no need to be quiet to meditate : you can do it at work, in your car during a traffic jam, on public transport, in the queue at a supermarket, etc. “Meditation practiced regularly, repeatedly, over and over again, even for just a few minutes a day, quickly becomes a discipline which helps to better nourish and restore the body and mind, to better understand oneself and to discover one’s own inner resources, to better accept one’s limits”, describes Dr. Kamami. Thalassotherapy and hydrotherapy treatments can also be effective.
► Put in place protective covers to no longer “endure” throughout the day. Doctor Yves-Victor Kamami therefore advisesapply the principles of positive psychology which is somewhat similar to the Coué method. Also, one of the exercises usually recommended is to remember before bed, three good moments of the day. It’s about remembering the details, rediscovering the emotions experienced and savoring them again. A compliment, a smile, a treat, a joke… Another tip: smile ! “Smile soothes, allows you to better savor the beautiful things in life and makes you feel better, more pleasant, more positive, not to mention that it is contagious for those around you.” describes the doctor.
► Getting (back) into sport. Regular practice of sport relieves stress and restores self-confidence, just like rest or relaxation. We have to choose what we want: team or individual sports, exercises to practice at home or outside, etc. In addition, we favor a balanced diet.
Preventing burnout requires early identification of warning signs
► Anxiolytics and antidepressants if necessary. This prescription is not systematic for treating burnout. It can be considered in the most serious situations, in association with psychotherapy.
► A gradual return to work. The return to work is envisaged gradually, after a pre-resumption consultation with the occupational physician. To be carried out in the best conditions, the return to work must be organized in collaboration with the company: modification of the working environment, reorientation of the activity, rearrangement of the organization, definition of new projects, etc.
Preventing burnout involves early recognition of warning signs and the establishment of an appropriate work organization (regulation of workload, meaning and recognition). It is essential to avoid a worsening of symptoms and possible dramatic consequences.
Thanks to Magali Manzano, occupational psychologist in the occupational health service and “occupational health” project manager within the French Federation of Psychologists and Psychology (FFPP), for her medical validation. And to Dr Yves-Victor Kamami, author of the book “How to avoid burn-out” published by Editions du Dauphin.