Issue #13: The Burnout Effect
Learn about what burnout is, how to find hope in hard times and how mindfulness reduces pain.
Dear mental health advocate,
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And now, back to the content. burnout is a big problem in our current society. I feel that enormous pressure, the endless possibilities, high expectations and social comparison lead to us exhausting ourselves to the point of no return. Read all about the burnout effect and how to cope in today’s edition!
The Burnout Effect
Around five years ago I entered the grown-up full-time working life. It was a big change. I studied for a very long time getting three degrees, but after a while I really forced myself to start working. I needed money to survive in this world and my student loans were piling up. Changing from being a university student to being an employee for a multinational corporation was a major transition. A stressful one. I had to juggle so many things: navigating corporate life, having responsibilities, dealing with power dynamics, struggling with high expectations and my drive to perform well resulted in a lot of pressure. And I was definitely not the only one. Many people in my environment suffered from the same issues as I did.
The weird thing is, most internalize these struggles. God forbid others notice that you are having difficulties balancing all these responsibilities. I am a strong advocate for sharing and showing your vulnerabilities. Open up and tell people you are not doing well. Or ask for help. But, okay, I guess I understand. People sometimes take advantage when you are vulnerable. Especially a cutthroat corporate environment does not allow emotions or, as they would describe: ‘weaknesses’. So yes, I guess it makes sense people try to hide their suffering and struggle to keep up. Not only external high expectations put pressure on us, as well we have huge internal expectations too.
So what does this lead to?
The numbers don’t lie. A survey conducted by Deloitte showed that around 77% of respondents have experienced some sort of burnout at their current job. When looking at millennials, this number rises to 84%. What I find even more interesting, 87% of employees mention they are passionate about their work but still 64% of them deal with a lot of stress and burnout struggles. This means that there does not necessarily needs to be a discrepancy between the work you do and your ideals or passions to experience burnout. I suspect that many factors contribute to these high numbers. Because most of us have seen increased wealth in our countries over the last 50 years, more is possible. We have an infinite amount of choices we can make. More people can go and study AND we have increased access to the digital world.
Yes, this is overall a good thing. But it also leads to comparing ourselves with others. We are taught from a young age that the sky is the limit, as long as we work hard we can fulfil our dreams. Instagram is full of successful people with money, fame and a seemingly perfect life. Many of us might have a considerably good life, much better than our grandparents for example. But it might not feel that way. The fast-paced environment makes us believe we have got to run. Preferably even faster than yesterday. It can always be better or smarter. Well, we should be careful. Humankind is not made for constant stress.
The 12 stages and signs of burnout
The difficult part about burnouts is that they do not happen overnight. A burnout is a state of long-term physical and/or emotional exhaustion, often caused by persistent stress at a job. The problem is the cycle. There is something happening that is stressful, and to cope you put in extra effort. You overcome. Then, another stressful thing happens. You put extra effort in again, all while draining your battery. More energy goes out of the battery than comes in, slowly. That’s what makes it so difficult. You move your boundaries so slowly that you don’t notice it, until it is too late. Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, who first coined the term burnout also defined a 12-stage model how burnout generally develops:
Stage 1: You feel there is a strong need to prove yourself.
Stage 2: You keep working harder and harder to achieve this.
Stage 3: You begin to neglect your needs more and more.
Stage 4: You are conflicted and blame others for the situation.
Stage 5: You change your values to focus on work more.
Stage 6: You deny the problems that arise due to work stress.
Stage 7: You withdraw from social life and your family as well.
Stage 8: Your behavior changes which upsets loved ones.
Stage 9: Depersonalization occurs, you do not feel like yourself anymore.
Stage 10: You feel empty and numb, substance abuse can occur.
Stage 11: You feel depressed, lost and completely exhausted.
Stage 12: You mentally and physically collapse, full burnout.
During these stages, there are several signs that burnout is occurring:
Feeling completely drained and exhausted, lacking the energy to finish (basic) tasks and chores and a loss of interest in doing things
Physical symptoms like headaches and feeling numb, especially when confronted with work.
At work, you are cynical towards your job and colleagues, there are performance issues.
Experiencing the inability to cope with life and people around you, as well as having negative thoughts about doing things.
Burnout triggers, risks and different types
Dealing with a burnout is more likely to occur in certain situations. There are definitely some risks. Two people with the same job do not necessarily both develop a burnout. Psychologists have defined the following triggers and risks that contribute to burnouts:
A work overload. When there is too much to do and too little time to finish, it can become more difficult to do your work properly.
Lack of control. If the outcomes of your job and the environment are not possible to control it leads to a lack of autonomy.
Insufficient rewards. Working like crazy without getting proper benefits or rewards causes an imbalance. Appreciation is required to enjoy work.
Absence of fairness. Is your colleague not working as hard but instead getting a promotion? Unfair treatment and broken trust will cause cynicism and frustration.
Lack of community. If you do not have any support or people to fall back on, loneliness will make it harder to thrive in a stressful job or environment.
Conflicting values. A company or job where values do not align with yours, it becomes harder to stand behind the work you do.
Psychologist Farber researched burnout and found that he could discern three particular subtypes, which I found quite interesting to learn about:
The under-challenged type: this person is very unstimulated at work. The work is repetitive and results in boredom, as the person has become indifferent. Nowadays you might know this term better as a ‘bore-out’.
The frenetic type: this person is very ambitious and wants to be successful, the person works increasingly harder and often becomes overwhelmed and tired because of the workload.
The worn-out type: this person is succumbing due to a lot of stress and gives up entirely. They feel a complete lack of control and neglected by everything around them.
Coping with a burnout: what to do?
When it comes to a burnout, prevention is a much easier solution than trying to heal from a full stage 12 burnout. People who reach that stage are completely floored, and the road to recovery is a long and slow process. No matter where you are in the burnout model, whether it is a pre-burnout (stage 1 to 11) or a full burnout (stage 12), these coping strategies could help:
Emotional coping strategies:
Think about your boundaries and set them clearly.
Formulate your values, what is important to you?
Try mindfulness to relax your mind and remain calm.
Pick up creative projects to stimulate your mind and distract.
Physical coping strategies:
Exercise regularly and get enough fresh air outside.
Sleep enough so your body and mind can restore.
Listen to your body and eat healthy, avoid substances like alcohol.
Professional coping strategies:
If possible, take a (long-term) break from work or switch careers
If not possible, try to find value in your work or things you enjoy.
Focus on creating a better work-life balance by prioritizing tasks.
Social coping strategies:
Discuss your struggles with people close to you and ask support.
Try to become friends with coworkers to feel less lonely.
Avoid people that exude negative energy.
📚 Some Good Reads
Here you can find some great reads by other psychologists, therapists and journalists. Free to access and of course related to our mental health!
Reading the news can be tricky. For me, it is important to stay updated what happens around us, but sometimes the negativity and doom thoughts can be overwhelming. Psychologist Tamar Chansky gives some tips how to stay hopeful when the going gets tough all around us. Read ‘Finding Hope in Hard Times’ in Psychology Today here.
Yes, I often preach the benefits of mindfulness. No, it is not the solution to everything. But still need convincing why it actually helps a lot? A study done at University of California San Diego School of Medicine reveals how mindfulness improves pain perception. Read the article ‘Mindfulness meditation reduces pain by separating it from the self?’ in Science Daily here.
There is a lot of discussion in the mental health field about genes and how much they contribute to mental disorders. While there is not a 1-on-1 relationship, psychologists at University of Colorado at Boulder found that some genes are shared in certain conditions. Read ‘Various Mental Illnesses Share Same Genes: Study’ in U.S. News here.
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My name is Alf Lokkertsen and I am a psychologist and writer, creating mental health content for you. My passion is to raise awareness about topics related to psychology, as it has helped me greatly in my personal life. I strongly believe that many problems could be avoided or dealt with better if everyone had some in-depth psychology knowledge.
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Burnout - my God, it’s literally everywhere post the Coronavirus Coronacoaster!
Medics for one are sick of hearing resilience training & yoga & want someone to come help treat them.
Found 2 therapies in practice that help - solution focused therapy & the Blast Technique.
Writing a book on this focused on Imposter Syndrome and think this group might have some really challenging feedback on the idea if anyone was interested