What is the Relationship Between Burnout and Mental Health?

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What is Burnout?

Burnout is not just feeling tired at work. It is an emotional, mental, and physical reaction to consistent stress. When work demands frequently build up, it leaves a toll on you. You might start to feel overworked and unappreciated.
 
Burnout syndrome is a thief of productivity and energy and can disturb your personal life. You might come home feeling totally dreadful and drained the next day. You stop caring or simply feel you have nothing more to give. That’s why there is a close relation between burnout and mental health.

What is the Difference Between Physical and Emotional Burnout?

Burnout can be grouped into two main categories or types, physical and emotional. These two are different in the way they present themselves.

 

Physical Burnout:

Physical burnout has physical consequences. The body of an individual takes a toll. This could look like increased injuries, lack of sleep, pain, or other physical side effects that are caused by the overuse of the body of a person.

 

Emotional Burnout :

Emotional burnout leaves a negative impact on  emotional well-being of a person. Signs or symptoms of emotional burnout might include decreased satisfaction, loss of motivation, feelings of being trapped, feelings of hopelessness, a sense of failure, and increased cynical outlook.
While different, these two types of burnout frequently overlap. A person can experience both emotional and physical burnout at once, which happens often.

 

What is the Relationship Between Burnout and Mental Health?

While burnout syndrome is not a mental health disorder, it is closely attached to a few. Burnout can be a cause of a psychological disorder, but sometimes mental health issues can also lead to burnout. A study that is conducted by the University of Macedonia reported that burnout has a close  relationship with both anxiety and depression.

 

Effect of Burnout on Mental Health

 There are various effects that burnout can cause on your mental health. ‌People suffering from work burnout may be at risk for:
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Distress
  • Shortened attention span
  • Lack of motivation
  • Poor decision-making
  • Cynical or negative outlook on life

 

Causes of Work Burnout

Every person has a different situation, and work burnout may be caused by one thing or a combination of reasons. The main causes for work burnout are a lack of appreciation or a high workload . Other reasons that can lead to it may include:
  • Lack of control in the workplace
  • Lack of social support
  • Lack of fairness
  • Skills that are not in line with your role
  • Not being recognized for the efforts

 

Mental Burnout Symptoms

There are many days when we require huge determination to leave our bed and when we feel overloaded, helpless, or unappreciated. If you have all these feelings most of the time, however, you may be burned out.
Burnout is a slow process. It does not happen overnight, but it can sneak up on you. The burnout signs and symptoms are delicate at first, but become worse with the passage of time. So, burnout and mental health are interlinked.
Early symptoms are a red flag that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. If you pay attention to these symptoms and actively reduce your stress, you can avoid a major breakdown. If you neglect them, you will eventually burn out.

Physical Signs and Symptoms of Burnout

  • Feeling tired most of the time.
  • Lowered immunity, constant illnesses.
  • Frequent muscle pain and headaches.
  • Change in sleep habits and appetite.

 

Emotional Signs and Symptoms of Burnout

  • Sense of self-doubt and failure.
  • Feeling trapped, helpless, and defeated.
  • Unconcerned, feeling alone in the world.
  • Loss of motivation.
  • Increasingly negative and cynical outlook.
  • Decreased satisfaction and sense of achievement.

 

Behavioral Signs and Symptoms of Burnout

  • Withdrawing from responsibilities.
  • Isolating from others.
  • Delaying, taking longer to get things done.
  • Using drugs, alcohol, or food to cope.
  • Taking frustrations out on others.
  • skipping work, coming in late and leaving early.

When asked to determine the symptoms of burnout and mental health, 85% of adults in UK correctly identified the symptoms of burnout, while 68% adults identified symptoms of anxiety by mistake.

 

Burnout Vs Depression

Burnout and depression can have similar physical symptoms, but they are not the same.
The main difference between burnout and depression is that burnout can cause a depressive episode, but depression does not cause burnout. There are various ways to prevent and cope with burnout and mental health issues like depression.

 

How to Recover from Burnout

If you think you are suffering from burnout, there are many steps you can take to improve your situation and mindset:

 

Cut off contact with negative people: 

Negative people can spread their negative energy to you and let down your mood. You should try to stay away from the negative people as much as you can.

 

Reach out to your close one: 

Talking to your family or partner about how you think and feel at work can be helpful. Do not assume you are burdening others. Most people will be applauded for trusting them.

 

Socialize with coworkers:

Socializing with the people you spend the workday with may help ease the grind. Try to start a conversation in the break-room instead of checking your phone.

 

Make new friends: 

Meeting new people and make new friends can take your mind off of work and will expand your friends and social circle.

 

Take time off:

Few times, all we need is some time off. Use sick days, vacation days, or a temporary leave of absence. Rethink and figure out where you need to make changes.

 

Try to find value in work: 

Try to see value in the work that you do. Maybe it is an essential role that helps people, or one that needs a certain skill level. Focus on parts that you can enjoy.

 

Set boundaries: 

Boundaries are essential in every area of life. Saying no to tasks can help you gain a sense of control.

 

Make time to relax: 

Try mediation, yoga, or practice mindfulness.

 

Get creative:

Pick up a new hobby or try an old one. Draw, paint, or make crafts. Creativity is a strong force against your work burnout.
By following all these steps you may reduce work burnout and mental health issues.
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