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Nowadays, we all tend to run for everything and everywhere, whether it is to complete tasks or solve situations. That's why burn-out is insidious and can be explained through things that may seem insignificant, but are nevertheless heavy with consequences...
- The extent -
The « Haute Autorité de la Santé » (HAS) defines burn-out as a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion resulting from a prolonged investment in situations that are nervously and emotionally demanding. Experiencing a burn-out is an extremely difficult life event. It is usually preceded by warning signals, and reducing us to mourn, like touching a raw nerve each time.
However, make no mistake, the people affected are not fragile, unstable or incompetent. They are usually more resistant than the average person, with a professional ethic of unbounded loyalty that pushes them to do more with less and to exceed the limits of reasonableness.
Burn-out overwhelms, upsets, grabs and can lead to suicide. But in spite of the horror of living this total emptiness, it can also become an opportunity : an occasion to reflect, to listen to oneself, to take stock, to change, to do things differently... and above all to take care of ourselves. Like a storm that would raze everything and force us to make a new start.
- Just a little stressed -
The difference between « being stressed » and « being burnt-out » is a hair's breadth. It is necessary to recognize and admit our condition. This awareness allows us to identify and be able to address our ailments to our doctor, our therapist and our employer. This is how we can begin to heal and avoid finding ourselves, once again, on the edge of the precipice.
We need to identify the source of our pain : poor communication, conflict, workload, competitive spirit, mass of problems to be dealt with, contradictory instructions and lack of consideration/recognition, not to mention having to make up for the backlog of others. The watchword is to listen to ourselves and initiate essential changes and/or simply get out of there.
The feelings of burn-out are extreme and quickly become uncontrollable :
CHANGE OF MOOD : Generally a cheerful person, we notice that, for some time, our good mood has faded. We have become cynical, irascible and our anger does not seem to subside and it’s eating us inside.
FATIGUE AND ILLNESS : We have always been in fairly good health, but lately we feel constantly exhausted/drained, we have trouble sleeping, we can no longer rest, relax. We are more and more prey to disease : the slightest microbe that passes is for us.
DOUBT AND INATTENTION : While we have always been meticulous, precise and decisive, we now question everything : we doubt our choices and our actions. We can no longer concentrate or think clearly, so much so that we make silly, recurring mistakes or forget things. Where we were satisfied with ourselves, our work and our relationships, without understanding where it comes from, we are now critical of everything we do, say, think, experience and those around us.
- What pushes us to overdo -
Our rise in stress is proportional to the difficulty and complexity of our tasks. This level increases when the requirement and the technical demand exceed our knowledge or is out of our comfort zone. This can be solved by preparing and developing appropriate new skills.
Unfortunately, not all our behaviours have such simple solutions and some of them can push us naturally to excess :
PERFECTIONISM : Achieving perfection is a vein and counter-productive quest. It not only lowers our self-esteem, but it also wastes our time on things that are not worth it. If any feedback is given to us, we will note it and do better next time, but there is no need to beat ourselves up (no one is perfect).
THE NEED TO CONTROL EVERYTHING : This is a perverse effect that prevents us from delegating and trusting anyone. We are not responsible for the delay taken by others, we do not have to do the work of others, they must also justify their salary. Everyone is free to work in their own way, we must accommodate ourselves with that and not trying to work against it.
HEROISM/MARTYRSHIP : Let's face it, this is an illusory attempt to draw attention to ourselves, in the hope of obtaining recognition. Despite the fact that we always have a smile, the desire to help, that we juggle with the imperatives, we will always be disappointed. We’re scattered and drowned under the weight of things, harbouring resentment for those who play the carrot game (which becomes a stick) and add more to our sorrow, instead of seeing us.
EXCESSIVE ANTICIPATION : Imagining the worst scenario is not a negative approach in work, it allows us to put in place alternative solutions when things turn out unfavourably. However, if we don't pay attention to it, it can become a source of anxiety and become obsessive or compulsive behavioural disorders.
DEFINE OURSELVES BY WORK : As artists or musicians, we are very invested in our work, because it is representative of our identity, of our essence. Therefore, when a piece or a performance is criticized, undermined or does not work as we hoped, it is difficult not to take it personally and to not bear the weight of this failure. But we are not alone, some people define themselves through their work and the negative feedbacks and/or results have overwhelming and destructive consequences.
- Getting out of it -
Talking about our burn-out is essential to progress and avoid any relapse. Transforming a difficult life experience is not easy and our reconstruction will only be consolidated over time and by giving meaning/importance to our life (There are discussion groups dedicated to people suffering or having suffered from burn-out).
We must step back, scan our environment, our surroundings, our working conditions (place, hours, relations with colleagues and superiors, travel, overload, noise, etc.) and integrate/negotiate changes :
CORPORATE CULTURE : Listening promotes the quality of private and professional life, everyone must feel integrated and confident in order to progress.
MATERIAL NEEDS : Creating a comfortable workplace is a first step. This involves the layout of our space (type of furniture) according to our way of working and our tasks. Without neglecting ergonomic issues (noise insulation, sufficient brightness, screen height, quality of our seat).
OUR AUTONOMY : By organizing our working hours, via flexible hours and/or teleworking, we can find a balance between our private and professional life. And the bonus is that it will prove to us that our employer trusts us.
We will also have to question ourselves, since it is our management of things that has contributed to this fall :
PROTECT THE BALANCE : Our private life is just as important as our professional life. So let's leave at a reasonable time, staying late just to stay late doesn't help, especially if we're tired. Evenings and weekends (except in cases of force majeure) serve to disconnect us. No one can blame us for not being reachable outside our working hours : We don't check our professional emails, our company chat and do anything related to our work. We need to reload the batteries and catch our breath. On the same line, we must learn to delegate and to say « NO » for certain things.
PRESERVE OURSELVES : We need to rest, sleep, exercise and eat enough food. If we neglect ourselves, it will damage our physical and mental health and the of those around us. So, during our working days : Let's take breaks (every 90 minutes), get up, stretch and rest our eyes away from screens (including those of our tablets and smartphones).
TAMING OUR THOUGHTS : Thoughts and emotions are made of two families : Those that produce energy (joy, confidence, gratitude, pride, etc.) and those that consume it (fear, jealousy, disappointment, shame, guilt, etc.). They function as messengers, drawing on our reserves. We must hear them, sort them out and react accordingly, if we don't want them to deplete our emotional capital (let's do this without judging and underestimating ourselves).
MEET WITH OURSELVES : To refocus or rediscover ourselves, we can develop short or medium-term projects, to feel alive. Either by doing activities that give us energy and revive us. Either by stopping to make plans on the comet and by resting our brains. Whatever our choice, the essential thing is to find our smile back and above all to laugh, because laughing reduces stress hormones and increases our immune capital.
Conclusions
A year ago, to the day, the axe fell for me… diagnosis : Burn-out! I had to understand my responsibility in this fall, in order to be able to do everything possible to get back on my feet, so that I can continue to be effective at work, without being shaken and rushed unnecessarily.
The notion of well-being is above all abstract and its evaluation is essentially subjective. And when we're passionate about our work, we don't always realize how much we're neglecting ourselves, or at least we don't take the time to weigh the excessive mental load we carry. We want to satisfy and/or succeed, but these same bills in the hands of treacherous and inconsiderate colleagues or employers, make us prime candidates to burn-out.
What do you think?
