Recognizing and Preventing the Disease of the 21st Century

Sometimes everyone feels tired after an intense work week or completion of an important project. But in the modern world, exhaustion turns out to be our constant companion. So, why can even the best job ever become a burden for us and cause real health problems? Let’s dive deep into this topic and figure out how to recognize the burnout symptoms at the right stage to avoid unhealthy consequences.

Scientists no longer consider professional burnout a mental state but classify it as a disease that negatively affects the state of health. Statistically proved that during 2020 after a mass switch to remote work the burnout problem has not disappeared but reached an unprecedented proportion. According to the study completed by Monster online platform, approximately 70% of employees experience emotional burnout while working from home, and this percentage is even higher among females. But, even considering such impressive figures, most people still don’t pay due attention to this problem and tend to try to sort it out on their own.

Attempts to deal with the burnout consequences is one of the key mistakes which can lead to real troubles. That is why it is crucially important to track body signals to identify a problem at the very early stage and act immediately.

The term “burnout” itself has been invented in 1974 by American psychologist Herbert J. Freudenberger, who compared the emotional state of a person to a burned-out house. From the outside, the structure can seem undamaged, but inside there is complete devastation.

Typically, the symptoms of “burnout” feel those people whose profession involves maximum communication and social interaction: teachers, psychologists, social workers, but in the modern world everyone is at risk. That is why the World Health Organization has recently officially recognized burnout as a disease.

Burnout in the IT Field

IT specialists are also quite familiar with burnout. Numerous studies by independent online resources demonstrate that about 60% of IT professionals have experienced such conditions. Experts explain this by the fact that IT specialists concentrate on intellectual activity which includes creating logical connections, quick decision-making processes, processing a large amount of data. Such type of activity “turns off” senses and leads to ignoring body signals. On top of this, the majority of tech-specialists continue learning and working even in their free time: they read professional articles and books, play computer games, communicate on the work-related topics in their professional communities. In this situation, burnout is almost inevitable.

Prevention is the best cure.

To prevent emotional burnout psychologists recommend drawing your own life balance model from time to time. The balance model by Nossrat Peseschkian represents a balance among the four areas of body/health, work/achievement, contacts/relationships, and future/meaning which is vital for one’s health. To reduce the risk of emotional disbalance, and emotional burnout, as a result, we have to distribute time and attention between all components proportionally.

Once you have noticed the first signs of burnout complete three easy but important steps

• Recognize a problem, but don’t panic. Take a break from your work, delegate important tasks to your team members or business partners and analyze your own mental state.

• Pay due attention to proper rest. Don’t let stress take over and form a critical mass.

• Set up your life priorities and new inspiring goals.