The term burnout was introduced by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in 1974 as a state characterized by three symptoms: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a decreased sense of accomplishment. WHO included burnout in the ICD-11 in May 2019, the international classification of diseases compendium. It is now defined as an occupational phenomenon, a syndrome that results from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
Are you at risk of burnout? Here are 5 key signs to look out for:
1. Everything is high-priority
You feel like you’re firefighting, anxiously jumping from one task to another. The impending sense of losing control often comes with hyper-responsibility: believing that you’re the glue holding everything together and that delegating is not an option.
2. Persistent Exhaustion
You feel constantly tired and need to rely on sugar or coffee to get through the day. Fatigue often comes with poor sleep quality and the “Monday blues”.
3. Mental Detachment
You feel emotionally distant and negative about your work. You start to question whether you’re in the right job. You don’t share your colleague’s enthusiasm about work related, on the contrary, you grow cynical.
4. Ruminating over work
You’re thinking and talking about work during personal time, whether it’s at dinner or lying in bed at night, replaying conversations and going through your to-do list.
5. Reduced sense of achievement
You feel that your work has little value and that you're working harder but not making any difference. Inefficacy often comes with a prevalent sense of disappointment and a gradual loss of meaning and purpose.
Having strong healthy boundaries in place is a vital step in burnout prevention. Learn how to set boundaries in the work environment in our free webinar. No cameras and no names, so that you can join with comfort and confidence. Prioritize your mental wellbeing at home and at work.
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