Burnout syndrome – what is it and how can you identify it?

In today’s fast-paced world, stress has become a common part of our daily lives. The sources of stress are diverse, ranging from personal challenges to professional demands. It’s important to differentiate between two types of stress: positive and negative. 

Activities like exercise, hiking, running, and similar activities fall under positive stress, which benefits both mental and physical health. 

Prolonged exposure to stress, challenging tasks at work, daily hard work, and poor relationships with colleagues lead us to symptoms of burnout, i.e. burnout syndrome. 

What exactly is burnout syndrome? 

Burnout syndrome is a condition of extreme emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged exposure to stress, often related to work. 

It is characterized by exhaustion, disconnection from responsibilities, and decreased professional performance. (World Health Organization, 2019). 

Unlike stress, burnout syndrome is characterized by emotional exhaustion and tends to occur more frequently in people who work in jobs where they constantly interact with others. 

The feeling of exhaustion constantly accompanies a person through any work that he or she does. Every situation seems more stressful than it is. 

Burnout manifests itself through various symptoms that can include emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion, as well as negative changes in behavior, thinking, and abilities. 

These manifestations usually occur gradually, over a long period, and can seriously affect one’s professional and personal life over time (Maslach, 2006). 

Manifestations of burnout

Emotional exhaustion: 

• People feel empty, exhausted, without energy. 
• There is a loss of enthusiasm and motivation to perform usual tasks. 
• They often feel helpless, anxious, or depressed. 

Depersonalization (emotional distancing): 

• Workers become indifferent or even cynical towards their colleagues, clients, or patients. 
• People often develop a negative attitude towards the people they work with and lose their sense of empathy. 

Decreased professional abilities: 

• People with burnout experience a decline in productivity and quality of work. 
• They find it difficult to make decisions, concentrate, or solve problems as they did before experiencing burnout. 

Physical symptoms: 

• Sleep problems (insomnia or excessive sleeping). 
• Headaches, muscle aches, indigestion. 
• Weak immunity, frequent illnesses, exhaustion. 

Cognitive and behavioral changes: 

• Difficulty concentrating and making decisions. 
• Loss of interest in previously satisfying activities. 
• Increased avoidance of responsibilities and obligations. 

The 12 stages of burnout: spotting the signs early 

Below, we present 12 stages of burnout, which you can use to recognize and act on the first symptoms of burnout. 

The American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger described all 12 stages, and according to him, burnout is not something that happens overnight, but a gradual process that develops through these stages, and each stage indicates an increasingly serious level of emotional and physical exhaustion. 

1. Excesive-enthusiasm 
Initially, the person appears to be extremely engaged and enthusiastic, wanting to achieve a lot. They feel like they are capable of anything, often taking on too many responsibilities and obligations. 

2. Increased responsibility 
The person begins to recognize the value of their achievements and takes on more responsibilities and obligations, wanting to prove their worth. They begin to work longer and harder, overloading themselves with tasks. 

3. Immediate stress 
The initial symptoms of stress begin to appear. The person feels under increasing pressure and stress but continues to believe that they can cope. 

4. Denial of the problem 
The person ignores the symptoms of stress, recognizing them, but believes that they are not serious and will resolve themselves. Continues to invest too much in work or obligations. 

5. Increased stress 
The stress becomes more intense. The person feels frustrated, anxious, and insecure. At this stage, they may begin to feel overwhelmed but still try to get everything done. 

6. Increased withdrawal from others 
Distancing from other people begins to occur at this stage. The person becomes withdrawn, less involved in social or professional activities, and loses interest in interpersonal relationships. 

7. Loss of creativity 
Creativity declines, and the person becomes less productive. They begin to feel that they cannot contribute new ideas or solutions and that all efforts are in vain. 

8. Emotional distancing 
The person withdraws into themselves and develops a negative attitude towards others, especially towards colleagues or service users. They begin to see them as a problem, instead of focusing on solving the problem. 

9. Physical Exhaustion 
Physical exhaustion becomes evident, with symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, concentration problems, and a general drop in energy. At this stage, the body begins to show clear signs of being overloaded. 

10. Decrease in productivity 
The person is no longer able to perform tasks with the same efficiency as before. Productivity declines and tasks that used to be simple become too demanding. 

11. Increase in depressive symptoms 
Depression and pessimism begin to dominate. The person feels that the efforts are in vain and that he cannot escape from the stress. She becomes pessimistic about her work and life in general. 

12. Complete emotional and physical exhaustion (burnout) 
In the end, the person reaches complete exhaustion and loses all interest in work and daily activities. A complete loss of motivation, depression, and withdrawal from social life can occur. At this stage, the person is completely exhausted and finds it difficult to return to a normal level of functionality. 

How to tackle burnout 

Recognizing burnout early is crucial, but acting on it is equally important. 

Set boundaries 

To begin with, it is necessary to know our limits and say no in time, whether it is to take on additional work or to work overtime. We need to learn to recognize and mark our limits and not jump over our heads if it is not necessary. 

Change the environment at your current job 

Try to talk to your superiors about whether it's possible to work from home at least once a week. Take several short breaks during your work and go outside for some fresh air, make a coffee/tea, or chat with colleagues from another office. 

Take time for yourself through various activities 

If you have a physically demanding job, find a type of rest that is more passive, for example, watch a series that you have been putting off for a long time, start a new book, meditate, etc. 

If your job is more passive, you sit a lot during work and look at the screen, your rest should be active: walks, hiking, hanging out with friends, training, etc. 

Reach out to professionals and loved ones 

Finally, be sure to seek professional help, especially if you have noticed that your symptoms are getting worse and "tips and tricks" are no longer helping. We encourage you to talk about your problems and your condition with a psychologist. 

Also, ask for help from your loved ones, and open up to people you trust. Neglecting treatment or ignoring the symptoms of burnout can lead to serious difficulties and significantly reduce the quality of life and health. 

Sources: 

• Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff burn-out. Journal of Social Issues, 30(1), 159-165. 
  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb00706.x 
• Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2008). Early predictors of job burnout and engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(3), 498–512. 
• World Health Organization. (2019). Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon 
• https://www.kakosi.hr/2020/07/24/burnout/ 
• https://poliklinika-mazalin.hr/blog/burn-out-sindrom-sto-kada-mi-je-svega-previse/