Dr. Jessi Gold, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St.
Louis, knows she’s edging toward burnout when she wakes up, feels instantly
angry at her email inbox and doesn’t want to get out of bed. It’s perhaps not
surprising that a mental health professional who is trying to stem the rising
tide of burnout could burn out sometimes, too. After all, the phenomenon has
practically become ubiquitous in our culture.
اضافة اعلان
In a 2021 survey of 1,500 U.S. workers, more than half said they
were feeling burned out as a result of their job demands, and a whopping 4.3
million Americans quit their jobs in December in what has come to be known as
the “Great Resignation.” When people think of burnout, mental and emotional
symptoms such as feelings of helplessness and cynicism often come to mind. But
burnout can lead to physical symptoms as well, and experts say it can be wise
to look out for the signs and take steps when you notice them.
Burnout, as it is defined, is not a medical condition — it’s “a manifestation
of chronic unmitigated stress,” explained Dr. Lotte Dyrbye, a physician
scientist who studies burnout at the Mayo Clinic. The World Health Organization
describes burnout as a workplace phenomenon characterized by feelings of
exhaustion, cynicism and reduced efficacy.
“You start not functioning as well, you’re missing deadlines,
you’re frustrated, you’re maybe irritable with your colleagues,” said Jeanette
Bennett, a researcher who studies the effects of stress on health at the
University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
But stress can have wear and tear effects on the body,
especially when it doesn’t ease up after a while — so it makes sense that it
can incite physical symptoms, too, Bennett said. When people are under stress,
their bodies undergo changes that include making higher than normal levels of
stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, epinephrine and norepinephrine.
These changes are helpful in the short term — they give us the energy to power
through difficult situations — but over time, they start harming the body.
Our bodies were “not designed for the kinds of stressors that we
face today,” said Christina Maslach, a social psychologist at the University of
California, Berkeley, who has spent her career studying burnout.
Here’s how to recognize burnout in your body and what to do
about it.
What to look out for
One common burnout symptom is insomnia, Dyrbye said. When
researchers in Italy surveyed front-line health care workers with burnout
during the first peak of the pandemic, they found that 55% reported having
difficulty falling asleep, while nearly 40% had nightmares.
Research suggests that chronic stress interferes with the
complicated neurological and hormonal system that regulates sleep. It’s a
vicious cycle, because not sleeping throws this system even more out of whack.
If you’ve noticed that you’re unable to sleep at night, that could be a sign
that you’re experiencing burnout, Dyrbye said — and your sleeplessness could
exacerbate the problem.
Physical exhaustion is another common sign. Gold said that one
of her key symptoms of burnout was fatigue. “I realized I was sleeping every
day after work — and I was like, ‘What is wrong with me?’ but it was actually
burnout,” she said.
What to do
If you’re experiencing physical symptoms that could be
indicative of burnout, consider seeing your primary care doctor or a mental
health professional to determine whether they are driven by stress or rooted in
other physical conditions, Dyrbye said. Don’t just ignore the symptoms and
assume they don’t matter.
“It’s really easy to blow off your own symptoms, especially in
our culture, where we’re taught to work hard,” Gold said.
If it is burnout, then the best solution is to address the root
of the problem. Burnout is typically recognized when it is job-driven, but
chronic stress can have a variety of causes — financial problems, relationship woes
and caregiving burdens, among other things. Think about “the pebbles in your
shoe all the time that you have to deal with,” Maslach said, and brainstorm
ways to remove some of them, at least some of the time. Perhaps you can ask
your partner to help more with your toddler’s bedtime routine, or get takeout
when you’re especially busy so you don’t have to plan dinner, too.
Despite popular culture coverage of the issue, burnout can’t be
“fixed” with better self care, Maslach said — in fact, this implication only
worsens the problem, because it lays the blame and responsibility on those with
burnout and implies that they should do more to feel better, which is not the
case, she said. However, some lifestyle choices can make burnout less likely.
Social support, for instance, can help, Gold said. This could include talking
to a therapist or meeting with friends (even if over Zoom). It may also help to
take advantage of mental health or exercise benefits offered by your employer.
Sleeping more can help too — so if you’re suffering from insomnia, talk to a
doctor about possible treatments, Bennett suggested.
Finally, while you may not want to add more to your plate, try
to make a bit of time each day for something you love, Dyrbye said. Her work
has found that surgeons who make time for hobbies and recreation — even just 15
to 20 minutes a day — are less likely to experience burnout than surgeons who
don’t.
“You have to have something outside of work that helps you
de-stress, that helps you focus and helps you relax,” she said.
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