What is a burnout?
Burnout is an energy disorder caused by long-term chronic (work)load or stress. Research shows that 7% of the working population has burnout symptoms. Even worse, 9% is in the risk zone.* They’re emotionally exhausted, experience a persistent negative mood and are demotivated.
Who is more vulnerable to a burnout?
Employees who are perfectionists or insecure, loyal and strongly committed to work or struggle saying no, are more vulnerable to a burnout.
But everything depends on your mental resilience. Those with an optimistic nature are less prone to unhealthy stress.
In this article you’ll read how you ensure you have resilient employees.
How to recognise a burnout within yourself or your team
Burnout symptoms exist on three levels. We give examples for each level. By staying alert you will recognise an upcoming burnout and you can act in time.
Physical symptoms:
- Persistent tiredness, insomnia
- Muscle ache, head ache, back ache
- Stomach ache, irritable bowels, lessened appetite
- Less resistance against infections
- Heart palpitations, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels
Mental symptoms:
- Never feeling calm, irritability, agitation
- Feeling sad, outbursts of crying, worrying, anxiety
- Not being able to enjoy things anymore, feeling apathetic and lethargic
- Being indecisive, loss of focus, forgetfulness
- Insecurity, less self-confidence
Change of behaviour:
- Underperformance and increase in mistakes
- Increased usage of sleep medication and sedatives
- Avoidance of social contacts
- Developing an addiction: smoking, alcohol, drugs
How do you prevent a burnout?
Do you recognise a number of above symptoms in yourself or a team member? Then the time to act is now.
It is naturally better to preventively invest in mental resilience. With the programme ‘Mental resilience in the new way of working’ you develop skills such as selfleadership and mental resilience within your team.
