Getting sick frequently and not being able to enjoy work are the main symptoms of burnout at work, which is detrimental to mental health. Business psychologist Veronika Kromberger told socialbites.ca how to recognize signs and avoid consequences.
According to the expert, the tightening of social requirements for people of different ages and sexes today leads to the fact that most people are involuntarily under constant stress, and although this activates all the resources of the body, after a while it is necessary to compensate. for damage – burnout. The first symptom is common diseases.
“Chronic stress destroys not only the immune system, but also the personality structure. From this often ailments begin, less time is left for new achievements, the person becomes even more upset, and so on in a circle. If you get sick often and for no apparent reason, this indicates that the level of stress in the body is high enough to directly affect the decrease in immunity, ”the psychologist said.
In addition, a clear sign of the negative impact of the work on the body is the lack of pleasure from the application process.
“If the process in your work does not please you at all, and the result, which is presented to the world only as a sign of its importance, makes you happy, then life becomes a never-ending race. As cliché as it may sound, many people forget that work is meant to be for money, but not for money. This is a mandatory criterion for the life of a psychologically healthy person.
Also, the situation in which even the results do not cause positive emotions is called apathy.
“Usually, after apathy, a stage of aggression follows – unfounded irritation with colleagues, superiors, employees, and often even close people – with a partner or a child. The surrounding people become a reservoir for draining the negative energy received at work, ”the psychologist said.
If you’ve found at least one sign in yourself, you need to watch for sources of stress, as Kromberger says. Regardless, it’s crucial to get rid of negativity: change profession, raise the check, fire subordinates, change the climate in the company (if that’s within your mandate), move to another department, or even change jobs to someone with more favorable terms.
“What happens next is not so important – the main thing is that you finally feel comfortable psychologically. A life without burnout is possible, but the responsibility of creating the right conditions for this is entirely on your shoulders. You should not associate work with negativity and make excuses with the belief that everyone lives that way. Everyone has a choice,” he concluded.
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