Burnout syndrome – is physical, emotional, or motivational exhaustion, characterized by an impaired performance at work, fatigue, insomnia, increased susceptibility to somatic diseases, as well as the use of alcohol or other psychoactive substances to obtain temporary relief, which tends to develop physiological dependence and (in many cases) suicidal behavior.

For the first time, the term "burnout" or "burnout" was introduced by the American psychiatrist H.Fredenberger in 1974 to characterize the psychological state of healthy people who are in intensive and close communication with patients in an emotionally charged atmosphere while providing professional care.

          According to studies conducted in different countries, a special risk group is medical workers, whose activities involve high emotional intensity, psychophysical stress, a high percentage of stressors, etc.

Risk groups of employees who are most susceptible to burnout syndrome:

Introverts. Especially quickly "burn out" employees whose individual psychological characteristics are not consistent with the professional requirements of communicative professions. They do not have a surplus of vital energy, are characterized by modesty and shyness, and tend to be withdrawn and concentrate on the subject of professional activity. They can accumulate emotional discomfort.

People who experience constant internal conflict in connection with work. The constant experience of conflict, especially unconscious, requires more effort and energy.

Women experience internal conflict between work and family, as well as pressure to constantly prove their professional capabilities in a highly competitive environment.

Workers with unstable activities, which is associated with a chronic fear of job loss. Also, workers who occupy the position of external consultants in the labor market are forced to look for clients on their own.

Employees working in extreme conditions and facing constant risk to life and health.

 

The main reasons for the development of "professional burnout" syndrome include the following factors:

Organizational (external) factors

The main factors of burnout caused by the incorrect organization of work include the following

 

• improper provision of working conditions;
• unrealistic expectations of the management and requirements set for the manager
• unregulated working hours;
• resource constraints, in particular, low wages;
• unfair administrative policies, in particular, coercion to perform duties not foreseen by the position;
• lack of administrative support, recognition of encouragement, and approval;
• frequent staff conflicts in the institution;
• unclear content of work activities, in particular, the lack of the need for job descriptions or their formal nature;
• role uncertainty and related role conflicts;
• low level of occupational hygiene;
• negative stereotypes and attitudes (including gender-role ones), etc.

 

 

Personal internal factors

                 The main and most powerful individual factor of burnout is considered to be the lack of vocation for professional activity, which is mainly due to the lack of abilities for it, and therefore accompanied by a sense of failure, disappointment, etc.

Individual factors of burnout also include:

 

• inability to satisfy current needs, and desires in professional activities. This can include dissatisfaction with their professional growth. This causes constant stress. The ability to withstand it in different persons is not the same, which is primarily due to individual-typological and other personal properties. The rate of burnout under the same other conditions directly depends on this ability;
• inability to save reserves, to set limits to stress. People who selflessly take care of the business and others, forgetting about themselves, are more at risk of burnout than those who harmoniously balance between the common and the personal, between altruism and healthy egoism;
• crises and stresses in personal and family life;
• workaholism, complete identification with the profession (work), in which attention and time spent on oneself are interpreted as an indulgence of own weaknesses and selfishness. Therefore, there is either no or little personal life.

 

The factor of mixed origin

A separate factor that can have both internal and external origins is overload. It can arise due to excessive work that becomes unbearable, or due to inconsistency with the aptitudes, abilities, and vocation of the employee. In both these cases, overload causes distress. At the same time, overload due to excessive work can be caused both by external pressure and by the employee's self-compulsion to work too intensively. Also, overload depends on many features of the employee's psyche and his life situation.

 

Elimination of these factors or reduction of their effect prevents professional burnout syndrome!

Instead, the factors that reduce the problem of burnout are:

 

 

• psychological self-regulation;
• self-regulation of own professional activity;
• systematic distribution of work and rest;
• work that corresponds to experience and knowledge;
• self-improvement;
• taking care of your health, adherence to diet and sleep;
• leading an active social life;
• communication with people not related to medicine (that is, not to limit the circle of communication with colleagues);
• having a full personal life (disorders in the family and personal relationships will certainly affect the work).

 

 

Methods of harmonization of psychophysical state

Physiological methods

Physiological methods include:

- maintaining the quality of sleep - compliance with the sleep regime, ventilation of the room before going to bed;

- rational nutrition (including the use of sufficient magnesium, and vitamin E);

- sufficient physical activity - morning exercises, sports, dancing;

- phytotherapy (in particular, soothing mint drinks, valerian root tincture, tincture of Eleutherococcus, ginseng, Rhodiola rosea);

- massage (classic, biologically active points); walking barefoot on the ground or scattered pebbles;

- color therapy (in particular, green, and blue colors soothe, red, and yellow colors encourage);

- aromatherapy (stimulate the nervous system and invigorate the smell of orange, and bergamot; soothe the smell of lavender, anise, and sage);

- mineral therapy;

- breathing exercises (in particular, calms breathing with prolonged exhalation; mobilizes breathing with increased inhalation);

- water procedures (in particular, contrast shower relieves fatigue), etc.

Emotional and volitional methods

Emotional and volitional methods include:

- laughter (has a positive effect on the immune system, activating blood T-lymphocytes, production of hormones of joy);

- music therapy (classical music is the best way to harmonize the state);

- communication with family, and friends;

- doing favorite things, and hobbies;

- spending free time in nature, with animals, etc.

Value-semantic methods

It is important to learn to pay attention to the positive aspects of life and be grateful for them.

The question "for what?" should be turned into a positive "why?". If you approach all life situations in this way, they cease to seem like problems and become learning tools.

It is always worth remembering that it is impossible to eliminate the influence of harmful factors in the process of work. However, properly implemented prevention of professional burnout will help prevent the consequences of the syndrome, gain faith in your abilities and take a fresh look at your extremely important work.