Symptoms of professional burnout

Stress, resulting from an excess of responsibilities at work or a bad atmosphere in the company, can lead to what is known as occupational burnout, which is otherwise known as burnout syndrome or Burnout. Professional burnout is a process, stretched over time, it does not appear overnight, like an illness. Very often it leads to gradual emotional, physical and mental exhaustion. So what are the symptoms of job burnout? When should you react so that you don’t actually experience this syndrome? We warmly encourage you to read the article. 

Professional burnout

Thanks to research conducted by the WHO (World Health Organization), we now know that occupational burnout is not synonymous with laziness or lack of motivation, as the term was previously used to describe. In addition, it has been included by the WHO in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases as for a syndrome affecting the health of the worker (code QD85).

Osymptoms of occupational burnoutcan take many forms, but it is useful to be able to spot symptoms in yourself early on so that you can actually assess your condition accurately. 

Professional burnout – phases and symptoms

Interestingly, occupational burnout can occur in several stages and be associated with different symptoms. 

Initially, getting a new job, we are very enthusiastic about our duties, we are eager to get involved in the life of the company, we have a very high level of energy and optimism, we are happy to take on the tasks assigned to us. It is worthwhile at this stage not only to focus on creativity and a high level of productivity, but to focus right away on developing the right habits to deal with stress, because such situations will not be avoided. 

The next phase of job burnout occurs when you notice that your optimism is slowly waning, typical symptoms of stress appear, i.e. difficulty concentrating, irritability, anxiety, reduced quality of sleep, dissatisfaction with work, fatigue, forgetfulness, avoidance of decision-making. 

At this stage, it is worthwhile to engage in other areas of your life that give you a lot of satisfaction, including arranging with friends to go to the movies, start doing some sports. 

This is a very important stage that should not be missed, because the last phase of occupational exhaustion is chronic stress, which very often leads to the development of accompanying ailments. A typical such symptom is bruxism, i.e. grinding of teeth, persistent fatigue, insomnia, exhaustion, lack of appetite, procrastination at work and at home, feelings of anger, malice and unloading on family members. 

The symptoms of occupational burnout can be divided into several stages. The first significant symptoms, which should not be ignored, are a sense of duty overload and dissatisfaction with work. This is followed by chronic stress, fatigue forgetfulness and avoidance of decision-making at work. The final stage of job burnout is usually dementia, which can lead to chronic mental exhaustion or depression. If you notice the first symptoms of job burnout in yourself, you should decide to change jobs or use the services of professional psychologists or psychotherapists.