Psychologist, trainer, expert in communication psychology knows how to effectively deal with emotional burnout, studies the impact of empathy and emotional intelligence on psychological well-being and close relationships. After going through burnout, she organized an anti-burnout program through awareness practices.
Are you so tired that it’s hard for you to get out of bed in the morning? Does your work day seem endless? And what used to be happy now doesn’t evoke any feelings?
Prolonged stressors during COVID-19 almost all spent emotional reserves. When stress continues constantly, our nervous system can not stand and burns out – a strong psychological and physical exhaustion. Its consequences affect all spheres of life – health, home, work and social relations.
Burnout is most common in people whose activities are associated with constant communication or care for others, with work in a constant hectic pace, with a heavy workload in the absence of positive support or reward. Emotional burnout is prone to good, sensitive people who are sympathetic to others, and people who are very responsible in their work, trying to do everything perfectly.
How to determine burnout? The first sign is the feeling that you are very tired both emotionally and physically, and the fatigue does not go away even if you slept for 12 hours all weekend. The second sign is a lack of interest and indifference. You are not inspired by new projects, you do not enjoy a party with friends, even petting your beloved cat is not so pleasant. And the third is the feeling that you can’t get involved and be effective.
To understand how not to get burned out, you need to imagine what happens on the way to burnout. To feel happy and satisfied with life we need friendship, love and intimacy (oxytocin), interesting goals and objectives (dopamine), a sense of value, pride in their achievements, public recognition of others (serotonin), pleasure and joy (endorphins). And during stress, our nervous system is under the influence of cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that help us make a breakthrough and cope with danger. As the stress continues, you begin to lose interest and motivation. Prolonged continuous stress oversaturates our body with stress hormones and our brain literally forgets how to produce hormones and neurotransmitters of happiness, the lack of which causes feelings of frustration, emotional fatigue.
Look for small and big reasons to break the stress, rejoice and have fun.
1. Start the day with pleasant rituals. Find something that brings you pleasure – a warm shower, a delicious breakfast, nice music or just the sun outside.
2. Take care of the body. It needs good sleep, healthy eating and exercise.
3. At least an hour a day say “no” to things that do not inspire you, let yours sound when you sincerely want to do something.
4. Take time for creativity. Creativity is an effective fight against burnout. Set yourself up to see the unusual in the ordinary, choose new routes, write poems, draw.
5. Learn to manage stress. You have many more opportunities to influence the level of stress than it may seem to increase the level of emotional intelligence, meditation, awareness practice. Find effective ways to reduce stress and it will be easier for you to recover.
6. Communicate with relatives, friends, people who sincerely support and inspire you. Their support reduces anxiety, fear, restores trust in others and the world at large, heals not only emotionally. Research by psychologist Karen Prager has shown that with the sincere support of loved ones, even after surgery, recovery is 30% faster.
What are the steps to take if you are already in a state of burnout:
1.Slow down. Delegate. Give yourself time to recover.
2. Get support. The state of burnout includes the natural desire to preserve the last forces while avoiding others. But your friends and family are a source of recovery. Share your experiences with them when they listen to you carefully, your brain releases oxytocin and tunes in to relieve stress.
3. Review goals and values. Burnout can be a sign that something important in your life is not working. Take time to think about your dreams and goals. Burnout can be an opportunity for you to discover what really makes you happy.
