Last update: February 18, 2022
If you feel bored and tired at work, you may be suffering from Burnout Syndrome. The latter is a rather widespread condition, especially in certain areas.
Several mental health professionals have presented their observations on workers in different sectors related to personal care. All of them indicated signs of demotivation, progressive loss of energy, lack of interest and exhaustion accompanied by symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Freudenberger chose the word "burnout" ("being burned" or "consumed") to describe his colleagues at the New York Free Clinic for drug addicts; the term was also used to describe the effects of chronic consumption of toxic substances.
Similarly, this term was used in sports jargon for subjects who, despite their efforts, did not get the expected results. It has also been used colloquially by some lawyers to describe the loss of responsibility and clinical disinterest.
Finally, and after many definitions in different work fields over the past three decades, this condition can be defined as a continuous process that gradually emerges.
It is mainly the consequence of stressful events of a working nature, but also of intense and / or long-lasting human worker-client relationships. WHO defines burnout syndrome as one chronic stress response influenced by three factors:
- Emotional / physical exhaustion.
- Decline in productivity.
- Marked depersonalization involving feelings of alienation with a negative view of others.
Boredom and fatigue at work among the symptoms of burnout
The main manifestations of burnout syndrome can involve five plans that we present below:
- Emotional level, feelings such as depression, helplessness, hopelessness, apathy, disappointment, pessimism and hostility.
- Subscription cognitive, disillusionment, loss of self-esteem and creativity, distraction or cynicism.
- conduct, there is avoidance of responsibilities and decisions, absenteeism, inappropriate behavior, excessive involvement, increased use of caffeine, alcohol or tobacco, and even self-sabotage.
- From the psychosomatic point of view, muscle pains, loss of appetite, weight changes, disorders related to the sexual sphere, sleep, gastrointestinal and headaches are felt.
In the eyes of others we appear as a person who is always in a bad mood and very irascible with clients or colleagues, with little motivation and energy. This results in lower performance which in turn affects the concept of self and the environment that surrounds us directly and indirectly.
Which professionals are most vulnerable?
Professionals most prone to suffer from this syndrome mostly have tasks related to third parties, namely teachers, doctors, police, firefighters and staff related to customer service.
However, recent studies have shown that the range of the most vulnerable professionals is wider when work stress is related to other factors such as responsibilities, long work shifts (between 10 and 16 hours) or repetitive, monotonous and boring jobs without any motivating element.
Fortunately, there are techniques to psychologically help the individual and to structurally reorganize the company in relation to the workers. According to researchers from the University of Zaragoza and the Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences, there are three profiles:
- Frantic: workers who feel overwhelmed, abandoning their personal life and health to attend to work duties.
- Without challenges: they feel indifferent to the tasks they have to perform. They don't feel motivated and plan to change jobs. This is usually the case with professionals related to administrative or bureaucratic jobs.
- Exhausted: they feel that they have no control over the results of their work and that their efforts are not recognized. Ultimately, they choose to be negligent and abandon their responsibilities.
Prevent boredom and fatigue at work
Prevention of Burnout Syndrome is viewed from two main points of view: personal and corporate work.
The work must be motivating, dynamic and there must be recognition of the tasks performed. Given the inability to meet these conditions on many occasions, strategies exist to prevent Burnout. Experts advise:
- Adapt expectations to reality
- Do not overload yourself with tasks, even less if outside of your job.
- Use corporate communication channels to convey concerns or insecurities
- Contact trusted people who can help in an emergency situation
- Find out if there are people close to you who have experienced similar situations and don't be afraid or ashamed to ask how they resolved conflicts
- Define the functions to be performed to reduce uncertainty about the work performed.
- Use relaxation or meditation techniques
- Communicate assertively in the workplace. Try to expose disagreements, proposing solutions and focusing the discussion on the facts.
- Carve out quality free time
- Maintain good sleep hygiene and exercise regularly
- Do not isolate yourself from the personal environment that is a source of satisfaction
"The pressure is removed with mental gymnastics"
Leonard Zaichkowsky
What to do if the partner feels bored and tired at work?
As psychologist Javier Miralles summarizes, the key points to help the partner in this situation are the following:
- Establish a supportive relationship emotional and physical
- Listen actively, help express concerns and relativize the situation by offering another perspective
- Do not judge
- Recognize the work if it is well done and encourage when the desired goals are not achieved. It will be essential to create an atmosphere of collaboration and solidarity.
It is possible to prevent these dynamics and, if not, thanks to some habits and techniques we can recover the lost route.
"Serenity is not being safe from the storm, but finding peace in the midst of it"
Tommaso Kempis
