Long Term Impact of Burnout & Prevention Techniques!

Burnout is the state of complete physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused due to constant stressors leading to decreased motivation, lowered performance and a negative perspective of life. 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

Signs of Burnout-

1. Extreme Fatigue to a point that simple day to day activities begin feeling difficult. 
2. Cynicism or a pessimistic outlook especially towards one's job.
3. A sense of apathy about everyday happenings of life. 
4. Leading a life with a general state of hopelessness & helplessness. 
5. Emotional Unavailability as seen in the form of ignoring friends phone calls etc. 
6. Difficulty in emotional regulation.
7. A sudden lack of empathy. 
8. Irritability or snapping out on minor inconveniences. 
9. A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.
10. Inability to concentrate, problem-solve, increased indecisiveness and reduced cognitive flexibility.

Burnout is associated with the overwhelming demand of a job which outstrips a person's ability to cope with the stress. World Health Organisation (WHO) in their comprehensive report on psychosocial stress emphasized that burnout is caused by high demand, low control, imbalanced effort-reward work environment. A permanent state of exhaustion can deplete a person of their mental and physical resources eventually causing physical illness, auto-immune disorder, depression, anxiety and in extreme cases even death. 

A study conducted on the neuro-cognitive impact of burnout found that participants who were highly stressed and experiencing a state of exhaustion showed an enlarged amygdala (area of the brain responsible for emotional reaction) and poor neural linkages between the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex & medial prefrontal cortex (area of the prefrontal cortex responsible for decision making and other cognitive activities). There are very high cognitive costs of burnout. Multiple pieces of research have demonstrated the changes in brain structure and impact on creativity, problem-solving and working memory due to burnout. 

Preventing Burnout -

1. One of the first steps to prevent burnout is to realize you are going through it. Observe and notice the signs of burnout. Don't ignore the signs of stress. 
2. Prioritizing self-care 
• 8 hours of regular sleep, proper nutritious diet, exercising - to ensure that your body remains replenished of fuels required for facing tough times.
• Making scheduled time for hobbies
• Making it a point to connect with friends, family or do volunteer, community service
• Trying out guided meditation (App recommendation: Insight timer, Headspace, Calm)
• Positive Affirmations
• Journaling (https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-health-benefits-of-journaling#1) 
• Trying Psychotherapy
3. If you feel like you don't have enough time for self-care, try to understand where your time apart from work is being spent. In times of burnout, it can be crucial to limit wasting free time and devoting it to self-care.
4. Unreasonable time pressure, lack of clarity of role, non-supportive management, unfair treatment at work may lead to excessive pressure, it is advisable to talk to superiors about its impact on your health and seeking help to manage workload. 
5. Try seeking the help of work mentors, role models or colleagues who can understand the pressure and guide you through a tough time. 
6. Activities like travelling, going out for social engagements can provide temporary reliefs but for long term prevention of burnout, you should engage in regularly scheduled work breaks. 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

Sometimes, it's difficult to prevent burnout especially when the job causing the exhaustion is your only source of financial stability or in cases of sudden emergencies like during the beginning of the pandemic, most doctors did not have an option but to work in a state of constant exhaustion. During such time, it becomes important to realise that situation is out-of-control and have a strong self-care mechanism in place in order to protect oneself from the long term negative impact of burnout. Stress is a given of professional life, but extreme, unpredictable and unrelenting stress can have significant damaging effects on physical and mental health. 

Some important resources-

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/burnout-and-the-brain

https://hbr.org/2016/11/beating-burnout