Are You Experiencing Clinical Burnout?
Expectations, obligations, deadlines...OH MY! Burn-out is no joke. It is an accumulation of occupation-related stress in the mind and body that significantly impairs a person's ability to function at the desired level. Here is how the World Health Organization (WHO) defines burn-out:
Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
reduced professional efficacy.
Here burn-out is defined as an "occupational phenomenon." But in this article, we will also include personal obligations into the mix because we're not robots. That occupational stress is often made heavier by our personal needs and obligations. Leaving it out of the mix just feels inaccurate.
So we have deadlines, societal expectations, and familial obligations which when not managed properly or when rooted in unrealistic expectations can lead us to feel unlike ourselves. If we dive deep enough we might be able to find that most if not all expectations are unrealistic. This is because they are rooted in things like productivity and efficiency instead of being rooted in...us. All things that lack authenticity will eventually come and bite us in the butts. Our true selves, our needs are always going to be screaming to get out of the cage.
Anyway, burn-out burns out our brain. Filling it with fog and ruining our sleep patterns, which naturally marches in grumpiness. Maybe you have experienced some of this, but check out the actual criteria for clinical burn-out:
Brief Overview of Diagnostic Criteria for Clinical Burnout
After mental effort (anything that requires brain power) you experience feelings of exhaustion, some physical weakness, and or general fatigue that is distressing.
You experience at least four of the following symptoms every day for at least two weeks:
insomnia
cognitive deficits (trouble remembering things, difficulty processing information in a timely fashion)
pain
gastrointestinal problems (relating to the stomach)
sensitivity to light and sound
3. The symptoms experienced result in significant distress and disrupt general functioning
If you're replacing your self-care time with work time like the best of us are guilty of doing. Or if you are waking up with work and tasks stuck in your mind, and experiencing the symptoms above, it may be time to take a chill pill. To find a chill pill...make a chill pill? It may be time to chill.
Stay tuned for some tips and in the meantime, breathe.
References
Arno van Dam (2021): [A clinical perspective on burnout](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353255974_A_clinical_perspective_on_burnout_diagnosis_classification_and_treatment_of_clinical_burnout): diagnosis, classification, and treatment of clinical burnout, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/1359432X.2021.1948400
Heinemann, L. V., & Heinemann, T. (2017). Burnout Research: Emergence and Scientific Investigation of a Contested Diagnosis. SAGE.
World Health Organization. (2019, May 28). Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. Retrieved from World Health Organization Website: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
