3 signs that you’ve hit clinical burnout and should seek help | Laurie Santos

Summary

This script delves into the true nature of burnout, distinguishing it from common stress and overwork. It highlights three key symptoms: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism, and a sense of personal ineffectiveness. The speaker, a psychologist, also discusses factors contributing to burnout, such as workload, values mismatch, and unfairness, and emphasizes the importance of intrinsic rewards. Personal and organizational strategies for addressing burnout are suggested, including self-care and structural changes in the workplace.

Takeaways

• 🔥 Burnout is often misunderstood as just feeling overworked or stressed, but it's a specific clinical syndrome with distinct symptoms.
• 😔 The first symptom of burnout is emotional exhaustion, which goes beyond physical tiredness and involves feeling overwhelmed emotionally.
• 😡 The second symptom is depersonalization or cynicism, characterized by irritability and a negative view of others' intentions.
• 😓 The third symptom is a sense of personal ineffectiveness, where one feels that their work has no impact or is constrained by external factors.
• 🤔 Burnout is not just a modern issue; it has roots dating back to the Industrial Revolution, though significant research was conducted in the 1980s and 1990s.
• 👩‍🏫 Christina Maslach's research identified key factors leading to burnout, including overwhelming workload and a values mismatch between job expectations and reality.
• 🏢 Organizational factors like unfairness and a lack of intrinsic rewards can contribute to burnout, affecting both individual and collective well-being.
• 🤷‍♂️ Signs of burnout include emotional exhaustion that persists even after rest, cynicism towards others, and a diminished sense of work meaning.
• 🏥 If experiencing burnout, individuals should consider both organizational changes and personal self-care strategies to address the issue.
• 💼 Personal strategies for managing burnout might involve taking a sabbatical, focusing on non-work relationships, and re-engaging with personal values and hobbies.
• 🌟 Balancing work with other aspects of life, such as family, leisure, and health, is crucial for preventing burnout and maintaining overall well-being.

Q & A

What is the common misconception about burnout?

The common misconception is that burnout is simply feeling overworked, stressed, or tired. However, burnout is a specific clinical syndrome with distinct symptoms.

What are the three main symptoms of burnout as described in the script?

The three main symptoms are emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism, and a sense of personal ineffectiveness.

How is emotional exhaustion different from physical exhaustion?

Emotional exhaustion is not just about being tired physically; it's about feeling incapable of handling any more emotional demands, even after rest.

What does depersonalization or cynicism in the context of burnout mean?

Depersonalization or cynicism refers to being easily irritated by others, feeling short-fused, and being skeptical about people's intentions.

What is the third symptom of burnout, and how does it manifest?

The third symptom is a sense of personal ineffectiveness, where one feels that their job performance doesn't matter or is constrained by structural issues.

How does Christina Maslach's research contribute to understanding burnout?

Christina Maslach's research from the 1980s and 1990s identified factors leading to burnout, such as increased workload, values mismatch, and unfairness.

What is a 'values mismatch' as it relates to burnout?

A values mismatch occurs when the reality of a job does not align with the initial expectations or values that an individual had when they started the job.

How can a sense of unfairness contribute to burnout?

A sense of unfairness, such as differences in compensation or treatment, can lead to a breakdown in community and contribute to feelings of burnout.

Why is the balance between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards important in preventing burnout?

A focus on intrinsic rewards, such as personal satisfaction and fulfillment, is crucial for job happiness. An overemphasis on extrinsic rewards, especially when perceived as unfair, can lead to burnout.

What personal steps can individuals take to address burnout?

Individuals can address burnout by taking care of themselves, focusing on relationships outside of work, engaging in hobbies, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

What is the significance of taking a sabbatical in the context of burnout?

A sabbatical can be a way to step back, reassess personal values, and invest in relationships and activities outside of work, which can help in recovering from burnout.

Outlines

00:00

😔 Understanding Burnout

This paragraph discusses the misconceptions surrounding burnout and clarifies that it is a specific clinical syndrome with distinct symptoms. The speaker, a psychologist, explains that burnout is not merely feeling overworked or stressed but involves emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (cynicism towards others), and a sense of personal ineffectiveness. The speaker also distinguishes burnout from stress and highlights the historical context of burnout, tracing its origins back to the Industrial Revolution and noting significant research from the 1980s and 1990s by Christina Maslach. Factors contributing to burnout include overwhelming workload, values mismatch in job expectations, a sense of unfairness in the workplace, and a shift from intrinsic to extrinsic rewards. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing the symptoms of burnout, such as emotional exhaustion and cynicism, to address the issue before it worsens.

05:01

🛠️ Addressing Burnout: Organizational and Personal Approaches

The second paragraph focuses on strategies to address burnout, both from an organizational and personal perspective. Organizationally, the speaker suggests that industries need to reduce workloads, align job values with employee expectations, and ensure fair rewards. For individuals, the speaker advises self-care, including social connections, leisure time, and a balanced relationship with work. The speaker shares a personal experience of taking a sabbatical to address burnout, emphasizing the importance of intentional self-care and developing an identity outside of work. This includes investing in relationships, hobbies, and health to create a well-rounded life that is not solely defined by professional achievements. The speaker underscores the need to engage with personal values and interests to mitigate the risk of burnout.

Keywords

💡Burnout

Burnout is a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion often caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It is characterized by a diminished interest in activities and a sense of ineffectiveness, which can lead to a decline in performance. In the video, burnout is distinguished from stress and overwork, with specific symptoms such as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of personal ineffectiveness highlighted.

💡Emotional Exhaustion

Emotional exhaustion refers to a state where an individual feels drained of the emotional resources necessary to cope with stressors. It is more than physical tiredness; it's the feeling of being overwhelmed by emotional demands. The script describes it as the inability to handle any additional emotional load, even after rest, which is a primary symptom of burnout.

💡Depersonalization

Depersonalization, in the context of burnout, is the phenomenon where an individual becomes detached and indifferent, often showing cynicism towards others. The script mentions this as a symptom where people may feel irritated by those around them and question their intentions, leading to a short fuse and a breakdown in relationships.

💡Cynicism

Cynicism, as discussed in the script, is an attitude of distrustful doubt towards people's motives or sincerity. It is closely related to depersonalization and is a symptom of burnout where individuals become skeptical and critical of others, often feeling that they have ill intentions.

💡Personal Ineffectiveness

Personal ineffectiveness is the feeling that one's efforts do not matter or make a difference, often due to perceived structural constraints or a mismatch between one's values and the job's reality. The script describes this as a symptom where individuals feel their work lacks value and that they cannot perform to their full potential, contributing to burnout.

💡Stress

Stress is a psychological and physiological response to demands or pressures. It is a normal part of life but can become problematic when it is chronic or overwhelming. The video emphasizes the difference between stress and burnout, noting that while stress is common, burnout is a more severe and specific syndrome.

💡Clinical Syndrome

A clinical syndrome refers to a group of symptoms that consistently occur together and define a specific condition. In the script, burnout is described as a clinical syndrome with particular symptoms, emphasizing that it is a distinct condition rather than a general state of being tired or overworked.

💡Values Mismatch

Values mismatch occurs when there is a discrepancy between the values or expectations an individual has for their job and the reality of the work environment. The script cites this as a factor that can lead to burnout, as the individual may feel that their job is not aligned with what they initially signed up for.

💡Unfairness

Unfairness refers to a perception of inequity or injustice, which can lead to dissatisfaction and a sense of burnout. The script mentions that a sense of unfairness in the workplace, such as differences in compensation, can contribute to burnout by causing a breakdown in community and a feeling of being undervalued.

💡Intrinsic Reward

Intrinsic reward is the personal sense of satisfaction and fulfillment derived from an activity itself, rather than from external rewards such as money or praise. The script discusses how a focus on intrinsic rewards can help prevent burnout, as it relates to the enjoyment and value found in one's work.

💡Extrinsic Reward

Extrinsic reward refers to external incentives or motivations, such as money, recognition, or other tangible benefits. The video explains that when work becomes more focused on extrinsic rewards, especially if they are perceived as unfair, it can lead to burnout by diminishing the sense of personal accomplishment and satisfaction.

💡Self-Care

Self-care involves taking actions to maintain or improve one's physical health and emotional well-being. In the context of the script, self-care is presented as a crucial strategy for preventing and treating burnout, including engaging in hobbies, maintaining social connections outside of work, and focusing on physical health.

Highlights

Burnout is a clinical syndrome with specific symptoms, not just stress or overwork.

Emotional exhaustion is a key symptom of burnout, characterized by an inability to handle additional emotional stress.

Depersonalization or cynicism is another symptom of burnout, leading to irritability and distrust towards others.

A sense of personal ineffectiveness, feeling that one's work doesn't matter despite good performance, is a third symptom of burnout.

Burnout is not a modern phenomenon; it has roots tracing back to the Industrial Revolution.

Christina Maslach's research in the 1980s and 1990s provided significant insights into burnout.

Increased workload and feeling overwhelmed can be an exacerbating feature of burnout.

A 'values mismatch' between job expectations and reality can lead to burnout.

A sense of unfairness in an organization can contribute to burnout by causing community breakdown.

Intrinsic rewards are crucial for job satisfaction; a shift towards extrinsic rewards can lead to burnout.

Self-assessment questions are provided to help individuals determine if they are experiencing burnout.

Organizational changes in workload, values alignment, and rewards are essential for treating burnout.

Personal self-care and maintaining a balance between work and personal life are crucial in preventing burnout.

The importance of developing an identity outside of work to prevent burnout due to identity-career mismatch.

The speaker's personal experience with burnout and the decision to take a sabbatical for recovery.

The intentional focus on values and relationships outside of work during the speaker's sabbatical.

Engaging in hobbies and activities that contribute to personal well-being as a strategy to combat burnout.

Transcripts

- These days, we talk a lot about 'burnout,'

but as a psychologist, I recognize that we have

a lot of misconceptions when it comes to burnout.

We think burnout is anytime you're feeling

a little bit overworked or a little bit stressed

or a little bit tired.

But it turns out that burnout

is a very special kind of clinical syndrome

that has a couple of very particular symptoms.

One of the symptoms we often think about

is a sense of emotional exhaustion-

but this is richer than just a sense of physical exhaustion.

Emotional exhaustion isn't just about being tired:

it's really about feeling like you cannot

emotionally handle another thing on your plate.

If one thing comes on, you know, that's it,

the whole house of cards is gonna fall.

Even when you get a really great night rest or a week off,

you're still feeling kind of

emotionally tired and overloaded.

That's the first symptom, the sense of emotional exhaustion.

The second symptom, which I think is even more profound,

is a sense of what's often called

'depersonalization' or cynicism.

You're just kind of on a short fuse

with the people around you,

whether that's the people you're serving in your job,

your clients or your patients, or your other teammates.

It's like everything they say kind of irks you a little bit,

and it feels like if there's one more request,

you're just gonna lose it and freak out.

You're also very cynical about people's intentions.

You kind of feel like they have bad intentions

for the asks that are coming your way-

that's a sense of depersonalization.

But the third symptom is a sense

of personal ineffectiveness.

You just feel like even if you were doing

your job perfectly, it wouldn't matter,

or there are structural constraints

that make it impossible to do what you really value doing.

So even if you're doing your job well,

you feel like it kinda doesn't matter.

It's not giving you the same value it was before.

So this is burnout:

It's not just a sense of stress or overwork.

So I think it's important

to distinguish between stress and burnout;

we sometimes lump the two together,

but burnout is a very particular kind of clinical syndrome.

We tend to think of burnout as a modern phenomenon,

but there's evidence that something like burnout

has been happening for a while,

at least since the Industrial Revolution.

But some of the best research on burnout

happened in the 1980s and 1990s

and was mostly done by this fantastic researcher,

Christina Maslach, who's talked about some of the features

that tend to lead to burnout.

One of the features that tends to lead to burnout

is an increased workload or workload

that really feels just too overwhelming.

That isn't enough to lead to burnout over time,

but this can be an exacerbating feature.

Another feature that tends to lead to burnout

is what Maslach calls a 'values mismatch.'

You get into your job thinking you're doing something,

but in practice, in the trenches,

the job feels like something else.

I'm speaking about burnout right now as a scientist,

but also as somebody who's experienced this syndrome

a little bit myself.

I feel like I became a college professor

and a head of college on campus

because I wanted students to have a fantastic experience.

But then when COVID hit, it just felt like,

you know, what we were doing

wasn't what I signed up for anymore;

there was this mismatch.

Another feature that can lead to burnout

in an organization is a sense of unfairness.

This can also cause a certain sense of community breakdown.

When there's a sense that things are a little bit unfair,

maybe there's differences in compensation,

that can lead to a sense of burnout.

The final thing that's really important

for burnout is your sense of reward.

What leads us to kind of get flow

and feel happy in our jobs is a sense of intrinsic reward.

When things become pushed more towards the extrinsic reward,

and also when those extrinsic rewards,

especially when they start feeling a little bit unfair,

that can lead to a sense of burnout over time.

If you're wondering if you're going through burnout,

a few questions you can ask yourself

involve those big symptoms we just talked about.

First, this sense of emotional exhaustion:

Are you really, really exhausted,

not just physically exhausted, but emotionally exhausted?

When you take a weekend off, are you still as depleted

when you go back on Monday morning?

And does it really feel like a form of exhaustion

that's very emotional?

It's not just that you're tired,

but that you're feeling really depressed;

emotionally, you're on just a really short fuse.

Are you experiencing changes

in how you relate to people at your work,

either the people that you serve, your clients,

your patients, or the people that you work with?

Are you embarrassed about the length of your fuse?

Do you feel like you're going through

some compassion fatigue?

That's a clear sense

that you're experiencing depersonalization.

And is your sense of meaning going away

in terms of what you're doing?

Do you feel like your work has changed,

that you simply can't do a good job right now

because of some of the structures of what you're asked to do

or the fairness in your own institution?

If you're answering "yes" to some of those questions,

you may be on the verge of burnout,

and it's important to address that before it gets worse.

So what if you're already feeling

a little bit emotionally exhausted, a little bit cynical,

a little bit like your job isn't effective as much anymore.

This is the point when you need

to think about treating burnout,

and we can think about treatment

as having an organizational side and a personal side.

Organizationally, I think different industries

need to pay a lot of attention to burnout-

and one of the main ways to fix burnout

is to make some changes to people's workloads,

to people's sense of values,

and to the rewards that people are getting.

Those changes are really essential steps

to treating burnout once it's there.

But as an individual, you know,

the best thing that you can do,

aside from kind of trying to promote

more of these structural changes at work,

is to really take good care of yourself.

And I mean that in particular,

not just in terms of the kinds of things

you do which matter, getting more social connection,

making sure you have some free time,

but also to think about how you're structuring

your relationship with work.

Often, we bring the best of ourselves to work

and leave the leftovers for everything else,

for our families, for leisure, and so on.

If you're really putting too much of your identity emphasis

on work, that's the kind of thing that can lead to burnout

because those values feel like they matter so much to you,

it's all of your identity that's wrapped up in this.

When there's a mismatch, it can hit you even harder.

So to address my own burnout,

I decided to take a sabbatical,

but it was important that I stayed very intentional

about paying attention to my value systems

during that sabbatical.

I really tried to invest more

in my relationships outside of work,

so it wasn't just friendships at work

that were making up my whole social life.

I tried to reengage more with other things that I value-

hobbies, things as silly as, like,

playing a little bit more Guitar Hero-

but also engaging a little bit more

with things like my health,

like making sure I'm moving my body.

It's really trying to engage all the values

and the things you care about outside of work,

so you can start to develop an identity in that,

and not just in what you're doing for your job.