How to deal with burnout syndrome?

In the past, there was only tiredness, now there is burnout syndrome. Burnout syndrome is defined as a condition beyond physical fatigue or severe headaches. It can lead to various personality disorders due to emotional collapse, feelings of failure and stress.

There are experts who see this situation, which is common in people who do things beyond their capacity for longer than they can handle, as an alarm signal rather than a result. For example, a signal signaling the onset of clinical depression or an anxiety disorder. For some psychologists, burnout is the disorder that needs to be addressed and is largely due to chronic stress. Unfortunately, humans have not evolved to withstand prolonged stress – at least not for now.

The human body is programmed to respond to sudden and short-term stressors. Just like escaping from a bear, we can save our lives by releasing cortisol and other stress hormones when the neuroendocrine system senses danger and responds with a "flight or flight" response. When the situation that created the stress disappears, everything in our body returns to its normal level.

So, what are the consequences of consuming cortisol? Cortisol, which decreases as a result of long-term chronic stress, can cause many problems by causing inflammation in the body. “Happiness hormones” such as serotonin and dopamine also decrease in this process, and the person becomes increasingly unhappy under stress. This, in turn, affects the right thinking process, disrupting features such as memory, focus and creativity. The most common physical symptoms of burnout syndrome are extreme fatigue, abdominal pain and inefficiency due to inattention. A decrease in the amount of work you do in the same period, for example.

Although depression and burnout are not the same thing, it is very likely to be confused by people who are not trained in the subject. Like any psychological disorder, it is recommended to see a specialist to diagnose burnout syndrome and help the person in this situation. However, if you are not able to do this, by observing yourself in the short term, you can find out whether you are showing signs of depression or burnout.

While burnout syndrome is a condition, depression is a disease. If being away from home is stressing you out, you'll feel good when you're home. If you're experiencing burnout from your job, a week's vacation when you don't even answer your e-mails can get you down. However, such rapid mood swings are unlikely for a depressed person.

We can reduce our stress level and prevent burnout syndrome from hitting our neighborhood by keeping a work-life balance, doing the things we really like during our breaks, and spending time with people we are happy with. Raising our expectations of ourselves to reasonable levels or being able to say "I can't do this job today" will also help reduce stress.