Dr LeCrone
03-24-2006, 01:59 PM
Mental health professionals are more and more frequently seeing the phenomenon of burnout. Although not confined to service professions, persons in fields of medicine, the ministry, law and other service industries are more prone to experience burnout. Estimates are that 66 percent of all teachers have experienced burnout. Mental health professionals have not only seen the devastating effects of burnout on the individual, but also on the family.
What are some of the early signs of burnout? And what symptoms does the typical burnout victim experience?
Consider Bob, who is a dedicated health care professional and family man. He has been putting in long hours on his job for the last 15 years. His vacations, hobbies and other forms of relaxation have been put aside. He indulges in them infrequently. The success that he has had and the compliments from workers and colleagues have only served to reinforce his belief that he is “on the right track.”
A vicious circle begins to develop. Longer hours, harder work, more attention to detail yield material rewards and admiration from his peers. His personality causes him to have a compulsive need to be correct and proper in everything he does. In fact, the training he received so rewarded excellence and attention to detail that a pattern of perfectionist behavior and thinking developed over the years.
These two very interesting phenomena of workaholism and perfectionism often lead to a dilemma that is not only hard to change, but also is not often viewed as a problem.
Burnout victims often feel a loss of stamina and energy in their lives. An increase in sarcasm, pessimism and dissatisfaction in life, a lowered resistance to illness, decreased efficiency and increased absenteeism are evident.
Victims describe feelings of motivation loss, nervousness, edginess, being overly touch and being unappreciated by friends and family. As one victim states, “I just feel all used up.”
The burnout victim is often reluctant to share his feelings with family or professional associates for fear of appearing weak or inadequate. The tendency is to step down even harder on the “psychological” gas pedal, driving further and further into the burnout syndrome. Not only does the person not take time to stop and smell the flowers, he even forgets that flowers exist.
In Bob’s situation, he may decide that a career change is in order. Frequently, this is not the answer. He becomes more and more alienated from his family. As his children grow older and need him less, he becomes even more isolated. There seems to be a lot of overlap between the time of life known as the “middle-age crazies” and burnout. These two phenomena are often very interrelated. Recognizing burnout and doing something about it can help an individual get through an adult stage of psychological development which, at times, can be rather destructive.
What are some personality types prone to burnout? There are individuals who need to succeed and feel successful. A burnout victim feels a great need to control, to feel that he is the only one capable of doing his work properly. The individual may have a great deal of difficulty in delegating authority and admitting that he needs help. Another personality characteristic often found in burnout victims is overcommittment. A person may accept every task until finally he becomes overwhelmed by his own enthusiasm.
What can be done about burnout?
• Become aware of the signs of burnout in your own life. Do something before the problem becomes major. Be honest about yourself. Denial or rationalization hurts not only you, but also your employer and your family.
• Work hard, but try to develop some detachment in your concern for your job. Start living the credo, “I work to live, not live to work.”
• Don’t bring work home. Provide a change of pace. Find hobbies and activities outside of work that provide enjoyment and variety in your life.
• Learn to say no when too much is asked of you.
• Take regular vacations. Don’t’ combine them with work. Intersperse breaks of short duration, such as a long weekend, between vacation times.
• Try to vary your work routine.
• Develop a plan of exercise aware of the signs of burnout in your own life.
• Work hard, but try to develop some detachment in your concern for your job. Start living the credo, “I work to live, not live to work.”
• Don’t bring work home. Provide a change of pace. Find hobbies and activities outside of work that provide enjoyment and variety in your life.
• Learn to say no when too much is asked of you.
• Take regular vacations. Don’t’ combine them with work. Intersperse breaks of short duration, such as a long weekend, between vacation times.
• Try to vary your work routine.
• Develop a plan of exercise that enables you to get rid of stress and tension.
• Limit the number of hours you work.
• Learn to delegate authority. Let others help you handle the workload.
• A change of work setting and sometimes living conditions can neutralize burnout.
Remember that burnout is a warning signal. Professional counseling might be helpful and should be considered if self-help techniques fail.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1984
What are some of the early signs of burnout? And what symptoms does the typical burnout victim experience?
Consider Bob, who is a dedicated health care professional and family man. He has been putting in long hours on his job for the last 15 years. His vacations, hobbies and other forms of relaxation have been put aside. He indulges in them infrequently. The success that he has had and the compliments from workers and colleagues have only served to reinforce his belief that he is “on the right track.”
A vicious circle begins to develop. Longer hours, harder work, more attention to detail yield material rewards and admiration from his peers. His personality causes him to have a compulsive need to be correct and proper in everything he does. In fact, the training he received so rewarded excellence and attention to detail that a pattern of perfectionist behavior and thinking developed over the years.
These two very interesting phenomena of workaholism and perfectionism often lead to a dilemma that is not only hard to change, but also is not often viewed as a problem.
Burnout victims often feel a loss of stamina and energy in their lives. An increase in sarcasm, pessimism and dissatisfaction in life, a lowered resistance to illness, decreased efficiency and increased absenteeism are evident.
Victims describe feelings of motivation loss, nervousness, edginess, being overly touch and being unappreciated by friends and family. As one victim states, “I just feel all used up.”
The burnout victim is often reluctant to share his feelings with family or professional associates for fear of appearing weak or inadequate. The tendency is to step down even harder on the “psychological” gas pedal, driving further and further into the burnout syndrome. Not only does the person not take time to stop and smell the flowers, he even forgets that flowers exist.
In Bob’s situation, he may decide that a career change is in order. Frequently, this is not the answer. He becomes more and more alienated from his family. As his children grow older and need him less, he becomes even more isolated. There seems to be a lot of overlap between the time of life known as the “middle-age crazies” and burnout. These two phenomena are often very interrelated. Recognizing burnout and doing something about it can help an individual get through an adult stage of psychological development which, at times, can be rather destructive.
What are some personality types prone to burnout? There are individuals who need to succeed and feel successful. A burnout victim feels a great need to control, to feel that he is the only one capable of doing his work properly. The individual may have a great deal of difficulty in delegating authority and admitting that he needs help. Another personality characteristic often found in burnout victims is overcommittment. A person may accept every task until finally he becomes overwhelmed by his own enthusiasm.
What can be done about burnout?
• Become aware of the signs of burnout in your own life. Do something before the problem becomes major. Be honest about yourself. Denial or rationalization hurts not only you, but also your employer and your family.
• Work hard, but try to develop some detachment in your concern for your job. Start living the credo, “I work to live, not live to work.”
• Don’t bring work home. Provide a change of pace. Find hobbies and activities outside of work that provide enjoyment and variety in your life.
• Learn to say no when too much is asked of you.
• Take regular vacations. Don’t’ combine them with work. Intersperse breaks of short duration, such as a long weekend, between vacation times.
• Try to vary your work routine.
• Develop a plan of exercise aware of the signs of burnout in your own life.
• Work hard, but try to develop some detachment in your concern for your job. Start living the credo, “I work to live, not live to work.”
• Don’t bring work home. Provide a change of pace. Find hobbies and activities outside of work that provide enjoyment and variety in your life.
• Learn to say no when too much is asked of you.
• Take regular vacations. Don’t’ combine them with work. Intersperse breaks of short duration, such as a long weekend, between vacation times.
• Try to vary your work routine.
• Develop a plan of exercise that enables you to get rid of stress and tension.
• Limit the number of hours you work.
• Learn to delegate authority. Let others help you handle the workload.
• A change of work setting and sometimes living conditions can neutralize burnout.
Remember that burnout is a warning signal. Professional counseling might be helpful and should be considered if self-help techniques fail.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1984