1.

MAKING SENSE OF BURNOUT

In the modern working world, burnout is often seen as a disease. However, the concept, and indeed identification, of burnout is not all that new. Companies have been aware of burnout for decades and the industrial/organizational arms of psychology have studied and written much about it.

In essence, burnout is a personal response to regularly engaging in high-demand situations over extended periods. It is a multidimensional concept but one that tends to have some key components, which we will explore together throughout this book. We will also be looking closely at what you can do to bring about positive change — whether you are developing burnout or are already living the experience.

At the core of burnout is a sense of emotional tiredness or even exhaustion. This comes about due to the ongoing nature of the job demands and the realities of trying to function in your life. This is particularly so when you are consistently operating at a level that requires more from you than you are receiving or replenishing. Alongside this is a type of intellectual or cognitive tiredness that presents itself as a loss of sharpness and reduced ability to do previously normal cognitive tasks. People also tend to experience reduced physical and personal energy, often in contrast to what they previously had.

Perhaps one of the most problematic aspects of burnout is the creeping sense of dissatisfaction, which can lead to cynicism. The latter can be about your role, the company worked for or even about yourself (i.e. who you are, what you have achieved and where you are heading). It’s a bit like an existential train wreck, something that calls into question the very foundation of who you are and how you have been operating.

But burnout is not inevitable. It does not affect everyone with a demanding job or busy life. Nor is it going to last forever. Part of the secret to helping prevent burnout seems to relate to your motivation for undertaking the task or role you are in — for example, if you are motivated to stay in a high-pressure position by your own reasons and values, rather than by external factors or payoffs, this is protective. If you are working towards goals and outcomes that are relevant and consistent with your values (more on these later), there is less chance you will become overwhelmed and then burnt out. This is because the goals are consistent with who you are and what is important to you (i.e. not related purely to reinforcers such as increased money or respect from others). There is also an association between intrinsically identified goals and enhanced feelings of personal wellbeing, a positive sense of self and confidence in doing things.