Emotional Burnout: What Is It And How To Fight

You feel depressed and devastated. All your dreams, desires and goals mean nothing to you. It is time to fight your emotional burnout. Valeriia Pivovarova will teach how to do it.

Emotional Burnout: What Is It And How To Fight

Lots of heavy situations and tiredness in our life cause a phenomenon called “emotional burnout”. Stress has a tendency to accumulate, and, subsequently, to become chronic. Inevitably, this will affect not only physical health, but also psychological and emotional one. Firstly, I heard about this term during the lecture at a volunteer center, which I attended for several years.

The lector and, at the same time, head of volunteers’ selection and training department, Ekaterina Kolmatskaya, thought this question crucial during the work with people. Frankly, I was worried a lot, as I had much stress at that moment. But, few difficult days will not lead to this fact, only a long series of stressful situations in the everyday routine of a person will contribute to very serious moral problems. So, luckily, I had not it. However, how can we distinguish whether it is moral exhaustion or just consequences of experiencing stress? I will share my experience and my lecture materials with you.

In 1970's American psychoanalyst H.H. Fоeudenberg developed concrete stages of “emotional burnout”. The point of it is to not hinder burnout at all. On the contrary, a person is very interested in taking on a lot of work. Any activity that comes in his way becomes his activity. As soon as he picks up a bunch of such things, he will begin to experience stress, as he will not have enough time for all of them and will be tired very much. Wanting to show himself, a person begins to neglect his own needs. He leaves all his desires behind in order to do all the staff in time here and now. By acting like this, he provokes a series of conflicts. Conflicting, at some point he simply ceases to notice quarrels. They become ordinary for him.

Imagine when you quarrel at once with friends, relatives, nearest and dearest, colleagues for work and study. Would you feel depressed either? I think yes, you would.

Over time, people cease to notice everything that is happening around. They only become robots that are programmed to do something. And they do. But at the same time, completely not enjoying their activities.  Every day, individuals become more and more lonely; they feel inner emptiness. At the last stage, a person is so depressed that he is constantly sick, and sometimes even thinks to take his own life. You must admit that in this state you will not last long. It is necessary to do anything. But what?

According to the lecture, the most important in preventing and combating emotional burnout is healthy sleep.  No matter how primitive this may sound, it is the dream that helps the body recover and gain strength.  It is also significant to understand that this should not be a couple of hours on the weekend, but approximately the same number of hours throughout the week. For the most restful sleep, you can drink a cup of tea with herbs.

No less useful will be meditation and breathing exercises. These procedures should be a daily practice. Meditation helps to clarification of the mind, an additional burst of energy. Breathing exercises favor to relax during the day. You need only 5 minutes to monitor your breathing. Set aside all your gadgets and set them to the regime “Do Not Disturb”. Observe your breath, listen to it, and try to smoother it. Make these habits regular and they will become your savior from stress.

Massage also benefits. You can do it yourself or ask someone to do it for you. It is better to study special points, but if you do not know them, then this will not be a problem. Massage only relieve tension and fatigue and give you a feeling of relaxation.

Likewise, the ability to feel your body supports your emotional state. Physical activity, in moderation, distracts the mind and focuses the brain only on the performance of sports exercises. Can you imagine a better vacation than jogging or swimming? Maybe yes, but your body cannot.

Moreover, leave all the troubles behind the doors of the apartment. Coming home you change clothes and shoes, thereby putting on a comfortable and cozy mood. Make yourself believe that at home all the worries will no longer bother you. Your home is your fortress.

Furthermore, plan your time clearly. Allocate enough hours for work and rest. Do not take it all at once, objectively evaluate your strengths. It is impossible to do a hundred of things at once. If you worry that you are missing out on an opportunity, do not think so. When one door closes, another opens somewhere.

“Emotional burnout” is very dangerous. You can run into this at work and at school. Pupils, students, workers and employers, absolutely everyone is subject to this phenomenon. But if you know what it is - you can recognize the threat to your stable emotional state in time. If suddenly you do not have time to prevent this, then try to get rid of it as quickly as possible. I hope the tips written above and given to me by Ekaterina will be really useful for you, too.

Text by
Valeriia Pivovarova