Center Pensées - French Center for Psychotherapy in Berlin
Preventing burnout
Burn-out is often used to explain a general malaise at work.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at the warning symptoms to help prevent the disease.
Contrary to popular belief, burn-out is not a crisis that happens overnight, but a process.
It is the result of prolonged and excessive stress at work. The individual uses all his or her resources to cope with a stressful work environment, until exhaustion sets in.
Hence the importance of paying attention to some of these symptoms and stopping the process while there's still time.
We insist on the notion of "resources" because it's because human beings are endowed with so many resources and capacities that they don't perceive their own limits.
Here are the 3 criteria of burn-out:
- Emotional exhaustion (physical and psychological): irritability, uncontrollable crying spells, sleep disorders, forgetfulness, feeling drained, reduced energy, depleted emotional resources, feeling unable to give of oneself professionally.
- Depersonalization: a cold, distant relationship with a dehumanized relationship with the other person, a cynical, detached attitude towards one's work.
- Decreased personal fulfillment: negative self-assessment, feeling of no longer being up to scratch, low morale and performance, reduced sense of accomplishment at work.
If you identify with one or more of these criteria, you should consult your GP and then a psychologist, so that you can be assessed and, if necessary, taken care of in good time.
Burn-out is very treatable, and there are many possible solutions on the road to recovery.
Source: Vaincre l'épuisement professionnel (Suzanne Peters, Dr Patrick Mesters).
Article written by our psychologist Marianne Faure.
Center Pensées - French Therapy Center in Berlin.
English Speaking Therapy Center in Berlin
Contact us by filling out the form below
In an emergency, contact your local Berliner Krisendienst or Sozialpsychiatrischer Dient (SPD).
Visit the My International Therapythe international version of Centre Pensées
