The term Burnout is defined as the feeling of discomfort caused by an excess of work stress, in the person, this discomfort is usually the direct result of a very intense and / or very prolonged stress, so this pressure eventually exceeds its resources (psychological defenses) to face it; in addition, its incidence is higher in work that is part of the support or support networks (doctors, nurses, psychologists, etc. ).
The affected person can develop the syndrome in different ways, in this sense one of the most visible symptoms would be desmotivation, which reduces the quality and quantity of care, so we could say that it is considered a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by continuous participation in emotionally demanding situations.
- Maslach.
- One of the most eminent authors in this field.
- Defines it as a syndrome characterized by “emotional fatigue that leads to loss of motivation.
- Which often results in feelings of inadequacy and failure”.
The three axes on which Burnout syndrome is articulated would be
It is a chain or process that is fed back, so you do not need to follow the same order among all professionals nor its evolution is always gradual. On the other hand, what usually happens is an “escalation of symptoms”, so the first Symptom, unless an intervention occurs, usually give way to others.
This does not mean that all professionals involved in support networks, related to work with death or disease, are exhausted, there are professionals who, in the face of work as heavy as palliative care or oncology, come out stronger. or the other will depend on many adaptive resources and the person’s handling of their own emotions.
“Having death around teaches us to live
There are certain elements (experiences, people, situations, etc. ) that we cannot change or over which we do not have absolute control, things that are as they are. Things we’d like to see otherwise, that seem unfair, that shouldn’t be.
But are they like that, that’s all. In this sense, to take care of ourselves, it is necessary to distinguish what can be done and what cannot be done; between what it is and what it should be. This will protect us from helplessness, frustration, guilt and anger.
It is important to accept that
For the treatment of Burnout, two psychological resources are generally used with very powerful therapeutic effects: we are talking about acceptance and compassion. Both try to release tensions and allow us to maintain the motivation and willingness to proactively direct our energy, in this sense proactivity consists in making decisions for oneself, taking control of what it does without justifying something external.
In this way acceptance and compassion allow us to set real and achievable goals and guide us to finally achieve them, it is about focusing on what you want, not what you fear, for this it is important to seek the right information and invest in quality training, for example, training in techniques such as mindfulness, which is based on mindfulness focused on the current moment.
Self-regulation procedures are also becoming very important in this field. With this term we mean the strategies that allow us to control our own behavior (emotional, cognitive and motor), in order to achieve adaptation to the situation and the circumstances that surround it.
In short, the underlying overall approach is simple: regain control of important personal decisions (such as focusing on helping others) that allow the chosen task to be carried out in the most effective and emotionally cost-effective way possible.