IN THE RED
Do you feel you're running on empty, pushing yourself into the red zone? Do you find you no longer care about the things you care about? Life doesn't have to be that way.
Burnout is a syndrome of reduced sense of personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization. It happens to people who work with people. Take a look at these three symptoms of burnout, then take one of the inventories offered below.
Burnout is a syndrome of reduced sense of personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization. It happens to people who work with people. Take a look at these three symptoms of burnout, then take one of the inventories offered below.
Reduced Sense of Personal Accomplishment
You have a gnawing sense of inadequacy. Your job may not have changed, but you feel like you are no longer able to produce the same output. You are unable to hear or accept positive comments from others.
You may not recognize the cumulative effects of stress. Instead you begin to believe that you are the problem. You may even feel like an imposter in your position, and that at any moment someone will show up and expose you as a fraud.
You may not recognize the cumulative effects of stress. Instead you begin to believe that you are the problem. You may even feel like an imposter in your position, and that at any moment someone will show up and expose you as a fraud.
Emotional Exhaustion
You are exhausted most of the time and resting doesn't seem to help much. You feel depleted and empty and now there is nothing left to give. You may begin to categorize people and deal with them strictly "by the book" because it requires less energy.
You dread going to work or answering your phone because it is increasingly difficult to deal with people and their problems. You just don't care anymore and realizing this can be very traumatic.
You dread going to work or answering your phone because it is increasingly difficult to deal with people and their problems. You just don't care anymore and realizing this can be very traumatic.
Depersonalization
You have become cynical and avoid the very people you once cared about. You are more insensitive, treating people more as objects. You prefer to work with inanimate objects rather than people.
You may even move from this detachment from people to actively disliking them. This social avoidance and loss of empathy toward others can lead to overwhelming feelings of guilt.
You may even move from this detachment from people to actively disliking them. This social avoidance and loss of empathy toward others can lead to overwhelming feelings of guilt.
Burnout Inventories:
Take this inventory by Ken Williams to self-assess whether you are experiencing burnout :
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You can also purchase the Maslach Burnout Inventory, now with forms adapted specifically for medical personnel, educators, students, or others, from this website:
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