Syndrome of the season or a big problem of the new generation? Burnout is no longer an indefinable concept that concerns “others”, but the daily reality of thousands of young people and workers in Greece. Rapid rhythms, uncertainty and pressure for constant productivity have made professional exhaustion part of everyday life.

We are not talking about a simple fatigue that leaves with a few days of vacation, but a deep mental and physical wear. And while many young people are trying to build a career in an unstable and demanding environment, Burnout emerges as the trademark problem of our time.

The psychiatrist-psychotherapist Aristotle (therapia.gr) explains to that burnout is much more than a simple fatigue. It is a professional exhaustion with physical and psychological dimensions, which occurs when the demands of the work are overcoming our potential. As he points out, the symptoms are not limited to mood and concentration, but are often accompanied by physical manifestations, such as headaches, insomnia or gastrointestinal disorders. ‘It’s not just the feeling that I got tired’notes, “But a deeper deterioration that lets man feel empty, alienated and unable to cope”. How can one overcome it?

More and more often we hear the term Burnout. Can you explain to us what it is?

Clinically the term Burnout refers to professional exhaustion. It is a syndrome with physical and psychological components. It occurs when the requirements of the work exceed our potential. This is not just a sense of fatigue, but a deeper and more extensive state where energy is exhausted, mood and sense of meaning collapse, letting the person feel empty, alienated and unable to cope.

How is Burnout syndrome defined from a psychological point of view? What are its key features? How do we understand it?

Symptoms vary, but the core of the disorder is defined by a trio: emotional exhaustion, cynicism/depersonalization and a sense of low personal integration. Clinically, the syndrome is expressed by severe and continuous fatigue, difficulty concentration, increased irritability, emotional distancing, cynicism and loss of interest in work or even personal life. Mental symptoms are also accompanied by physical symptoms, such as headaches, insomnia, gastrointestinal disorders.

What are the main factors that lead someone to burnout, especially in the modern workplace? What are the first signs?

The first signs come quietly usually. The situation begins with a sense that “I do not want to go to work today, I have no appetite”, an internal pressure, perhaps nervousness and small anger outbursts to colleagues or to familiar faces for no particular reason. Often Burn Out begins as a slight frustration or reduction of excitement and slowly turns into a pervasive sense of futility and depreciation of the self. Other warning signs are persistent exhaustion despite resting, sleep disorders, increased errors and difficulties, and a feeling that “I don’t care” for the job anymore.

Is there a difference between work stress, depression and burnout? If so, how can the distinction be made?

Depression is a disorder of mood that affects many areas of life, while Burn Out is mainly a reaction to chronic work stress. In practice, depression persists independently of the context, while Burn Out improves when these stressful stressors are reduced. In depression the symptoms (sadness, anecdote, withdrawal, clinic, death thoughts) are persistently out of work, affecting everything, including self -care. Burn Out is dominated by exhaustion, cynicism and reduced professional efficiency, with relief when changing the labor load or the environment. Work stress is usually transient and often responds to rest and vacation, while Burnout is a persistent syndrome.

What is the role of psychological support and psychotherapy in the treatment of Burnout?

Psychotherapy has multiple benefits as man has the opportunity to speak comfortably about what he or she is experiencing, which acts comfortably. Psychotherapy, among other things, can cultivate mental resilience and stress management, enhances the establishment of boundaries, priority hierarchy and time management. It is very important that one can process dysfunctional patterns such as hypertension tendencies, “proveing ​​my value” through productivity and supernatural, perfection, the difficulty of saying “no”, so that the boundaries are set without guilt. At the same time, psychotherapy helps to restore contact with values ​​and personal incentives, and to seek new ways to express creativity and find meaning.

Can anyone understand in time that he is on the verge of burnout? What are the “bells”?

There are often prolonged overtime with high and unpredictable workload, low autonomy in decisions and a sense of injustice in reward or treatment. Any conflicts and role ambiguity increases the chances of burnout. When the recognition, guidance and clear priority hierarchy is missing, the employee feels that the effort does not “count”, resulting in increasing exhaustion and cynicism. In addition, poor work-life balance, constant connectivity and resting breaks, combined expectations of “permanent availability”, drastically reduce daily recovery and accelerate burnout. The role of the discrepancy of values ​​should also not be underestimated when the content of the work or the method of administration conflicts with personal authorities, causing a constant internal conflict.

What role does the employer or work culture play in Burnout prevention?

Overall, the work environment plays a decisive role. The character and the quality of the relationship with the employer or the boss deeply affects how the employee experiences the challenges in the workplace and whether he feels that he has room to express and hear. An employer or boss who does not show understanding, creating feelings of injustice or constantly seeks irrational things, without even recognizing efforts, intensifies exhaustion. On the contrary, the presence of a supportive employer, who recognizes and rewards the employee’s effort, works protective.

In practice, a organizational side is critical. If an employee is in Burn Out it requires the reduction of workload, possibly the working hours, to make the roles clearer, possibly a change of work in the same company, and a culture that respects the boundaries during and after the working hours (ie, no email/SMS are sent, SA). A company that recognizes Burn Out to an employee could provide assistance to the employee, with licenses and covering visits to a health specialist (psychiatrist) to deal with the syndrome.

Are there simple steps with which one can take to protect or overcome Burnout?

In order to overcome the burn out you need to slow down a little, listen to the body and its emotions, and allow yourself to seek help. It is essential to have a balance of professional and personal life, enhancing personal life and sociality, sleeping 7–9 hours, necessarily to make work limits with a realistic re -evaluation of obligations. It is important that Burn Out is not treated as a personal failure but as a danger signal that shows that a change of course is needed.

Recovery from the syndrome requires rest, time, support and necessarily changes in the work frame. The best thing to do is talk to a psychiatrist or business doctor’s doctor. The earlier this is done, the faster the syndrome will be treated and the causes that led to it. Psychotherapy helps, but sometimes medication may be needed for a while, usually in severe cases.