The Burnout Syndrome
In our previous article, we dove into the world of stress. Now, we’re tackling a topic that often follows chronic, unmanaged stress: burnout. While it might feel like a buzzword, burnout is a very real, scientifically recognized syndrome. It’s a state of profound exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced effectiveness that can creep up on anyone, especially in a demanding profession like teaching.
According to the ICD-11 (the International Classification of Diseases), burnout is described as “a syndrome stemming from chronic job stress that has not been successfully managed.” This definition gives us three key characteristics:
- Feelings of exhaustion: This isn’t just being tired after a long day; it’s a profound and persistent lack of energy.
- Increased psychological distance from work or feelings of work-related negativity/cynicism: You may feel detached from your job, viewing it with a sense of dread or indifference.
- Decreased work effectiveness: You feel less and less capable of performing your job well, and your performance may actually decline.
The Stages of Burnout
Burnout isn’t an overnight phenomenon; it’s a gradual process. The Edelwitch and Brodsky model (Stock, 2010) offers a clear look at its different phases, which you may find all too familiar.
- Idealistic Enthusiasm: This is where many of us start. A novice worker is full of enthusiasm, has unrealistic expectations, and voluntarily works overtime. Your work feels fulfilling, and you strongly identify with your profession, often neglecting personal life and hobbies.
- Stagnation: The initial sparkle fades. You start to see the limitations of your profession and realize that not all your ideals can be fulfilled. Your focus shifts back to your personal needs and hobbies.
- Frustration: This is a critical turning point. You begin to question the effectiveness and meaning of your work. Repeated encounters with uncooperative students, parents, and bureaucratic obstacles can feel overwhelming. You may start to have disputes with colleagues or supervisors, and emotional and physical difficulties begin to appear.
- Apathy: Following prolonged frustration, apathy sets in. Your work becomes nothing more than a source of income. You do only what is absolutely necessary, reject new ideas, avoid conversations with coworkers, and refuse to work overtime. You may also start to react with cynicism and reluctance towards your students and their parents, as a defense mechanism.
Recognizing the Signs: A Quick Self-Check
From these stages, you can probably see that burnout is characterized by specific behaviors and attitudes. To help you spot the warning signs in yourself, here’s a quick screening tool. If you answer “yes” to most of these questions, you may be experiencing some of the early signs of burnout.
- I get tired quickly and don’t sleep well.
- I feel exhausted and have no energy.
- I don’t have the energy or desire to continue learning.
- I feel helpless and lack purpose.
- I don’t enjoy my work as much as I used to.
- I go to work with a sense of resistance.
- I put off work until later.
- I can’t enjoy things like I used to.
- I shut down and don’t seek out contact with colleagues.
- I feel that I react cynically and reluctantly to both my students and their parents.
- I get angry more easily than before.
- I blame failures in teaching on my pupils.
- I feel I’m not doing my job well and I’m not good enough for it.
How to go on?
In this module, we’ve explored the foundations of burnout, but before we dive deeper into the topic, let’s turn our attention to some practical tools for building resilience. In our last video, we tried out grounding, a simple but powerful technique to anchor yourself in the present moment and manage overwhelming feelings, also when we feel burned out.
Building on our grounding practice, our next article will introduce another way to connect with the present: barefoot walking. It’s not just about getting back to nature; it’s a way to reconnect with our bodies and senses, which is a powerful countermeasure to the detachment, which is the main symptome of burnout.
Sources:
Figure 1.: BS of teachers CZ (retrieved: https://nevypustdusi.cz/2019/09/09/syndrom-vyhoreni-u-ucitelu/)
References:
Stock, C. (2010). Syndrom vyhoření a jak jej zvládnout (Natalie VRAJOVÁ (překladatel). Grada publishing.
www: https://nevypustdusi.cz/2019/09/09/syndrom-vyhoreni-u-ucitelu/