Burnout​—Are You Next?

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN JAPAN

“Waitresses in Sweden, teachers in Japan, postal workers in America, bus drivers in Europe and assembly line workers everywhere are all showing increasing signs of job stress.”​—MAINICHI DAILY NEWS.

NOBUAKI was exhausted. Working day and night, he had recruited 130 employees within four months. He was the sales manager for a new branch of a major supermarket chain in Japan, and in his efforts under pressure, he had employed people who failed to meet the standards he expected. They fought each other and complained about their lot. On top of that, a male employee ran away with a female employee. Nobuaki was having headaches every day. Soon he could not go to work, and on the days he forced himself to go, he would come home immediately. He was burned-​out, like a match that has finally gone out.

Full-​time housewives also experience burnout. After two years of being at home with her three children, Sarah became very impatient with them. “I felt as if I was doing and doing and doing, but it was just a bottomless pit,” she declared. When a mother works secularly and rears children, the possibility of burnout increases. Betty, in her 40’s, found herself in the situation of balancing motherhood and a career, trying to fulfill both roles to perfection. She tried to please everybody​—her husband, her children, her employer, and her colleagues. Her blood pressure was up, and minor incidents irritated her. She suffered burnout.

Burnout hits unlikely victims as well. Shinzo, a capable Christian minister, was full of vigor and ideals. He went to help in an area where there was a great need for Christian teachers. Within a few months, however, he felt exhausted, and he shut himself in his bedroom all day long. He felt as though he were in a tunnel with no way out. He had difficulty making decisions, even about what to eat for lunch. He did not feel like doing anything. He was completely burned-​out.

What Is Burnout?

What then is burnout? Herbert Freudenberger and other researchers took up this term in the mid-1970’s, and it came to describe “a state of exhaustion resulting from involvement with people in emotionally demanding situations.” Also, “physical or emotional exhaustion, especially as a result of long-​term stress or dissipation.” (American Heritage Dictionary) There are, however, depending on the researcher, shades of difference in the definition of this term.

Although burnout has no precise medical definition, victims are identified by symptoms such as fatigue, lack of enthusiasm, helplessness, hopelessness, and malaise. The victim feels extremely tired and gets irritated over minor incidents. Nothing will ignite him to action. Everything seems overwhelming, and he may desperately seek help from whoever comes his way. All efforts in the workplace and at home may seem pointless. A sense of hopelessness prevails. If you have these symptoms coupled with malaise, a lack of enjoyment in anything, then you could well be experiencing burnout.

Burnout can affect work and family life. You want to avoid it. But how? To find out, let us first see who are prone to burn out and why.

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Symptoms of Burnout

“Job burnout refers to a debilitating psychological condition brought about by unrelieved work stress, which results in:

1. Depleted energy reserves

2. Lowered resistance to illness

3. Increased dissatisfaction and pessimism

4. Increased absenteeism and inefficiency at work.

“This condition is debilitating because it has the power to weaken, even devastate, otherwise healthy, energetic, and competent individuals. Its primary cause is unrelieved stress, the kind that goes on day after day, month after month, year after year.”​—The Work/​Stress Connection: How to Cope With Job Burnout, by Robert L. Veninga and James P. Spradley.

Burnout​—Who Is at Risk and Why?

IMAGINE yourself as an office worker with a family​—or maybe you are one. Work is piled up on your desk. The phone rings incessantly with customers’ demands that are next to impossible to meet. Your supervisor is displeased that you are not meeting the quota. Your son is in trouble at school. The teacher wants to see you immediately. Your pleas for help to your spouse are met with indifference. When the situation seems out of hand, stress becomes distress, paving the way for burnout.

Is burnout caused by overwork? Ann McGee-​Cooper, a brain researcher, said that burnout is “the result of living out of balance, typically in an all-​work/​no-​play spiral.” Overwork, however, is not the only factor; under the same pressure and circumstances, some burn out while others do not.

Likely Victims of Burnout

Just as there are people who are more likely to be infected with a certain disease, there are types of people who are more likely to burn out. “In order to suffer from burnout,” says Elliot Aronson, professor of social psychology at the University of California, “you must first be on fire.” So those prone to burn out are afire with high goals and ideals. It is said that those who suffer burnout are often a company’s best people.

Summing up the personality traits of likely victims of burnout, Professor Fumiaki Inaoka of the Japanese Red Cross College of Nursing, wrote in the book, Moetsukishokogun (Burnout Syndrome): “Those who are inclined to burn out have strong tendencies to be sympathetic, human, delicate, dedicated, and idealistic. They are not machine oriented but ‘human oriented,’ so to speak.”

Asked to develop a test to screen out those who are likely to burn out, a specialist said that the test should instead be used as a hiring standard. “What companies need to do,” he said, “is find the people who care enough to burn out . . . and then develop programs to combat burnout.”

Especially vulnerable are those involved in human-​oriented services, such as social workers, doctors, nurses, and teachers. They eagerly try to help people, giving of themselves to improve the lives of others, and may burn out when they realize they are not achieving the sometimes unattainable goals they have set for themselves. Caring mothers can also burn out for the same reason.

Why People Burn Out

A survey taken among nurses revealed three factors leading to burnout. First noted was the amount of daily hassles causing frustration. For example, the majority of the nurses had to carry weighty responsibilities, handle difficulties in dealing with patients, adjust to new equipment, face mounting expenses, and put up with an irregular life-​style. “These daily hassles constitute the greatest influence toward their burnout,” says the book Moetsukishokogun. When problems remain unsolved, frustration simply builds up and leads to burnout.

The second factor noted was lack of support, not having someone to confide in. Thus, a mother who isolates herself from other mothers is more likely to burn out. The above-​mentioned survey found that single nurses are more prone to burn out than those who are married. Nonetheless, being married can increase daily hassles if there is no open communication between husband and wife. Even when everyone is home, a person may find himself alone because his family is absorbed in watching television.

The third factor was feelings of helplessness. For instance, nurses are more likely to experience feelings of helplessness than doctors because nurses may lack the authority to change things. Those in middle management may burn out when they feel their greatest efforts are not taking them anywhere. As a human-​resources manager said, burnout comes from being “frustrated by trying to make an impact and not being listened to.”

Feelings of helplessness in humans germinate in a soil of unappreciative attitudes and bear the fruit of burnout. Wives burn out when their husbands fail to acknowledge the amount of work involved in homemaking and taking care of the children. The middle managers burn out when a boss ignores a job well done and picks on them for minor mistakes. “The bottom line is that we all need to have our efforts appreciated and acknowledged,” says Parents magazine, “and if we work in a place that does not reward our efforts​—be it our home or our office—​then we’re more likely to suffer from burnout.”

Interestingly, while nurses experience high percentages of burnout, obstetricians suffer considerably less. Generally speaking, an obstetrician’s work involves helping new lives come into the world. Mothers and fathers thank them for their work. When appreciated, people feel that they are useful and are motivated.

As soon as one knows who tends to burn out and why, it becomes easier to deal with the problem. The following article can help burnout victims to have a balanced approach to life.

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Burnout is a result of an all-​work/​no-​play spiral

Burnout​—How Can You Cope?

BURDENED with stress from anxieties and daily hassles, many try to drink away their frustrations. Alcohol, the most widely abused drug today, is used by many in an attempt to escape hard realities. Others have relied on popular prescription drugs to deal with anxieties. Yet others resort to mind-​altering drugs, such as marijuana, methamphetamines, and cocaine. Even young children have been known to use drugs to escape the realities of life. It is said that 95 percent of American youths will have used one or more illegal substances before they graduate from high school.

Then there are those who try to escape daily stress by going on sprees with their friends or putting on a masquerade of cheerfulness while feeling depressed inside. Or for the wrong reasons, they seek the affection and tenderness of the opposite sex. But using escapist measures to deal with stress only increases frustration. When people try to dilute stress with alcohol or other mind-​altering substances rather than rekindling themselves, they speed up the process of burnout. What, then, can you do when you feel the fire inside you slowly burning out?

Way to Recovery

Awake! does not recommend specific therapies or medications. Nevertheless, it presents a few helpful suggestions based on Bible principles that may aid you in rekindling the dying embers within you. Dr. Yutaka Ono, a director at Keio University School of Medicine, recommends “three C’s” for coping with burnout. He explains: “The ‘three C’s’ stand for control, communication, and cognition.”

In order to overcome feelings of helplessness, you must be able to feel you are in control of your feelings and behavior. When frustration daily dominates your emotions and crushes your capacity to solve problems, it is easy to believe things are out of your hands. However, do not just sit back and dwell on troublesome thoughts. Try to solve your problem step-​by-​step. (See box, page 8.) Do not procrastinate. Just by initiating positive actions, you will begin to feel better and in control.

Try to reduce irritations that result in defeatist feelings. For instance, some tend to get annoyed by every trifle in life. They insist on a certain way of doing things and get irritated when others do not comply, or they may become frustrated by their own failures. “Do not become righteous overmuch,” an ancient wise man said, “nor show yourself excessively wise. Why should you cause desolation to yourself?” (Ecclesiastes 7:16) Clinging to standards that are too high and constantly feeling you are not measuring up to them is a sure way to burn out.

Further helpful counsel from the Bible is “to be modest in walking with your God.” (Micah 6:8) To be modest means to be aware of one’s limitations or to place “a moderate estimate on one’s abilities.” This may mean saying no to unreasonable demands at the workplace.

Those who know their limitations welcome help. One female manager who had experienced burnout said that the key to avoiding it is to ask for help. Still, as she says, “a lot of people are afraid to ask for help because they may be looked upon as failing in their job.” Be it housework, schoolwork, or secular work​—whatever is threatening you with burnout—​delegate work where you can. You will be surprised to see how things get accomplished without your directly managing everything.​—Compare Exodus 18:13-27.

You may need some rest. A leave of absence can work miracles for a potential victim of burnout. However, if your circumstances do not allow for that, “if you know how to have fun, it makes a difference,” says researcher Ann McGee-​Cooper. Taking a break for a change of pace may even increase productivity, stimulating your mind toward creative thinking. What King Solomon advised years ago still holds true: “Better is a handful of rest than a double handful of hard work and striving after the wind.”​—Ecclesiastes 4:6.

A Supportive Circle for Communication

The second “C” that Dr. Ono mentioned involves communication. It is interesting that fire fighters rarely experience burnout. This may be because, in addition to being considered heroes, they are tied together by a strong bond of camaraderie. Having a supportive group to lean on, one can draw help from them. Where can you find comforting support today? Describing ways for physicians to cope with burnout, the book Moetsukishokogun (Burnout Syndrome) states: “For doctors, their family, especially their spouse, is the most effective and realistic emotional supporter.” Everyone needs someone in whom to confide personal feelings. In this matter of communication, the Bible offers practical advice. It encourages married couples to maintain romantic attachments to each other and tells all to have friends who can make solid workable suggestions.​—Proverbs 5:18, 19; 11:14.

“We must build our own support system of close friends and family,” says USA Today. It then adds: “We also must feel free to utilize the resources of our religious centers and mental health services.” Concerning how to tap religious resources for help, Jesus’ half brother James wrote: “Is there anyone sick among you? Let him call the older men of the congregation to him, and let them pray over him, greasing him with oil in the name of Jehovah.” (James 5:14) Christians who have problems can find refreshment by talking with the elders of the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Although the elders are not specialists in dealing with burnout, the spiritual support they offer is invaluable.

While a human support system may recharge us for another day, it may not always be enough. In the introduction to his book, Helplessness, Martin E. P. Seligman pointed to the unbridled individualism seen in the West as a cause for the increase in depression today, and he expressed the need for finding a meaning in life. He then showed that “one necessary condition for meaning is the attachment to something larger than you are.” Although many people today do not take their relationship with God seriously, communication with the Creator​—who is certainly “larger than you are”—​can help you to cope with feelings of helplessness.

King David, who faced many crises, encouraged his subjects: “Trust in [God] at all times, O people. Before him pour out your heart. God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8) God is ready to give his ear, even to our “groanings unuttered.” (Romans 8:26) Earnestly petitioning him results in the peace that can “guard your hearts and your mental powers” against burnout.​—Philippians 4:6, 7.

Changing Your Viewpoint

Finally, a change may be needed in how you view your situation. Cognition, or perception, is the last “C” that Dr. Ono suggests as a way to cope with burnout. When under excessive stress, we tend to make negative estimates of everything and entrap ourselves in pessimistic viewpoints. However, we have to be realistic. Analyze whether or not there really is a basis for such negative thinking. Will the result be as bad as you fear? Try to look at things from another point of view.

“You can begin by assuming that if you’re burned out, it’s probably because you’re ‘good,’ not because you’re ‘bad,’” says Parents magazine. Remember: Types who are prone to burnout have high standards and care about others. What is most helpful for a burnout victim is a word of appreciation. It will make a big difference to a mother if her husband and children express and show appreciation for all the work involved in running a household. If a middle manager suffers burnout at work, an appreciative comment and a pat on the back can change his outlook for the good.

The Bible shows how a capable wife merits commendation: “Her sons have risen up and proceeded to pronounce her happy; her owner rises up, and he praises her. There are many daughters that have shown capableness, but you​—you have ascended above them all.” (Proverbs 31:10, 28, 29) Indeed, “pleasant sayings are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and a healing to the bones.”​—Proverbs 16:24.

Shinzo, the Christian elder mentioned in the first article, recovered considerably from his burnout. Although he received professional assistance, what helped Shinzo most was his prayers to Jehovah. Following his earnest prayers for help, he happened to meet the elder who had first studied the Word of God with him. That elder, as well as other fellow elders, supported him by listening to his anxieties. From an earlier issue of the journal you are now reading, articles on overcoming negative emotions were read to him by his wife. (October 8, 1992) Gradually he realized he was trying to do everything by himself. His way of looking at what was happening around him started to change. Although he felt at first that he was in an endless tunnel of despair, he saw a light at the other end that slowly became bigger until he finally came out of his tunnel.

Just like Shinzo, you too can cope with burnout and face life again.

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Twelve Ways to Prevent Burnout

THE following are based on just a few of the suggestions offered by a clinical specialist in mental-​health nursing.

 1. Be in control of your thoughts, feelings, and behavior​—prayer is a great help.

 2. When you start to worry, deliberately change over to useful, decisive thinking.

 3. When agitated, take a deep breath and consciously relax.

 4. Try to see situations from the other person’s viewpoint to understand how the stress has developed.

 5. Focus on what you appreciate in others and compliment them. Express not flattery but earned praise.

 6. Identify and stifle negative, destructive thinking.

 7. Know how to say no when your energy and schedule call for it.

 8. Engage in some physical exercise every day​—brisk walking is good.

 9. Treat others with respect, seeking to bring out their best.

10. Keep a sense of humor and a twinkle in your eye.

11. Leave your work problems at the workplace.

12. Do today what must be done​—don’t procrastinate.

(Adapted from “Dealing With Feelings, Beating Burnout,” by Ruth Dailey Grainger, American Journal of Nursing, January 1992.)

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Burnout often strikes the unrelenting, driven person