Burnt Out
Many people across the world deal with countless stresses from work, school, hobbies, and social settings. More than ever before, people are required to perform at higher and higher levels. In today’s world, you are expected to give each task 110% of your effort at every moment. Jobs demand more hours, better results, and the handling of more complex tasks. Creative industries need more content, faster, and that is more effective. Everything is always moving a constant high speed. If you can’t keep up with it, you will be left behind. As an outcome of all of this, many people suffer from Burnout.
In a society of praised achievement and non-stop attitudes, the toll it takes on individuals is often overlooked. Everyone is expected to just put their feelings and doubts to the side and deal with moments of struggle to reach the necessary results. No one wants to be viewed as someone who can’t keep up, a wimp or just not effective at their job. This cultural narrative brings on the outcome of Burnout. It can adversely affect how an individuals perform in their work, home, and social environments. Burnout comes in a variety of forms.
Stress, anxiety, depression, change in mood, and lack of motivation are all very common symptoms of Burnout. It can even cause individuals to develop serious major health risks. According to a journal by PLoS One, these can be anything from type 2 diabetes to high cholesterol or heart disease. This goes to prove that this relatively overlooked condition can bring about very significant life altering symptoms.
It has become almost frowned upon to display any feelings of Burnout. This is true regardless of what you are doing. Many people do not want to admit they are experiencing burnout in their workplace, or other environments. This could be out of fear of repercussions, disapproval, or a negative opinion towards them. Some even feel that the idea of Burnout does not exist in the first place. They feel that it is solely a lack of determination, laziness, or inadequacy.
To make matters even worse, employees have seen little growth in their wages even with the increase of work. Hourly wages have only adjusted minimally over the past 40 years. Over the last few decades, wages have remained almost the same. Even with increasing workload demands, employees have received little in the way of compensation. While there has a been a general upwards trend, goods and services cost more today. Prices will only continue to fluctuate as time goes on as well. The lack of wage increases simply acts as another stress inducer for employees. It is hard to keep anyone motivated when there hasn’t been a large increase in decades.
Adapting to new tasks, reaching deadlines, and problem solving are very common requirements for any job. They are also common for being successful in an educational setting. It is realistic to expect any and all of these from an individual. However, constantly pushing more projects, assignments, tasks, and due dates all at the same time is not. As an individual’s load of to-dos grows more, it becomes harder to keep up with demands. These demands only continue to add more stress to an individual.
A large portion of students face Burnout throughout each academic year. Stress is one of the largest symptoms of Burnout. In a study by the Princeton Review, over 50% of students are stressed solely as a result of their schoolwork and environment. A majority of students at some point will experience a form of Burnout. Whether it is severe or minimal, many will or have dealt with a case of their own.
As professors assign more class work to help prepare students for the real world, many students struggle. The transition from high school to college proves to be difficult for many. On top of course work, students are expected to get involved around campus, live a healthy lifestyle, maintain strong social relationships, and handle all other obligations at once. The cycle of demands ends up causing students to slip in at least one of these areas. Increased stress does not only affect individuals experiencing it, so do those issuing it.
Workplaces become less productive, teachers receive lower performance ratings, and establishments function worse overall. Employers can see massive impacts in their company’s performance. Financially, a lot of businesses can suffer and have to use many of their resources to assist employees coping with Burnout. In the 2017 Harvard Business Review, it is mentioned that Burnout accounts for an estimated $125 to $190 billion total in healthcare expenses for employees. This number will only continue to increase more as a greater number of people experience Burnout.
A large portion of students face Burnout throughout each academic year. As professors assign more class work to help prepare students for the real world, many students struggle. Transitioning from high school to college proves to be difficult for many. Students are expected to get involved around campus, live a healthy lifestyle, maintain strong social relationships, and handle all other obligations at the same time. This is on top of their course workload The cycle of demands ends up causing students to slip in at least one of these areas.
Stress is one of the largest symptoms of Burnout. In a study by the Princeton Review, over 50% of students are stressed solely as a result of their schoolwork and environment. A majority of students at some point will experience a form of Burnout. Whether it is severe or minimal, many will or have dealt with a case of their own.
Individuals in creative fields suffer from Burnout at very high rates. As creators, they are required to constantly come up with fresh and new ideas. Their jobs and obligations push them to think of innovative solutions, as well as unique designs, and products. While this is very beneficial for companies and institutions, it is very hard for individuals to keep this constant momentum. It is not very realistic to expect anyone to always be at the top of their game, coming up with bigger and better ideas. Producing consistent quality work takes time and it is not something that comes every second.
It is important to mention that Burnout is not just a result of high stress environments. Burnout does not just affect individuals in creative or educational settings. People in every field, profession, and stage of their lives can experience forms of Burnout. Gallup found that about 23% of all employees surveyed always or frequently experience Burnout. Another 44% reportedly experience it occasionally. That is why seeking proper resolutions will have profound effects in preventing or resolving Burnout.
While Burnout can feel like a very debilitating illness, there are many steps that can help to remove it from your life. The first step is to learn more about yourself, and the position you’re in. Too often we fall into the groove of our daily tasks. Analyzing what we are doing and why we may feel burned out is very helpful.
Talking with others about what you are going through is also a great way to help cope. Burnout is not always easy for people around you to see. That is why it is very good to discuss what is on your mind with friends, family, co-workers, or managers. Anyone you are comfortable with that helps you to alleviate your Burnout is a great person to talk to.
Make sure that when you are talking with your managers or supervisors that you focus on you. Express your thoughts and feelings about your situation. It is paramount that you say exactly how you feel. In the end, your health is much more important than any job in the world.
Burnout negatively affects countless people across the globe. Whether it comes as a result of work or social settings, it has profound effects. Now more than ever, more is expected out of everybody in what they do. Globally, there are millions of people who have, or are currently dealing with the drastic effects of Burnout. It is crucial that as a global society we shine a light on this issue. This epidemic will only continue to get worse the more it is ignored and brushed off. It is all of our responsibilities to help individuals deal with Burnout and help them find assistance they need to remove it from their lives.
