Emotional fatigue. Signs, causes, remedies. Competent time management as a cure for burnout. Fatigue and overwork

Syndrome emotional burnout- scourge modern man. We are bombarded with so many things and responsibilities that need to be done right now or even yesterday that sooner or later we can’t stand it. The result is stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, apathy and even serious physical illness.

The phrase “burnt out at work” doesn’t seem like someone’s joke: many of us know very well what it’s like. Fortunately, burnout syndrome can be noticed in time and prevented from taking over. How? Let's talk.

The frantic pace of life is the cause of troubles

Humans were not created to live in the 21st century right away. However, we adapted perfectly, but it came at a high price. In the past, people lived in small villages and knew each other well - even the appearance of a random traveler or a fair was a big event. Any person knew what he would become when he grew up, since everyone, as a rule, continued the work of their fathers and mothers. They went to bed at nightfall and got up at dawn. Life was predictable.

Now humanity is in a state of permanent stress due to fundamental changes.

• Too much stimulation. We are bombarded by a flood of information: from television, the Internet, our mobile phones, magazines and newspapers. We constantly make choices and decisions, which drains our willpower.
• Insufficient security. Life is completely unpredictable. Work, home, family, intimate relationships, patriotism, freedom - these concepts have changed radically over the past decades.
• Crisis of the meaning of life. Previously, we knew where to derive the meaning of life. We believed that if a person lives a righteous life, then God will reward him and send him to heaven. Now we don’t really know why we should live a righteous life if we can’t even understand what it means.

Millennia of living this way have shaped our brains, our perceptions, and our response to stress. As long as we are young, everything is fine. But as we get older, the situation gets worse. We are faced with burnout syndrome.

Where does the energy go?

If you waste energy only on staying busy at work and managing things at home, an imbalance will arise. This in turn leads to burnout. Burnout occurs when we do the same thing day after day and feel no progress.

Health deteriorates due to stress. We make impulse purchases to please ourselves a little. Or we lose income because due to lack of ambition we work worse. We break relationships with people. We fixate on what prevents us from relaxing, and, of course, we always find many such obstacles. Controlling consciousness in moments of stress is a paradoxical process: when we try too hard to relax, or be happy, or not think about something, we inevitably fail.

And the more the consciousness tries to control what should be involuntary, the worse it becomes for us (next time you are going for a walk, try to think about how you move your feet): “This is what usually happens - the one who thirsted more for happiness falls becomes depressed, and the one who most wanted to calm down becomes anxious.”

The answer to the question of how not to completely stall is to let success into your life. The desire for success will eliminate the feeling of running in place. Balance will reign and everything will be possible.

Is there a balance?

The problem of balance is not far-fetched. Steve McCletchy, in his book From Urgent to Important, cites research showing that 88% of people have difficulty choosing between work and personal life, 57% consider this a serious problem, and 64% say they feel physically exhausted after work.

At the same time, we are forced to value work. The phrases “record unemployment” and “how to survive the crisis” are heard all around. We have to take on more responsibilities just to stay in the same position. Everyday life has turned into a race: to have time to cross things off the daily list in order to meet other people's expectations. But this is not a search for balance. It's about finding a way to survive.

Distributing a certain number of hours between work and personal life will also not bring balance. The stress that has accumulated over work time, will not disappear if you spend half the day in the office and the second half of the day at home. Balance is an immeasurable value.

Those who work 60 hours a week in high-paying jobs say they love their work. This is because they pursue success every day. The drive to succeed helps them survive grueling work hours and increased demands.

Success is not necessarily better or more. The point is to move towards the goal. Effective way defeat burnout - do not stop searching for the development of life aspects.

Getting out of the clutches of fatigue, or Preventing burnout

The main thing in the fight against stress, chronic fatigue and disappointment is to pull yourself together and give life new meaning. Let's say you set unattainable goals for yourself or were in too much of a hurry. The circle is closed. But no matter what way we choose to deal with the vicious circle of stress, there is always a chance to break it. By acknowledging the problems, we already win half the battle.

1. Be prepared for stress
Learn relaxation exercises, meditation, breathing practices. And try to come to an awareness of your emotions. As soon as you realize that everything is about to go to hell, turn to the life-saving techniques that you have learned.

2. Don't give in to immediate desires
Some of our most regrettable actions are motivated by a desire to get rid of difficult experiences. However, these actions still did not help solve the problem or alleviate the stress. There is a great temptation to take medicine or look into the bar around the corner, scream and say offensive words when the mood is at zero. Take your time! Analyze your judgments and desires. If the situation requires your intervention, wait until you can control yourself.

3. Don't forget about the main thing
Remember your fundamental values ​​and act accordingly. What is more important - letting off steam or maintaining a relationship with your loved one? Remember your core values ​​and act accordingly.

4. Get a pet
The presence of an animal in the house will help you better cope with stress, and walking with your dog will open up new opportunities for communication with people. When we are faced with making difficult psychological decisions, pets help reduce high pressure better than any beta blockers.

5. Pay attention to the condition of your body
If you are too anxious, angry or scared, first calm down by doing relaxation exercises. Go to Gym and do aerobics - it will help relieve stress. Engage in physical labor, it helps to get out of the situation. A long walk is also great therapy.

6. Tell yourself “Stop”
STOP - this acronym was coined by the "Society Alcoholics Anonymous”: Never make decisions when you are Angry, Anxious, Lonely or Depressed. Take care of your own needs first.

7. Make up your mind
If you really serious problem, something needs to be done with it. Hard work? Look for a new one. Are your relationships with your partner at an impasse? Maybe you should break up (but just think it over carefully). Sometimes we need an escape plan.

For example, the most common problem: if the work is too labor-intensive (long hours, lack of help, high pressure), start developing an escape plan. Don't spend money, don't buy new house or a new car, do not make any expensive investments that may tie you to this job for a long time. Save your money. Think about a job that suits you best and look for options.

Even if you can't change something right away, the fact that you have a plan can alleviate stress.

“I don’t control my life!”

You probably know people (or are one of them yourself) who managed so poorly own life, what does everyone hate about themselves now? They feel locked in a never-ending cycle of unpleasant work situations, crushing debt, overwhelming responsibilities, broken relationships, and even health problems due to stress and fatigue.

People feel that everything around them is a responsibility, and they themselves have no control. Burnout and stress rule their lives, and they are at their lowest point in motivation and productivity.

Control over your responsibilities, time and results... How does that sound? Peace? Calm? Productivity? Maybe even a triumph?

We cannot experience all the amazing opportunities that life has to offer if we are constantly busy and stressed. But you don't deserve more. Is not it? Learn to notice the signs of emotional burnout in time and take action. Then every day will be filled with happiness and joy.

Constant stress, a tense situation in the family and at work, lack of proper rest and an overabundance of communication lead to emotional fatigue. A person in this state feels apathy and irritation, he has no desire to communicate with people and a feeling of discomfort appears. Physical symptoms of fatigue also appear: insomnia, headache, exacerbation of chronic diseases.

Emotional fatigue is a professional problem for people working in a profession that involves constant communication. These are doctors, nurses, teachers, educators, journalists, managers and many others. People whose work is associated with constant worries and tragedies of others are susceptible to emotional fatigue. A person who is forced to constantly be in contact with a large number of people can feel the symptoms of mental fatigue.

A person should know how to avoid overwork. It is necessary to observe a work and rest schedule, be sure to get enough sleep and at the first signs of fatigue try to rest. Physical activity is recommended: visiting the gym, swimming pool, or at least regular morning exercises. Sports activities strengthen the nervous system and provide an outlet for accumulated emotions. A person needs to eat right and limit alcohol and caffeine intake.

To prevent emotional and mental fatigue, a person must realistically assess his strengths and not take on impossible obligations. You need to learn to plan your time and sort things by importance, pushing less significant ones into the background, and not try to do everything at the same time. A change of scenery and environment and a trip on vacation will help you cope with the onset of emotional fatigue.

Even children are susceptible to emotional fatigue. The symptoms of overwork in a child are the same as in an adult. Unbearable mental and emotional stress in childhood can lead to such consequences as neuroses, psychoses, nervous breakdowns. Parents should not overload their child with studies and a large number of extracurricular activities; children should have time to play and go for walks.

Regular overwork at work, a tense family situation, forced communication with a large number of people and absence good sleep cause severe emotional fatigue. Compliance with the work and rest regime, regular physical exercise and the absence of traumatic situations will help prevent and overcome this condition. You should definitely pay attention to the symptoms of overwork in order to take action before a severe emotional state affects your physical health.

In the process of performing work, a state of decreased performance of the body may develop, which is objectively assessed as fatigue, and subjectively perceived as a feeling of fatigue.

Fatigue - a decrease in performance that occurs as a result of performing work of great difficulty, intensity or duration and is expressed in the quantitative and qualitative deterioration of its results.

Currently, the most popular theory is the fatigue theory, according to which fatigue primarily occurs in the central nervous system. With prolonged stimulation of certain areas nervous system overexcitation and inhibition of conditioned reflexes occurs. Inhibition is a measure to prevent functional exhaustion of cells, which allows cells not to respond to incoming impulses.

Extremely high biological role of fatigue. It performs a protective function, protecting the body from exhaustion due to too long or strenuous work. Repeated fatigue, not brought to excessive levels, is a means of increasing the functional capabilities of the body.

In the development of fatigue, a distinction is made between fatigue that can be overcome, in which high performance is maintained, maintained by force of will. This is the so called compensated fatigue. Performance in this case is ensured by significant energy costs. Most often, fatigue and tiredness develop in parallel, but this does not always happen. So, if a person is busy with what he loves, what is important to him, he can work for a long time without feeling tired, although there are signs of fatigue.

Further performance of work causes development uncompensated, obvious fatigue, the main symptom of which is a decrease in performance. Fatigue manifests itself as a subjective feeling of tiredness. The phase of decompensated fatigue is characterized by a decrease in the overall level of central nervous system activity (a decrease in the speed of visual and auditory motor reactions, a drop in the level of attention), a mismatch in the activity of different areas of the cortex big brain. There is a decrease in the contractility of working muscles, incoordination of movements, and a slowdown in their pace.

It is necessary to dose human activity in such a way that the resulting fatigue disappears during rest. If this does not happen, symptoms of fatigue accumulate, leading to overwork.

Overwork – this is a long-term and deep decrease in performance, accompanied by disruption of life support systems and requiring long-term rest to eliminate. Thus, overwork is a pathological condition that does not disappear after normal rest and requires special treatment. There is a concept syndrome chronic fatigue . Studies conducted by a number of scientists have shown that chronic fatigue is the main reason for visiting a doctor for about 24% of the adult population.

There are many reasons leading to chronic fatigue and they are connected both with the physical condition of a person and with the state of his spirit. Helps most patients better A complex approach to treatment taking into account psychological factors. Identifying and correcting problems that concern a person is an important part in his healing. Among the specific recommendations for overcoming the state of chronic fatigue, the most significant are the following:

Understanding that self-esteem has a significant impact on health and recovery.

Identifying aspects of life that cause stress in a person and finding ways to eliminate stressful situations.

Gradual restoration of activity: the volume of perceived information, physical activity, time communicating with people.

Physiological mechanism of the formation of nervous tension. If previously scientists were primarily concerned with issues related to fatigue and overwork, now problems such as stress and overexertion have become particularly relevant.

Labor is not limited to physical and mental activity. It is almost always associated with emotional stress, achieving a goal and overcoming difficult situations, which can also contribute to the development of nervous tension. In addition to mental and emotional overstrain, overstrain of another nature, for example physical, may occur in the process of work. As part of this work, we will consider mental-emotional overstrain as the most common borderline state not only among mental workers, but also among workers in other modern professions.

In the sphere of emotions and mental activity of a modern worker, there is a significant intensification, which leads to the fact that the worker does not have time to adequately and quickly respond to all biologically significant information. More and more unreacted influences, unrealized emotions, and unresolved problems of various kinds accumulate.

The way of life and work activity has changed so much in recent years that the adaptive-compensatory mechanisms developed in the process of evolution have difficulty coping with the new conditions of reality. Disharmony arises between psychophysiological and labor and social rhythms. It can be assumed that the rate of adaptation of the human body lags behind the rate of increased life demands, i.e. from accelerated social and production development. In this regard, the tension of the regulatory mechanisms of the central nervous system and the homeostatic constants of the body increases significantly. Extremely strong stimuli increasingly involve the structures of the cortex and subcortex and form nervous tension. The tension of the nervous and adaptive-compensatory mechanisms increases sharply, the excitatory process becomes stagnant.

In contrast to overwork, the essence of which is the depletion of compensatory-adaptive mechanisms, nervous tension - this is a state of the body when the process of excitation under prolonged exposure to any constant stimulus or emotional complex reaches an extremely high level, which is maintained for a long time only due to the constant inclusion of additional nervous mechanisms and potential resources.

Mental-emotional overstrain is a condition caused by psycho-emotional stimuli, the impact of which is determined not by their physical parameters, but by information and verbal content and is characterized by a conditioned reflex mechanism of influence.

Mental and emotional overstrain is regarded as a qualitatively new state of the body, located between normal and pathological reactions. A new physiological quality of nervous overstrain is that under certain unfavorable conditions and at certain stages it can give way to a disease.

Risk factors for nervous tension. The emergence of risk factors in the process of mental work occurs due to the inability to plan one’s working time, educational and information overload of the brain, lack of independent work skills, lack of sleep, insufficient physical activity, smoking, alcohol abuse, arterial hypertension and hypotension, high levels of anxiety and neuroses, psycho-emotional discomfort, sexual behavior disorders.

Nervous stress occurs as a result of the combined effects of various risk factors. The complex influence on the body of several risk factors is stronger if they occur simultaneously and become chronic. Depending on the nature and specificity of the action, risk factors can be divided into two groups: biological-psychological and socio-industrial in nature.

Factors biological and psychological nature . Hereditary and constitutional factors play a special role in the development of nervous tension. Genetic nature is inherent in all psychophysiological manifestations of the body. Without taking into account the genotype, it is difficult to explain multidirectional psychophysiological changes under the influence of risk factors and extreme situations.

The development of nervous overstrain is also largely determined by hereditary burden of the endocrine-humoral system. If a person has a predisposition to any disease, its occurrence as a result of stress is almost guaranteed.

Of the psychological factors, the sharp expression of certain character traits, which distinguish the so-called accentuated personalities, is important. The following personal characteristics can contribute to the formation of nervous overstrain: motivational conflicts and conflicts of an intimate-personal nature, increased importance of the subjective factor in assessing certain life situations, misunderstanding between loved ones, emotionally charged speech, tension in the body muscles during a conversation, self-doubt, aggressiveness, neuroticism, chronic anxiety and internal tension. Individuals with high level People with anxiety are more sensitive to emotional stress and have difficulty getting out of emotionally charged situations.

To factors social-production nature include: social changes, significant life difficulties (divorce, death of loved ones), long-term emotional stress, significant predominance of intellectual work, constant feeling lack of time and chronic fatigue, chronic violation of the work and rest regime, decreased interest in work, loss of personal prestige, lack of elements of creativity in work and excessive workload, chronic hypokinesia, lack of work skills.

Some authors make attempts to divide people into predisposed (type A) And unpredisposed (type B) to diseases depending on their typical behavioral acts and their inherent psychophysiological characteristics.

For persons type A characterized by such manifestations as haste, irritability, reactivity, impatience, anxiety, desire for competition, and a strong sense of duty. Type A individuals are typically capable people who excel at tasks that take on multiple complex tasks at once. They are energetic, strive for advancement at work, they always lack time for rest, physical activity and sleep. These characteristic features are aggravated in stressful and extreme situations, with a severe lack of time in competition conditions and information overload. Individuals classified as type A based on their behavioral manifestations give reason to assume that they have a chronically active working dominant. In the future, the psychological state of haste and anxiety can serve as a core syndrome, reflecting prolonged emotional stress with increased reactivity of the predominantly sympathetic-adrenal system.

Type B people are the complete opposite. They do not overload themselves with work, are very indifferent to it, are cheerful, know how to enjoy life, relax a lot, are non-conflict, and sociable. Knowledge of the personal psychophysiological and social-production characteristics of each type allows for the timely application of preventive therapeutic and health measures.

Due to their chronic nature, nervous fatigue and psycho-emotional stress are leading factors in the development of cardiovascular, nervous and mental diseases. It is statistically reliable that the so-called “diseases of civilization” are especially common among representatives of professions associated with sedentary, intense mental work and emotional stress.

Features of development nervous tension with monotonous work. The monotony of labor is the monotony of labor operations and the production environment. Currently different kinds monotonous work is divided into two main categories.

Monotony of action, in which a state of monotony occurs in connection with the performance of monotonous work actions and their frequent repetition.

Monotony of the situation, in which a state of monotony occurs due to the influence of monotonous factors in the surrounding work environment and a lack of incoming information (“sensory hunger”).

The term "monotonicity" mainly characterizes external objective factors labor activity, and the term “state of monotony” refers more to a person’s reactions to monotonous work. State monotony , - a complex of physiological (objective) and psychological (subjective) changes in the human body that arise during monotonous work.

Factors that potentiate the development of the state of monotony include hypokinesia and physical inactivity, environmental factors: constant background noise and vibration, insufficient lighting, uncomfortable microclimate, isolation and monotonous interior design of industrial premises.

Factors influencing a person’s resistance to monotony include: the nature and conditions of work, professional and physical preparedness of workers, a person’s functional state, attitude to work, and psychophysiological characteristics of the individual.

The state of monotony includes a wide range of changes in various functional systems of the human body, characterized by a decrease in the level of their activity. The most serious consequence of prolonged work in monotonous conditions may be the formation of nervous tension in workers and the possible development of overexertion.

Developed measures to prevent the development of the state of monotony should be aimed at increasing the level of activity of the central nervous system, increasing emotional tone and motivation; ensuring optimal information and motor loads; elimination of objective factors of monotonous work. All this is achieved by optimizing the nature and conditions of work.

Adaptation processes and exam stress in students. To maintain the relationship between higher coordinating centers and peripheral executive organs, there are complex relationships that ensure mutual regulation, leading to optimal coordination of the functions of various human systems and organs. However, with sudden changes external environment or the internal state of the body, a discrepancy between different systems may arise and homeostasis may be disrupted.

W. Selye found that the strong impact of stressors on the body leads to the emergence of a special condition, which he called stress (tension). He included the state of stress in the concept general adaptation syndrome . During stress, the body's adaptive-compensatory and protective mechanisms are disrupted and changes occur that do not depend on the nature of the current stressor.

Three stages of the general adaptation syndrome have been identified: pathology, resistance and exhaustion. Pathological changes in the body can occur at the beginning of exposure to a stressor. They are characterized by an anxiety reaction and occur only when exposed to very strong stimuli. The stage of resistance is characterized by the activation of the physiological state of the body.

The period of taking exams is usually accompanied by emotional stress among students. Visible (facial expressions, speech, gestures, motor acts) and invisible (vegetative-endocrine changes) emotional effects confirm the violation of biological self-regulation of the body in some students during exams. A person can usually cope with visible manifestations by using his will, but it can be difficult to cope with invisible ones and a “vegetative storm” inevitably occurs. When exposed to appropriate external or internal factors disruption of homeostasis does not occur passively, but with exacerbation and tension in the activity of certain functional systems of the body.

Educational stress factors cause emotional reactions that have a harmful effect on the body and interfere with passing exams. Such educational stress factors for students are: poor grades, conflict situations with teachers, insufficient preparation of the subject, expectation of failure, constant fear of being suspended from school, lack of time, the pace and speed of the examination period, the need to prepare a large amount of educational material for the exam, frequent night work, state of uncertainty.

Stresses that arise during an examination session take on a chronic and combined nature; their cause should be considered to be the simultaneous action of several examination stress factors. When stressful effects are repeated and prolonged, students develop symptoms of chronic emotional stress, which can form a pre-pathological state in them. Such emotions make it difficult for students to perform purposeful mental work.

Numerous studies have shown that under the influence of exam stress, blood pressure, pulse rate, ECG indicators, skin temperature, blood supply to the blood vessels of the brain and lower extremities, sugar levels, catecholamines, lipids, increase or decrease. shaped elements in peripheral blood.

Single functional changes in the body under the influence of stress do not pose a danger and are considered as biologically appropriate reactions of the body to overcome difficult situations. But since exam stress factors act repeatedly, the functional changes they cause after the end of the exams are not restored for a long time. The positive or negative effect of stress depends on the duration of its action and on whether the body functions impaired under the influence of stress are restored. The body's adaptive reserves are not unlimited and should be used gradually.

It has been established that emotional stress begins 4-5 days before the start of the exam session and persists throughout the exams, even on those days when the student does not pass the exams. Thus, university students experience prolonged exam emotional stress twice a year.

Psychophysiological and biochemical changes that occur under the influence of emotional stress are in some cases explained by the emergence of closed “emotional ring circles” between the cortical and subcortical emotional zones, which reinforce each other with each examination stress factor. In other cases, examination overload of the brain does not correspond to the intellectual abilities and capabilities of a given student, causing neurotic disorders.

The manifestation of emotional stress often causes subjective experiences, accompanied by increased excitability and anxiety, which are a source of interference and failure in exams.

To prevent emotional stress, we can recommend a moderate and even study load throughout the semester, which will maintain vitality and positive emotions, preventing the occurrence of stress. It is advisable to maintain interest in the educational process. The development of interest is necessary to maintain the health and adaptive reserves of the students’ body. A decrease in interest contributes to the accumulation of unlearned educational material, which in turn causes emotions of fear and uncertainty, especially before exams.

SEV - emotional burnout syndrome

Burnout syndrome is psychological reaction a person to long-term emotional fatigue, manifested in loss of interest in life. Such a reaction can “mature” for months and even years. American psychologist Herbert Fruedenberger in 1974gave a definition of CMEA (in English “burnout”) as a problem “born by the society and the time in which we live, constant struggle for filling our lives with meaning. This condition does not go away if it is ignored.”

SEV can occur in almost any person, and it develops according to the following scenario (although a person does not always go through all the stages):

The desire to assert oneself;

The decision to work more;

Neglecting your needs;

Lack of understanding of the conflict (the person does not understand the root of the problem of his poor health);

Change in values ​​(losing friends, family, leaving favorite activities, etc.);

Denial of impending problems (cynicism, aggression and disappointment become obvious);

Social isolation (this gives rise to alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.);

Noticeable changes in behavior;

Inner emptiness;

Depression;

SEV (thoughts of suicide, complete mental and physical exhaustion).

Causes of SEV:

The cause of SEV is stress, usually caused by an overly busy life: a large number of meetings, meetings, projects, unrealistic deadlines for fulfilling obligations, secondary and unnecessary matters that distract from the main work, as well as many other factors affecting a person’s life in our world oversaturated with information and technology. Stress in itself usually does not cause big problems, but in relation to long-term and numerous stresses, each of us has our own limits of tolerance, and when we cross them, we find ourselves on the verge of overwork.

How to deal with SEV or prevent it:

1. Analyze your motives in life. Typically, teachers, doctors, managers and representatives of other professions who often and a lot communicate with people (patients, students, clients, etc., who do not always behave “well”) are forced to behave courteously and politely on duty, not experiencing true love for people. Over time, the incentive (salary, career, etc.) to “love” people weakens or disappears, and the person gives free rein to his real feelings. If this attitude does not change, a person is forced to change jobs, hoping that one day he will find himself in a place where he will not need to “love” others so often or where he will find people who will be easy to love. How can you learn to truly love people?

2. Simplify your life. Television, Internet, Cell phones and other means mass media They help us in our work, but at the same time a lot of information that is useless to us comes through them. It distracts us from our responsibilities, takes up our time and mind, and ultimately leaves us feeling overwhelmed.

3. Make time for rest. Give preference to useful physical work, during which the mind rests: working in the garden or vegetable garden, growing flowers, crafts, walks in the park or forest, etc. Relaxation in the lap of nature has a restorative effect. Avoid watching TV or surfing the Internet for long periods of time.

4. Maintain healthy eating habits. Consume mostly plant foods, avoid stimulants: coffee, tea, alcohol and hot spices. It is important to drink 6-8 glasses of water daily.

5. Develop habits of regularity in your life regarding sleep patterns and food intake.

6. Don't limit yourself when sleeping. On average, a person needs to sleep 7-8 hours a day.

7. Rest at least once a week. A person needs time to restore spirit, soul and body.

8. Don't make promises you can't keep. When we overload ourselves, we become irritable and aggressive because we feel the pressure of unfulfilled obligations. Be realistic about your strengths

By analogy with physical fatigue, emotional fatigue occurs when we spend too much mental energy and do not have time to restore it.

There is nothing strange in the fact that after a busy day a person feels tired physically and mentally, provided that by the morning he has time to rest and is ready for a new day. This condition deserves serious attention when it is observed day after day, that is, it becomes.

Manifestations of emotional fatigue

• Irritation. Emotional fatigue manifests itself primarily as irritation. Accidentally spilled water, a wrinkle in clothing, an uncomfortable chair and a hundred other little things cause severe irritation and annoyance. It feels like the whole world is against you.

• Thirst for loneliness. The main source of negative emotions are the people around us. There are too many of them on the street and in transport, at work colleagues endlessly force communication, clients don’t stop calling. Objectively, there is no more communication than usual, but at the same time a person wants to build a huge wall around himself so that no one can approach him.

• Inability to concentrate. In a state of emotional fatigue it is incredible challenging task it turns out to tune in to perform the simplest daily tasks - wash the dishes or make the bed, write a standard report at work or write letters to partners. Consciousness seems to be foggy, attention is unfocused. Particular difficulties arise in situations where a decision is required.

• Frustration and boredom. Against the background of emotional burnout, a person begins to feel that he has chosen the wrong profession and place of work, that he is not succeeding, that his successes are insignificant, and his failures are enormous. The same feeling can be projected onto your personal life. There is a painful feeling of boredom, apathy, loss of interest in life.

• Psychophysiological symptoms. Emotional fatigue is often accompanied by increased nervous excitement, headaches, problems with appetite, loss of strength and physical fatigue.

Stages of emotional burnout

The most susceptible to burnout syndrome are people whose activities involve direct communication with people - clients, partners, students.

At the first stage, a person feels that his usual activities begin to weigh heavily on him. The teacher is disgusted by the upcoming lecture, the doctor can hardly wait until the end of the appointment, and the manager tries to get busy with paperwork so as not to have an extra meeting with the client.

To avoid a depressing state, a person tries to emotionally distance himself from the people he encounters at work, performs the work quite formally, and establishes contacts to a minimum.

At the next stage, such detachment of a person is gradually replaced by misanthropic sentiments.

And finally, on last stage emotional burnout begins to manifest itself on the physical level - headaches and heart pain, exacerbation chronic diseases. This transition indicates that emotional fatigue is already too great and urgent intervention is required to recover.

Prevention and overcoming emotional fatigue

In a state of severe emotional fatigue, there is no other way out but to organize a rest for yourself. We can endlessly motivate ourselves, scold ourselves, try to get ready for work and other things, but fatigue will not go away until we give ourselves a rest.

To understand what this vacation should be like, just listen to yourself. Most people choose one way or another to be alone with themselves - it could be a long journey, or just a few days spent at home with a favorite book under a warm blanket.

It is much more important to figure out how to prevent extreme stages emotional exhaustion. Adhere to the following rules:

• Be sensitive to your own emotional state. If on initial stages emotional burnout, to understand what is happening, it is quite possible to restructure your activities so as not to provoke the development of this process.
• Learn to switch and not continue mental dialogues with clients or partners when the conversation is over or you have already left the workplace.
• Take care of organizing your vacation; it is important to devote special time to this. Do not hesitate to tell your loved ones if you feel that it is important for you to relax alone.
• Periodically return to the question of whether you like the business and the life you live. A once-loved job may eventually become hated, and it is important to recognize this in time in order to look for an activity that will truly satisfy you.
• Emotional fatigue occurs much faster when you don’t feel the impact of your own actions, think about what you could change to make the results of your work more obvious.