“If we don’t fill up our energy reserves in good time, this will sooner or later lead to physical and emotional stress, which can result in burnout,” explains social pedagogue Sonja Sidoroff in an interview with GUIDO.
The term “burnout” has been used in a rather inflationary manner in recent years. You heard about it on television, in the newspapers, everywhere. But most of them cannot really imagine anything by this. Burnout is stored in many minds as the disease of workaholics. Those who live for their jobs. The 60-hour weeks rock and always lug around a full schedule. But is that so?
Our expert, social pedagogue Sonja Sidoroff, denies the assumption. In fact, the opposite is actually the case. “Many people associate the term burnout with being burned out in relation to their job. It is also about their private life. If you get out of balance at work and in your private life, it can lead to burnout.” Because the pressure that society puts on you, that you put on yourself, can at some point easily lead to collapse.
Women or men who are at home and have no superiors to put pressure on can also be affected by burnout – they put the pressure on themselves
According to the official classification, a person who suffers from burnout has difficulties coping with life – and that doesn’t just refer to one area of life, but applies to everything. Fortunately, burnout doesn’t happen overnight, says Sonja Sidoroff. This is why it is so important that we react early to possible warning signs from our body. Such signals can be dejection, listlessness, reduced performance and psychosomatic complaints such as headaches and tension, but also stomach pain.
“As long as I refuel my car regularly, it takes me from A to B for a very long time. At some point my tank reserve lights up, and if I am not able to refuel, I stop pretty quickly.” Just as we refuel our car, so should we with our energy reserves.
5 ways to treat burnout BEFORE it occurs
1. Schedule small breaks
It is important that you allow yourself some time every day to recharge your own batteries and if it is only five minutes in which you can quietly drink a cup of tea. Such small energy sources are often lost in hectic everyday life. And if we take the time, the carousel of thought rattles through the to-do lists in our head or we are plagued by a guilty conscience because we could have thrown a load of laundry on in the five minutes. At such moments, our expert advises you to take three deep breaths or go into the fresh air to clear your head.
2. Find your sources of energy
Most people find it easier to list what stresses them out than to define what gives them energy. “Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for this. Everyone has to find their own energy sources.” Not that easy in a world where we are flooded with mindfulness trends. Because what’s the point of yoga if you can’t relax while doing a meditation exercise that you really don’t feel like doing. Ask yourself: what are my interests? What do I enjoy? What is good for me As soon as the thing becomes a MUST, it is better to leave it alone.
“When mindfulness trends, yoga and the like become stress factors because they are imposed on us from outside, they have the opposite effect.”
3. Conversations work wonders
Interpersonal exchange is very important. When everyone in the office is annoying again or dirty plates are piling up in the kitchen, it helps to get rid of the frustration. After that, the world often looks much better. So pick up the phone in times of crisis and call your best friend. If you don’t have anyone to talk to at the moment or if you don’t want to confide in family or friends for various reasons, there are advice centers you can turn to. In some cases, our expert even advises: “An unbiased opinion from a professionally trained person broadens the view for new perspectives!”
4. Pay careful attention to your use of social media
Sonja Sidoroff notes that Instagram and Co. contribute to making people feel increasingly stressed and dissatisfied, but it always depends on how the media are used. If you mainly use social media to be in contact with your friends, you are less affected by outside influences. Namely, that flawlessness and success are the goals to strive for. A conscious and healthy handling is important, then you can get inspiration and added value.
“If you are confronted with thousands of people a day who are apparently more beautiful, more successful and simply BETTER than you, then at some point you will believe that yourself!”
4. Redesign To Dos in your favor
Who does not know the long to-do lists that we dread even before we get up. The only thing that helps is to include little delicacies. Maybe you have the opportunity to rearrange your daily to-dos in such a way that you get added value for yourself. Classic examples would be listening to music while folding laundry or listening to a podcast while lunch is simmering on the stove.
Sources: Interview with social worker Sonja Sidoroff