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By Shamard Charles, M.D.
Balancing work and everyday life is a challenge facing many workers in the United States.
Excelling in the office, exceeding expectations and climbing the corporate ladder are all part of the American dream. But many Americans have trouble balancing work, family life and privacy.
And this fight can lead to a feeling all too familiar: burnout.
In fact, burnout is such a serious problem in the United States and around the world that the World Health Organization decided to address the problem at the recent World Health Assembly, which is held in Geneva.
The WHO said Tuesday that "burnout" was a "professional phenomenon" that could lead a person to seek care even if it did not go so far as to call it an official state of health.
The international body has even updated its international classification list of diseases, used worldwide as a reference for health diagnosis, to include the following identifiers to help doctors easily detect the syndrome:
- Feelings of exhaustion or exhaustion of energy
- Increased mental distance from work or feelings of negativism or job-related cynicism
- Reduced professional efficiency.
Why are we so exhausted?
One of the reasons may be increasing globalization and the use of technology, which imposes connectivity 24/7, creating an environment in which it is almost impossible to disengage from work.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which represents the vast majority of the world's most advanced economies, reports that 11% of US employees work 50 hours or more per week and that an average American spends 40% of his day working his work. As a result, the United States is at the bottom of the work-life balance in developed countries.
Burnout also costs: stressful jobs contribute 120,000 deaths each year and cost US companies up to $ 190 billion in health care costs, according to a 2016 article by Harvard researchers Business School and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
We asked a psychologist, Shainna Ali, owner of integrated consulting solutions in Orlando, Florida, how to spot burnout and prevent it before spending hours well beyond falling yields.
Suddenly hit a wall?
Burnout can be due to a number of factors, including work-life imbalance, a dysfunctional work environment, and unclear expectations.
"Burnout normally includes signs of work-related mental health problems …" [such as] exhausted mood, lack of motivation or anxiety, "said Ali. "People are joking about the blues atmosphere of Sunday night. It's as if around four o'clock, they uttered a collective groan, it's a real thing. People should ask themselves: do I feel better when I leave my job? Am I becoming anxious when others discuss their work in a recreational setting?
She also notes that burnout is often related to anxiety and less commonly to depression, but that it varies from person to person. One reason may be that American adults are generally stressed and do not take enough personal time away from work.
A 2018 Gallup poll of 150,000 people around the world revealed that Americans were the most stressed. Fifty-five percent of Americans reported experiencing stress during most of their 2018 day, well above the global average of 35%. They also found that Americans took fewer vacation days than people in other countries around the world.
Ways to fight against burnout
Ali explains that breaking the negative patterns that lead to burnout can be tricky, but it is essential to pay attention to everyone's needs to promote well-being at work.
She suggests three ways to establish personal care in the workplace:
- Promote well-being at work by building healthy relationships at work
- Use the breaks effectively by walking around and participating in quick and enjoyable activities
- Take a holiday.
She added that the changes to the WHO guidelines highlighted the need for human resources departments to further explore the creation of positive work environments.
"I think this recognition by WHO gives burnout some validity to the fact that it is a concern at work and deserves attention. Personal care is important and is gaining popularity even in the workplace, "she said.
"Establishing personal care can be easy to forget and even dangerous over time. Fortunately, as people increasingly weigh the cost and benefits of self-care, they find that healthy mental practices can have a significant impact on the workplace, "she added.
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