- "If you have ever seen a building that has been burned out, you know it's a devastating sight. What had once been a throbbing, vital structure is now deserted. Where there had once been activity, there are now only crumbling reminders of energy and life. Some bricks or concrete may be left; some outline of windows. Indeed, the outer shell may seem almost intact. Only if you venture inside will you be struck by the full force of the desolation."
This is the opening of the 1980 book, Burn-Out: The High Cost of Achievement, written by Dr. Herbert Freudenberger, the first person to describe the syndrome known as burnout. Dr. Freudenberger explained his use of the metaphor by noting that people who burnout under the stress of living in a demanding world are very much like a burned out building. Although on the outside they may look the same, "their inner resources are consumed as if by fire, leaving a great emptiness inside ...."
The discovery of burnout in the 1970s came during an era of great social and personal stress. It was a time of government corruption (Watergate), war protests (Vietnam), stagflation, soaring divorce rates, oil shortages, and an unstable job market where long hours and stressful work environments were the norm. The chronic stress of this era caused many people, especially those who were "accomplishers and doers," to lose their enthusiasm.
Dr. Freudenberger noticed that while most of his high-achieving clients had once pursued life with vigor, excitement, and optimism, over time their passion had been dulled, in some cases killed by what he called "a demon born of the society and times we live in;" times exemplified by swift changes and the "depersonalization" of neighborhoods, school and work environments. They began to feel disengaged, disenchanted, and uninvolved, even when surrounded by family and friends. They began to view their jobs as draining and unrewarding. For many, life seemed to have lost its meaning.
Sound familiar? It should. Today's world is remarkably similar. War, economic woes, distrust of the government, soaring unemployment, seemingly endless work days, and stressful jobs-all of these things are taking a heavy toll on the minds and bodies of our best and our brightest, leading to chronic fatigue, disillusionment, discontentment, and disengagement. In short ... burnout.
So I thought I'd share with you some pearls of wisdom from the man who discovered the condition known as burnout. Although the insights and advice Dr. Freudenberger offered to victims of burnout were published over 30 years ago, they bear repeating because they are no less true today than they were 30 years ago.
Dr. Herbert Freudenberger on ...
"In a word, slowly. No matter how suddenly it seems to erupt, Burn-Out is a chronic condition, something a person has been working toward over a period of weeks, months, even years." (p. 13)
the type of person most likely to burnout ...
"The people who fall prey to [burnout] are, for the most part, decent individuals who have striven hard to reach a goal. Their schedules are busy, and whatever the project or job, they can be counted on to do more than their share. They're usually the leaders among us who have never been able to admit limitations. They're burning out because they've pushed themselves too hard for too long." (pp. 11-12)
the symptoms common to burnout
- Exhaustion: usually the first distress signal of distress in burnout victims
- Detachment: Dr. Freudenberger explains that when burned out people feel let down by people and situations (which inevitably happens), there's a strong temptation to think, ‘I don't care, it wasn't important anyway,'" which leads to detachment.
- Boredom and cynicism: what was once exciting now feels draining, and "You begin to question the value of activities and friendships, even of life itself. You become skeptical of people's motives and blasé about causes."
- Impatience and heightened irritability: as burnout worsens and it becomes harder and harder to accomplish tasks, impatience grows and spills over into irritability with everyone around.
- A sense of omnipotence: Dr. Freudenberger notes that sentiments such as "No one else can do it. Only I can" are expressions of an unhealthy ego. He says, "Be assured--somebody else can do it. Maybe not the same way you'd have done it or with the same degree of excellence, but it may be a situation that doesn't require excellence."
- A suspicion of being unappreciated: burned out individuals often become upset over what they see as a lack of appreciation of all they do, and they become increasingly bitter and angry.
- Paranoia: when people feel put-upon and mistreated, as burned out people often do, they become increasingly suspicious of their environment and the people around them.
- Disorientation: feeling a growing separation from one's environment
- Psychosomatic complaints: Dr. Freudenberger says that "Headaches, colds that linger, backaches--all these are signs that something is wrong, and it's usually something the person doesn't want to look at."
- Depression: In contrast to depression unrelated to burnout, Dr. Freudenberger notes that burnout depression is "usually temporary, specific, and localized, pertaining more or less to one area of life."
- Denial of feelings: "Since we know that people who are subject to Burn-Out are the carers among us, it doesn't make sense to assume that one day, for no particular reason, the caring simply stopped .... Far more logical is the assumption that the caring has been shut off for a very good reason--and shut off by the person himself." (pp. 67-68)
what burnout looks like to others ...
"A person who is burning out is not, on the surface, a very sympathetic figure. He or she may be cranky, critical, angry, rigid, resistant to suggestions, and given to behavior patterns that turn people off. Unless we're able to probe beneath the surface and see that the person is really suffering, our tendency will be to turn away." (p. 11)
the excessive demands high-achievers place on themselves ...
"As we pile layer on layer, the weight bows us under. We begin to make excessive demands on ourselves, all the time draining ourselves of energy. To compensate for the weakness, the burning out we feel, we develop a rigidity. Things must be just so ... to maintain our position, we must constantly excel. Unfortunately, the harder we try, the more we impair our efficiency. About the only thing we succeed in doing is burning ourselves out more." (pp. 5-6)
taking a good, hard look inside ...
"Since being out of touch with, or shutting off, large parts of yourself is a primary contributor to Burn-Out, your greatest protection against it is self-awareness." (p. 27)
"... never lose sight of the fact that you, as a human being, are more important than the task, no matter how crucial the task may be." (p. 158)
keeping a sense of humor ...
"Remember, if you want to avoid Burn-Out, heavy is out; light is in. Any time you can laugh at something, you reduce its importance, even if that something is yourself." (p. 179)
