You can lose interest in anything – even in the most unusual and enjoyable activities. Together with a psychologist, we analyze misconceptions, such as burnout due to work, children, or hobbies.
Common Myths
Burnout Doesn’t Exist. It’s An Excuse For Laziness
What we call “laziness” is actually:
- Severe physical and mental fatigue.
- Lack of motivation and clear goals.
- Excessive demands on yourself.
Burnout Is Only Professional
The most common cause of burnout is communication with people. Therefore, a person can burn out in any area where you need to interact with others, negotiate and seek compromises. Burnout is also about exactingness and an insufficiently careful attitude towards oneself. When a person does everything for others and almost nothing for himself, sooner or later, everything will become indifferent to him.
Myths About Burnout At Work
To Regain Interest In Work, It Is Enough To Go On Vacation
Vacation does not cure burnout because a person remains the same after 2-4 weeks of rest. He continues to be too demanding, constantly comparing himself with others, still does not know how to relax, and devalues his achievements. And at work, most often, the same conditions remain as before the holidays: chaotic management, problems with colleagues, continuous stress, and overwork. Therefore, vacation gives a temporary respite but does not solve the problem.
You Can Burn Out Only In Difficult Responsible Work, For Example, A Doctor Or A Firefighter
A person can burn out even where the work seems to be dustless. Let’s say an employee thinks they can do more, but they don’t get promoted. At the same time, he has not been raised for a long time, the salary is only enough for basic needs, and colleagues in other positions go to Europe for vacation every three months. Those who do not receive emotional feedback from their occupation quickly burn out.
Very often, servers and baristas burn out. From the outside, their work seems simple, but it is constant communication with people and being on their feet all day. Helping professionals burn out more often than others because the job requires a strong emotional involvement in other people’s problems.
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Parenting Burnout
Parenthood Is Happiness. You Can’t Burn Out In It
Because of this attitude, moms and dads demand too much from themselves – for example, never be angry with a child and always be in a good mood. Demand is always tense. Tension increases anxiety, anger, guilt, despair, and apathy. A person ignores his feelings because he considers the life and well-being of the child to be the main thing, and as a result, he burns out.
If You Love A Child, You Can’t Burn Out
Care and love of the family are the basic needs of every person. There is also a need for social recognition and creative and professional self-realization. Parents, for some time, are forced to push all this into the background. In addition, they are with the kids around the clock and almost do not have their own space. This is how fatigue arises, which does not contradict love in any way. Still, in the end, if it is treated incorrectly, it leads to burnout.
Sitting On Maternity Leave Is A Vacation. There Is No Reason For Burnout
Calling maternity leave a vacation is a huge mistake. In the most stressful work, there is time to relax and focus on yourself. There is no such possibility in parenthood. Parents often cannot even eat during the day. They don’t sleep at night. The father or mother is constantly focused on the health, appetite, and mood of the baby, where he is, and what he is doing. This is a massive amount of stress that can lead to both burnout and depression.
Burnout In A Relationship
There Is No Burnout In A Relationship. You Just Stopped Loving Your Partner
Perfectionists burn out most straightforwardly in a relationship. This does not mean that they do not like a partner. It’s just that they are used to constantly evaluating themselves, criticizing, devaluing, and moving toward an unattainable ideal. Any conflict for a perfectionist becomes a disaster. He begins to put pressure on his partner and scold himself. Relationships cease to please, fatigue and tension accumulate, which the perfectionist denies – and burns out.
If You No Longer Feel The Same Vivid Emotions As At The Beginning Of A Relationship, This Is Burnout, And It’s Time To Look For A New Partner
When the period of acute love and vivid emotions passes, a new level of intimacy begins. This is not burnout, but a normal stage of a relationship, when you and your partner have become more understanding and familiar with each other. But the desire to always experience an emotional upsurge can lead to burnout because behind this lies an unrealistic image of an ideal relationship.
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Burnout Of Community Members And Volunteers
They Burn Out From Work, Which Is All Done For The Soul.
Volunteers and community members see a lot of negativity. All efforts sometimes seem like a drop in the ocean to them. They do not receive gratitude but often risk their health and freedom. At the same time, public figures, like all other people, have families, jobs, and relationships. If something goes wrong there, the person does not have the strength to help others. In addition, community members and volunteers often ignore their needs for rest and support, leading to burnout.
Yes, You Are Just An Egoist And Think Only About Yourself
Everything is the opposite: if a person is burned out, he cares very little about himself. To save others, you must first meet your own needs: sleep and eat well, protect personal boundaries, and listen to your emotions.
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Burnout In Sports
Burnout In Sports Does Not Exist Because A Person Does It For Himself And For Pleasure
If a person is led to sports by the desire to endlessly improve and correct himself, then sooner or later, he can burn out. Internal exactingness will never allow him to stop studying: “You have not yet reached the ideal, you are still not good enough, look at others and compare with yourself, try better!” We are not talking about pleasure here – this is hard work. You can’t just take it and throw it away because self-esteem will fall, and a feeling of guilt will arise.
For those who want to learn more about burnout, we have the article “I Hate This Job: How to Deal with Burnout”.
