Prolonged Stress Leads To Burnout

Written by: Kyana Aston

According to Cary Cherniss, burnout is an overall condition of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by perpetual stress that can lead to poor physical health, depression, unproductive work behaviors, problematic interpersonal relations, and reduced job satisfaction. Stress is an influential component for potential employees when making career decisions due to the overwhelming responsibility, inability to satisfy demands made by those superior to them, and the feeling of hopelessness. Subsequently, dealing with this elevated level of perpetual stress can lead to a lack of motivation and commitment to various tasks, resulting in a lack of interest in their desired career.

Stress can arise from several circumstances when referencing professional settings, including unresolved personal disputes, the absence of responsibilities, being discussed and understood, work overload, and reward scarcity. The result of continual burnout in a particular career choice ironically compels individuals to remain in their original career choice and are less likely to transition elsewhere. Individuals can feel reluctant to change careers despite feeling an overwhelming amount of prolonged stress and eventual burnout due to the hesitancy of finding another occupation with similar benefits and accommodations. Employees will make the ultimate sacrifice to succeed with their initial choice because if not, it can seem like there is a sense of failure or defeat.

Burnout is a continual process, and throughout this endurance, individuals will become less dedicated to their job and begin to withdraw from the task due to the overwhelming stress level. There are noticeable indications that an employee is experiencing career burnout and prolonged stress, including increased tardiness, absenteeism, decreased work performance, and work quality. The overwhelming feeling of stress can overflow into interpersonal relationships and cause potential work-family conflict.

Suppose the topic of burnout is promptly and effectively addressed. Typically, burnout occurs in three stages, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion is triggered by excessive demands forced upon the employee by the employer. Depersonalization creates a pessimistic attitude or demeanor toward other employees, superior contemporaries, and potential customers. Low personal accomplishment consists of the overwhelming feeling of discouragement and resentment. Ultimately, employees assume that their work efforts are in vain and do not suffice for the results they intend to accomplish. In that case, the evolving results will continue, and employees will continue to put forth less effort than they can due to the lack of understanding and remedies to combat this mental distress they are enduring.

A mental health professional can assist with assessing and monitoring burnout symptoms while addressing the underlying distress and emotional effects. Offering supportive and skill-building therapeutic interventions and practices can help increase self-efficacy and autonomy. Addressing contributing factors that heighten burnout symptoms and increase negative thoughts and beliefs. Developing new work-related skills that become more equipped and adaptive to stressful situations and environments. Lastly, counseling is such a positive influence and contributing factor to burnout alleviation because of the implementation of personal and unique treatment plans to help maintain client progression and avoidance of regression moving forward.