For those who work in medical or emergency settings, burnout is a serious reality that can come with drastic effects. Burnout comes from the most stressful situations and is a very realistic issue that is seen in every single type of medical setting due to long hours, stressful scenarios that workers come into contact with, and more. However, burnout also comes with risks, which is why it should be avoided. By understanding the 5 stages of burnout, how it works and the effect it has on you, you can fight the exhaustion of job burnout and move forward with a fresh slate in your workday.
The 5 Stages of Burnout and Workplace Stress
Many people deal with workplace stress and, at times, struggle to find a good work-life balance, which only makes things worse when you’re desperate for a better life routine. Burnout is very real because we understand the effects it can have on someone’s life. It is not just some made up disorder that people play off so that they can get out of doing their work. Stress has very real effects on people in a variety of settings, especially tense and fast-paced work like hospitals and more. However, it helps to understand that there is recovery from severe burnout and it isn’t the end-all or a reason to call it quits on a lifestyle you love and have grown accustomed to.
Many people are becoming so stressed by their medical work that it is affecting their lives at home as well. Workplace stress can sometimes become so apparent and horrific that it causes one million employees in the U.S. to miss work every single day! That is an issue that must be addressed. For physicians under 35, they are finding that the burnout rate is an astounding 44% and possibly even growing to this day. However, in all, there is a 35.2% burnout rate among all physicians in general.
The 5 stages of burnout include enthusiasm, stagnation, frustration, apathy, and intervention. Throughout these stages, many in the healthcare industry will feel emotions of helplessness, despair, or as if they are a failure after feelings of initial optimism. Losing hope in a job that you trained for and spent years focusing on can be a difficult time, but it isn’t the end. Luckily, burnout is not something that has to stick around forever, even though it is affecting you physically or mentally. Sometimes, it takes a break, which many workplaces are willing to offer. One in four workers have called off for a “mental health day” from time to time so that they can relax and focus on themselves rather than the needs of others, because we sometimes come to deny ourselves and it’s time to take a moment to reflect!
By identifying that many nurses, physicians, and others in these settings experience burnout on enormous levels, you can remind yourself that it could happen to you and, when it does, it’s time to settle down. Fast-paced work can put you in a place you don’t want to be emotionally, and everyone can use the break. Sometimes stopping and talking is all it takes.