Chronic fatigue. Why vacations don't solve burnout.

By: Damien Mascret – Le Figaro

“Monday, again. At the mere thought of returning to work, cold sweat begins to pour down my face as if I had to climb Mount Everest. I am a soldier – a military officer who has just returned from a period of leave. Returning to the daily grind is simply beyond my strength,” narrates Thierry Clavel, executive trainer and professor at the Panthéon-Assas University in Paris, in his book. Je peux guérir(“I Can Heal Myself”, Flammarion Publishing, 2016).

If you are currently experiencing burnout (chronic fatigue caused by work) and you go on vacation, the least you expect is that upon returning you will have "recharged your batteries" and be ready to face another year of struggle, right? But things, unfortunately, are not that simple, according to a Swiss-German study published last August in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. The feeling of exhaustion, whether emotional or physical, will be alleviated during vacation (unlike depression, which can even worsen), but burnout involves other symptoms that rest does not resolve.

Incongruence of motivation

“Burnout is generally defined as a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors at work,” explains Professor Veronika Brandstätter (University of Zurich, Switzerland), who led the study. “Needless to say, there are many possible triggers for stress. For example, excessive workload, chronic time pressure, social conflicts, abusive procedures, but we detected another very important source of stress: motivational incongruence.”

What is this incongruity? “A fracture that occurs,” explains Brandstätter, “either when the individual has a strong affective need to socialize with others (need for affiliation) or to influence others (need for power), but does not have the possibility of acting in this way; or, conversely, when they are forced to do so but such actions do not correspond to their deep needs.” With her colleagues from the universities of Zurich and Leipzig (Germany), she assessed burnout levels in a group of 97 salaried workers, and then compared them to the fracture that can exist between each individual's aspirations and the satisfaction they obtain at work.

individual coaching

The results show that it is primarily the inadequacy of relational needs that is linked to burnout. In other words, a job that involves many social exchanges and contacts can lead to burnout for someone who dislikes them, just as an isolated job can for a person who needs many and frequent human contacts.

“Obviously, people can’t always live their dream and satisfy their deepest needs at work. There are times when we must self-discipline and overcome these needs to achieve important goals or meet social expectations,” explains Veronika Brandstätter. “However,” she adds, “this becomes a problem when there is chronic frustration of needs. Consequently, even in the most difficult situations (economically or socially), we should at least try to improve the situation, even if only through small changes.” And what if changing jobs isn’t possible? One of the countermeasures proposed by the Swiss-German psychologists in their study, for salaried workers experiencing burnout, is to propose changes that allow their work to better align with their aspirations, such as trying to work in a team if the person aspires to maintain more human contact. An individual coach or mentor can be a valuable help. Coaching leads individuals to position themselves as active participants, not victims, in their situations. Even in extreme situations where a person lacks adaptability and resourcefulness, the way they experience and act in these situations is paramount. Whether they adopt a victim mentality, react and take control, or retreat, the key is to seek actions that can improve their situation and adopt a posture that will allow them to navigate it more effectively.

Burnout, loss of empathy, disengagement

Although burnout is not yet recognized as a disease by official medical organizations, a vast body of scientific literature has been compiled on the subject since its emergence in the 1960s. However, it was primarily after 1980 that a model developed by Professor Christina Maslach (University of Berkeley, California) gained traction, describing burnout as a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion resulting from chronic job dissatisfaction.

The test in its final form (Maslach Burnout Inventory or MBI) is based on 22 questions. Some relate to professional burnout: "I feel like I'm sinking because of my job; I'm almost at rock bottom; I'm always tired when I get up in the morning."

Other issues concern depersonalization. "I've become insensitive to people since I started this job; I'm afraid this job is hardening me emotionally."

Finally, the last series of questions addresses personal fulfillment. "I have achieved many worthwhile things through this work; I can easily create a relaxed atmosphere with my patients/clients and students."