Unfortunately, in our professional lives sometimes there comes a time when we are tired of working and simply have no strength to continue. I don’t want to do anything, I have to force myself to work, I have no interest in what’s happening, and I don’t really want to wake up in the morning. If you have encountered any of the above, then you need to think about whether you have encountered professional burnout.

Professional burnout - what is it?

Professional burnout syndrome refers to a state of physical and mental exhaustion, manifested in professional activity.

An example of professional burnout:

Marina has always been an active and promising employee. She did everything that was assigned to her. She willingly gave out new ideas and was always in the thick of things. IN Lately employees began to notice that Marina had become irritable, was not getting enough sleep, her hands were often shaking and it was difficult for her to formulate her thoughts. Yesterday she wrote a letter of resignation at will and everyone was terribly surprised, no one expected such a turn of events.

As you can see, everything started out more than great - a wonderful employee who enjoys his work and works for results. How and when the changes occurred - no one noticed. In the end, everyone saw only the result - the employee abandoned the professional activity that once brought him satisfaction and aroused positive emotions in him. But there were signs. And, if it is difficult to notice them from the outside, then the person himself can learn to monitor the signs of professional exhaustion and prevent their consequences. Unfortunately, sometimes it turns out that a person does not have time to prevent the state of emotional burnout and is already faced with the consequences of this syndrome. In this case, as a rule, the employee sees no other way out except dismissal. this place work and changes in professional activity. Let's take a closer look at the situation when there is no strength to continue working.

Symptoms of professional burnout

Professional burnout is always associated with emotional and physical exhaustion of the body. In this state, difficulties occur not only in the professional path; other areas of life are also affected. The general state of physiological and mental health worsens.

* Loss of interest in professional activities - lack of motivation, interest, involvement in the process.

* General disorientation - the inability to understand what you want from life in the future in all its spheres, apathy.

* Distracted attention, drowsiness, chronic fatigue, slow reactions, inability to multitask.

* Reduced communication functions - no desire to meet with friends, less interest in maintaining family relationships, difficulty communicating with colleagues.

* Violation of emotional functions - both a decrease in emotions and, conversely, an increased reaction to what is happening is possible.

* Shift in work schedule - a person comes to work earlier and leaves later than expected, or vice versa, comes later and leaves earlier than the time established by the work schedule.

If you are able to notice three or more of the listed symptoms that last for several weeks or months, you need to seriously consider whether you are experiencing burnout syndrome. To preserve the integrity of your personality while maximizing your mental health, you need to take measures to treat the disease today.

An example of symptoms of emotional burnout:

During the working day, Marina realized that today she would again have to stay at work longer than expected - she would not have time to do everything that was planned. After the main work team went about their personal affairs, Marina spent a long time moving papers from place to place, trying to understand them and at the same time get ready to write out the department’s budget for the next month. When she finally forced herself to sit down at the computer, she could not concentrate for a long time, the work was difficult to do and the activity took a lot of time. Marina returned home around midnight. When the girl tried to put the phone on charge, the charger did not want to go into the socket. After struggling with the technique for about three minutes and getting no results, Marina sat down on the floor and burst into tears.

As we can note, Marina tries very hard to remain an employee who brings maximum benefit to the organization in which she works. At the same time, her emotional and physical state does not allow her to cope with her responsibilities at the prescribed time. In addition, the girl’s emotional exhaustion contributes to increased emotionality in everyday issues of life.

What to do if you are faced with professional burnout syndrome?

Unfortunately, there is not and cannot be a universal recipe in this situation. Also, if such symptoms have been going on for a long time, then going on a two-week vacation will help for a short time and exactly until you get back into the work process. Therefore, if you understand that you will not be able to cope with your condition during your work activities, then you need to make a decision to quit.

Do not forget that each situation is individual, and you need to start solely from yourself. But there are several ways to look at your life differently, and they can help you understand how to act in the future.

We cope with professional burnout step by step:

1. The main thing to do is to give yourself the opportunity to rest properly. Perhaps change the situation, stay alone or meet new people, go to exhibitions or re-read your favorite books. To do something that you haven’t allowed yourself to do for a long time, to allow yourself to take your mind off thoughts about work and your life. Organize everything so that you don't have to worry about anything. This is always within our power and at this stage of your life this is exactly what is necessary.

2. Understand at what stage of your professional activity you did not calculate your own strength. Think about what contributed to this and whether you had the opportunity to avoid this state of affairs. Play out scenes in your mind when you could have done things differently and what it would have looked like. Consider whether you will be able to do things differently in the future and whether you would like to do so.

3. Remember what used to give you positive emotions in your activities. What exactly contributed to improving your performance, what was interesting and exciting. Remember these emotions, analyze what exactly caused them.

4. Decide for yourself how you would like to develop professionally in the future. Perhaps now you have new hobbies (or long-forgotten old ones) and now you are no longer ready to spend as much time on professional activities as before. Or maybe you have always dreamed of trying yourself in something else and now is the very period when it’s time change the field of professional activity. Or you are still sure that you want to work in the same field, but in the future you will no longer allow what happened before. After all, now you have invaluable experience.

“Every day you work from 9 to 5, plus the road, in the evening you feel tired and don’t want to do anything, the weekend flies by instantly, and then you go back to work... What to do if you’re tired of work? Not a specific job, but a job in general?” - this was the comment recently left by one of the users on one of the career articles. We turned to specialists for an answer.

A little philosophy

“Working, acting, is a natural state for a person. There are no creatures in nature that “don’t work”; in order to live, you need to hustle. “He who does nothing dies,” says Anna Mukhina, head of the department psychological counseling on career issues at the Center for Testing and Development “Humanitarian Technologies”. - And man in this sense is no exception. Acting in order to live is a natural state. Unfortunately, work is too often divorced from a specific visible result, devoid of clear goals and associated with the suppression of personality. And then natural process turns into punishment."

What are the reasons?

“The reason for such emotions is the lack of meaning in life. We are used to thinking that work is us, and we are work. But that's not true. The main question that needs to be answered is: “Why do you need a job?” says Artemy Sychev. “If you need money, you need to make it by doing what you're good at in the way that suits you best.”

“A person doing a job that he likes, which gives him the opportunity to realize himself and reveal himself as a person, will not end up in such a situation. It’s not for nothing that the sage said: “Find something you like, and you will never work a single day in your life,” notes Anna Mukhina. - “Being sick of work” can also be a result of professional burnout. Although this syndrome is more common among professionals who work with people, representatives of other professions may also experience it. This happens when work turns into a routine, a person does not have the opportunity to develop, to constantly learn something new.”

Understand themselves

Anna Mukhina recommends, first of all, to understand yourself. Understand where this feeling came from, what made you feel a sharp disgust for work, and then decide how to change the situation and what goal to set for yourself. “If the goal is not to work, then you can achieve it, for example, by renting out an apartment and living on this money. If it is important for a person to receive not only money, but also satisfaction from work, then you need to look for a business that is suitable for you,” says Anna.

Svetlana Sedun , psychologist, career consultant, author of the book “The Way Out of the Mousetrap. Thriller for finding your favorite job" to determine the problem, use the following method:

“You need to ask yourself what exactly you don’t like and answer it boldly. Just sit down with a piece of paper or a tape recorder and talk about what exactly is bothering you, what is happening at your current job and what happened at your previous job. Record many, many stories on film or paper. Then listen and see which words are repeated most often, and having found these repetitions, think about them. The reasons for dissatisfaction may be different, but when a person sees what he is constantly turning to, even unconsciously, he will be able to understand which direction to move in and who can help him in solving the problem. However, it’s difficult to do this on your own, so the first piece of advice is to talk to a professional consultant.”

“For cases of professional burnout, there are several standard recommendations: rest, relieve physical fatigue; review your work and try to find new opportunities in it, a new perspective that will be interesting to you; change place of work, and if all this does not help, then you may think about changing your profession, says Anna Mukhina. “But each situation is individual, and it is still advisable to seek advice from specialists.”

Irina Davydova

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For many people, work is not only a source of replenishment of the family budget and an anchor of stability, but also a favorite pastime, which is a way of self-expression and brings a certain joy in life. Unfortunately, work is not always associated only with rosy and pleasant emotions: relationships with colleagues can force even a calm person to slam the door.

How to put arrogant colleagues in their place?

5 answers to a colleague if he is constantly nagging at work

Does your “comrade” at work vigilantly watch your every move, groundlessly find fault with every little detail, and exhaust you with attacks, reproaches and jokes? Don’t rush to throw lemonade into the face of an impudent person or send him on a long journey to a known address - first make sure that all cultural methods have been exhausted.

• “Would you like a cup of coffee?” And have a heart-to-heart chat. You will be surprised, but goodwill sometimes not only discourages an impudent person and deprives him of his “thorns,” but also quickly solves the problem. In the end, adequate adults are always able to find a common language.
• Be flexible and seek compromise. Even if nothing works out, your conscience will be clear - at least you tried.
• “You have parsley stuck in your teeth.” Reduce all attacks to a joke. With a smile, but categorically, “move out” of any reproach. And continue to do your job calmly. According to the “smile and wave” principle. By the 10th time, your colleague will get tired of your retaliatory jokes and “inaction” (the best answer to boorish people is precisely inaction!) and will find another victim.
• "Your suggestions?". But really, let him show and tell. Give the person the opportunity to express himself, and give yourself the opportunity to move on to a normal dialogue with a colleague. Calmly listen to his objections and suggestions. Also, calmly agree or, in case of disagreement, reasonedly and, again, calmly voice your point of view.
• “And indeed. How come I didn’t realize it right away? Thanks for noticing! We'll fix it." No need to go into the bottle. The most bloodless option is to agree, smile, and do as you are asked. Especially if you are wrong, and your colleague is a more experienced person in your work.

5 correct steps if a work colleague is spying on you and informs his superiors

Is there a “misplaced Cossack” in your team? And more and more to your liking? If you are an exemplary worker and have a strong habit of keeping your mouth shut, then you don’t have to worry. However, it doesn’t hurt to know about the rules of behavior with “informers.”

• We place a colleague in an information vacuum. We discuss all important and personal issues only outside of work. Let a comrade starve without food for denunciations. And, of course, we take a responsible approach to our work. If you arrive before noon, run away long before the end of the working day, and spend most of your working time in the “smoking room,” then your boss will assign you an indefinite vacation without any backlash.
• Let's do the opposite. We calmly and confidently launch the “misinformation”, and let the informer warm his long ears and spread this misinformation throughout the company. The minimum that awaits him is a reprimand from his superiors. The method is radical, and may well turn out to be a double-edged sword, so choose the material for the “misinformation” very carefully.
• "Who is there?". We ignore the colleague himself and his attempts to ruin your life. As for the authorities, there is no need to worry: no one likes informers. Therefore, do not even think about running after your fellow informer to the manager and inserting your 2 cents. Just "sit on the river bank and wait for the corpse of your enemy to float past you."
• “Well, let's talk?” A heart-to-heart conversation is a very real option for solving the problem. But without superiors and in the presence of witnesses - other colleagues. And preferably, those colleagues who are on your side. During an intimate conversation, you can explain to your colleague that everyone knows about his actions, that no one supports these actions, and that at all times the fate of informers has been unenviable (everyone chooses the tone of the conversation and epithets to the best of their intelligence). It is worth noting that as a result of such conversations, informers very often realize their mistakes and take the path of correction. The main thing is to convey to the person that in your friendly and strong team with such life “principles” they do not stay long.
• Delicacy be damned, let's count the snitch's ribs! This is the worst case scenario. It will not definitely increase your “karma”. Therefore, emotions aside, sobriety of thinking and calmness are above all. Even better, humor can help relieve tension. It is humor, not sarcasm, and skillfully inserted “pins”.

In the matter of denunciations it is always more difficult than with ordinary rudeness. You can, if desired, win a boor over to your side, calm him down, bring him into conversation, turn him into a friend from an enemy. But pride, as a rule, does not allow anyone to be friends with an informer. Therefore, if there is a snake in your friendly team, deprive it of poison immediately.

A colleague is openly rude - 5 ways to put down an insolent person

We meet boors everywhere - at home, at work, on public transport, etc. But if a boor on a bus can be ignored and forgotten as soon as you get off at your stop, then a boorish colleague is sometimes a real problem. After all, you won’t change jobs because of him.

How to stop an insolent person?

• We respond to every boorish attack with a joke. This way, your nerves will be healthier, and your authority among your colleagues will be higher. The main thing is not to cross the line in your jokes. “Below the belt” and black humor are not an option. Don't stoop to your colleague's level.
• Turn on the recorder. As soon as the boor opens his mouth, we take the recorder out of our pocket (or turn it on on the phone) and with the words “Wait, wait, I’m recording,” press the record button. There is no need to scare the boor that you will take this audio collection to the boss, write down “For history!” - demonstratively and always with a smile.
• If a boor asserts himself in this way at your expense, deprive him of this opportunity. Does he pester you during your lunch break? Eat at another time. Does it interfere with your work process? Transfer to another department or work schedule. Isn't there such a possibility? Ignore the lunges and see point 1.
• “Do you want to talk about it?” Every time they try to piss you off, turn on your inner psychiatrist. And look at your opponent with the forgiving eyes of a psychiatrist. Specialists will never contradict their violent patients. They pat them on the head, smile affectionately and agree with everything the patients say. For the particularly violent ones - a straitjacket (your phone camera will help you, and the entire series of videos on YouTube).
• Growing personally. Take care of yourself - your work, hobbies, growth. At personal growth all boors, informers and gossips remain somewhere outside your flight. Like ants underfoot.

5 Answers on How to Deal with a Gossiping Colleague

Of course, everyone is unsettled by false rumors spread behind their backs. At this moment you feel “naked” and betrayed. Especially if the information about you spread at the speed of light is true.

How to behave?

• Pretend that you are not aware of the situation and continue to work calmly. They will gossip and stop. As you know, “everything passes”, and this too.
• Join the discussion about yourself. With humor and jokes. Take part in the gossip and boldly add a couple of shocking details. Even if the gossip doesn't stop, at least relieve the tension. It will be much easier to work further.
• Point your colleague to specific articles of the Criminal Code on libel which he violates with his gossip. Doesn't he understand well? File a claim for protection of honor and dignity.
• Every day, deliberately and demonstratively give a colleague new topic for gossip. Moreover, the topics should be such that after a week the team is completely tired of them.
• Talk to the boss. If all else fails, then this is the only option left. Just don’t rush into your boss’s office and do the same thing your colleague is doing. Calmly turn to your superiors for help, without naming names - let him advise you on how to get out of this situation with honor, without harming the general microclimate in the team.

We talked about this and much more with psychologist and head of the SoDeistvie center.

"AiF":- Why do many people perceive work as a kind of curse? The party said: “We must” - and we are working.

Anna Khnykina:- This is embedded in our culture. Just 150 years ago, serfdom was abolished; after the revolution, what remained in our country were mainly workers and peasants, who were originally forced people and did what they were told. And we all came from these people.

For our society at the moment it is completely new idea - and interest. If people got up and went about their own chosen affairs now, then half of the accountants would become artists, and the artists would retrain as someone else, but they would all do it with pleasure. If every person did what he wants to do, the results of the activities of our people, both individually and the entire country as a whole, would change greatly.

"AiF":- What to do if you're tired of work, but quit it- scary?

OH.:- In this case, I would try to find out exactly why it’s scary. Absolutely any place where you work - not the only one. Experts advise that once every 4-5 years or type of activity, you radically change something, precisely in order to improve yourself and move on. The fact is that a blurred look does not add details and does not advance you anywhere.

"AiF":- Is it better to go to some prepared platform?

OH.:- I think you need to look for a transition method that suits you, as you feel comfortable. Maybe some specialist, maybe you yourself will understand what would be better: go to prepared ground or quit, cut off the ends and then start actively. Each person decides for himself such issues as he feels comfortable. This is probably the essence of our conversation: the main thing - experience interest in the process and pleasure. When it’s uncomfortable, the human body probably tells you where not to go, and there’s no need to irritate yourself once again.

"AiF":- Not everyone’s intuition works and it doesn’t lead everyone in the right direction.

OH.:- You need to listen to yourself and understand: I don’t want to leave my job because it’s unsafe for me, I’ll be left without money. So it is necessary, being on the old one. You need to not deceive yourself, but listen and not be afraid that you don’t like something.

I understand perfectly well that probably most of our audience will listen to us and say: “Great! All my life I have not done what I like, I am 45 years old and my whole life, it turns out, has been lived in vain. So, should I drop everything now and start from scratch?!”

However, you can continue to carry these thoughts with you until you are 80 years old without changing anything.

Last year I was several 50 years old. I was surprised that at each of them the celebrants in one form or another talked about how they had come to this stage of their lives and realized that everything was only beginning now.

There were 3 such birthdays, and each hero of the day said that right now he feels that he can do anything and everything is just beginning, now he is able.

"AiF":- That is, there is no need to be afraid of age?

OH.: - It seems to me that it is stupid to be afraid of age, when we all walk under God, no one knows whether he will live to see the new year.

Even the job you love can get boring. Your usual responsibilities seem boring, your co-workers are annoying, and Sunday evening marks your worst mood of the week. How to help yourself if the working conditions are satisfactory, but you are not ready to quit? We found eight ways to correct the situation.

Go on a contrasting holiday. If you have a quiet sedentary job, then go on a mountain hike. If stress at work haunts you day or night, lie down on the most deserted beach or in some eco-village where there is no phone reception.

Revitalize your life outside of work. It happens that despondency comes after a period when you devoted yourself entirely to work and did not care at all about other aspects of life. For example, a big project or restructuring of an organization, when work falls on you in an intensive mode. It's over, breathe out. Restore old connections with the world - go to your favorite coffee shop, look at reviews of new books and choose something, arrange a meeting with friends.

Don't get emotionally invested. Understand why you haven't quit yet. Not ready to search yet new job? Does a good salary outweigh the fatigue from daily responsibilities? Accept the reason you discover. This means that now this job gives you something that you are not ready to give up. Try to distance yourself and not connect work and your emotions. Then the tension will begin to subside.

Change the atmosphere. If you are tired of this table and this chair, ask for a transfer to another department or office. The set of tasks will be familiar to you, but the environment will change. You can also volunteer to replace an employee on vacation. You will help the company and break the routine by plunging into new tasks.

Make a change in your office when moving to another department is not possible. Rearrange cabinets, tables and chairs, replace boring curtains, add accessories. Add light! Often in the bustle of work we do not notice lighting defects. You have to strain your eyes too much, headaches may appear, or your mood simply decreases.

Remember why you love your job. You do some things better, some things give you joy, and some tasks inspire you more than others. Think about those things that take a lot of energy and nerves. Figure out how much time you spend every day on pleasant and unpleasant things. Try to devote more time to your favorite things. If oppressive responsibilities can be automated or delegated, do so.

Try remote. Distant work Not suitable for every profession. But if you can perform some of your responsibilities outside the office, take advantage of this opportunity. Perhaps, by separating from the team for a while, you will look at your work from a different angle.

Avoid conflicts. Does the work environment sometimes get so heated that sparks fly? Avoid such situations, do not waste your energy on them. If there is a person in your team with whom you often and emotionally argue, transfer the communication to instant messengers or email. It is useful to monitor your condition. If you feel like you're about to explode, ask to pause the discussion, drink a glass of water and take a short walk.

Make friends with a colleague. Foreign researchers believe that colleagues who have become friends help them stay happy at work. All it takes is one person who is more important to you than just a smoking break partner, and work will become a little more enjoyable.

Talk to your boss. Think about what you are missing and discuss it with your boss. Extra motivation can change your attitude towards work. And an experienced manager will be able to give you high-quality feedback: what is currently valuable to him in your work, how you can expand or change the range of your responsibilities.

If you still decide to change your job, look at the vacancies on the website in your city: perhaps among them there are good propositions. Or start with a resume. Experts with experience in HR will help you understand your capabilities and talk about your experience.