Burnout is one of today’s common psychological problems. Burnout is defined as emotional and physical exhaustion due to long-term work stress, detachment from work and inability to find meaning, decreased perception of success and competence. If you are experiencing burnout, you may feel completely exhausted, have little motivation for your work, feel irritable or anxious, find that you are procrastinating all the time, and your work performance is declining. You may also have physical complaints; for example, you may experience headaches, gastrointestinal problems and difficulty sleeping.
Burnout does not mean depression
Burnout is a different psychological problem that should not be confused with depression. While depression is a general depression and inability to enjoy the person’s whole life, burnout is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion, the boundaries of which are drawn by work. For example, if you are depressed in the south, stretching your feet against the sea and watching the waves crashing on the shore will not give you any pleasure, but if you are exhausted, it will give you peace and pleasure.
Covid-19 outbreak increased burnout rates
With the development of a workplace culture where people felt pressured to be the “ideal employee ” before the Covid-19 epidemic began, burnout rates were increasing around the world. Employees felt compelled to be constantly available to their manager or employer and to prioritize work above all else in their lives . With the epidemic, this pressure made itself felt even more. Some Western sources indicate that 69% of people who work from home, or two out of three, report symptoms of burnout. Burnout is a problem that negatively affects the physical and psychological health of the person as well as reducing his productivity at work. YHigh blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline and even death are among the consequences of burnout.
Why does working from home lead to burnout?
- Unable to disconnect from work:Working from home means more hours at work. With the effect of digitalization, the connection with the business has become more uninterrupted. The first thing most employees do when they wake up in the morning is to pick up the phone and check their email. Many people attend consecutive online meetings without saying breakfast or lunch. There is no such thing as quitting after work anymore, most people work until late in the evening with no time limit. Our laptop is always with us, they have almost become a limb. Studies conducted abroad show that those working from home are working three more hours a day due to the pandemic. That’s 15 hours a week and almost another part-time job. This increase in working hours and the blurring of the boundaries between work and home life, that is, the disappearance of the separation between the work self and home self, one of the main factors that reveal burnout. Getting up in the morning, putting on work clothes and going to work was the border between home and work. Now this border has disappeared and people have started to work in their kitchens, sofas, beds and pajamas.
- Losing contact with people: Working from home means not only being away from the physical features of the office, but also being away from co-workers. Although they can be reached by phone or video calls, they are not close for social contact. Interpersonal interaction such as taking a tea-coffee-cigarette break with colleagues while working in the office, chatting and joking was a factor that balanced work stress in a social context. Now the employees are away from this context and alone at home. Another effect of staying away from the social context of the office environment is to be deprived of social support. When a problem arises while working remotely, people are at home alone to deal with it and find a solution. This is a factor that increases anxiety and stress.
How can working from home cause burnout?
- Set a physical boundary between home and work. Instead of working in the kitchen, on the sofa or on the sofa at home, working in a private area reserved for work, even in a secluded corner, will create a physical separation between work and home life. Wearing comfortable but only work-specific clothes instead of home clothes while sitting at work will also increase this separation. Research shows that what we wear actually changes the way you think and improves your abstract thinking skills.
- Set a time limit for the job. Determine working hours during the day and try to stay within those hours. Keep working hours fixed for each day and make a daily study plan. Also, try to take small breaks during the day.
- Set digital boundaries with work. Limit your connection to work via smartphone, tablet, laptop. For example, don’t check emails on the cell phone first thing in the morning when you wake up. Do not use these tools for work when you take a break or finish your shift.
- Build deep bonds with your loved ones so that you don’t feel alone. People who establish deep bonds with those they love and value in life do not feel alone. You can establish this bond with people, animals, plants, yourself, with the values and ideals you have set for your life.
- Self care. A healthy mind in a healthy body. It is very important to take good care of our body in order to prevent all kinds of psychological problems. Get regular sleep, eat well, and exercise.
