Stress is a natural human response to things that our minds perceive as threatening or challenging, and it’s something that we all feel from time to time. After all, between personal relationships, responsibilities at work and home, and other life events, there are plenty of reasons for us to feel stressed. Stress is an integral part of our lives and is with us from the day we are born to the day we die. So we cannot do away with it, but it’s all about managing stress better and not suffering from burnout. Anyone can suffer from burnout. It is not a sign of weakness. Burnout can be treated, overcome, and prevented in the future. Here are three case studies of individuals who had to go through professional burnout and related issues:
1) A 22-year-old high performer, who was a newly minted corporate lawyer from a top law school. Just three months into his dream job with one of the top law firms in the country, he was presented with low mood, anxiety, disturbed sleep, negative thoughts, and lack of confidence after doing 72-hour shifts of continuous work routinely in his first three months. Though he was finishing work and meeting deadlines, he dreaded making mistakes. His boss was piling work on his table to the point that he would wake up at night to check whether he had received any work emails or made any mistakes in his drafts, as any mistake would result in a public dressing down by his boss, who would never take 'no' for an answer.
2) A 45-year-old IT professional who had made a job shift to a startup. She could not adjust to the fast-paced work and deadlines there, and it was taking a toll on her psychological state. She was getting panic attacks and no sleep. She was smoking and drinking more, and it was only adding to her anxiety, severely affecting her work functioning, and she was having serious issues with her family.
3) A 30-year-old banker had run up huge losses doing futures and options trading and had taken huge loans in the process. Due to this, he could not sleep at night and was always anxious and moody. After repeatedly receiving threatening calls from his lenders, he tried to end his life by taking a drug overdose.
Symptoms and signs of being stressed
This state of mind is characterised by feelings of frustration, anxiety, anger, and short temper, depression, dissatisfaction, confusion in thinking, difficulty concentrating, difficulty making decisions, increased heart rate, headaches, rapid breathing, changes in eating habits, upset stomach, sleep disturbances, feeling overwhelmed, increasing communication problems, and difficulty with co-workers, friends, and family members. There may also be a tendency to withdraw and neglect other relationships, job dissatisfaction, and declining job performance.
Common stress-related diseases
Common stress-associated diseases include diminished immunity, headaches, fatigue, weight gain, dyslipidemia, hypertension, heart disease, psoriasis, eczema, digestive problems, anxiety, depression, alcoholism, substance abuse, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and decreased sex drive.
Destructive coping mechanisms
Destructive coping mechanisms include substance abuse (more alcohol and drugs), increased smoking (mostly cigarettes), poor eating habits (missing meals or binge eating), and drinking more coffee. Developing or worsening bad habits instead of finding help and relief diminishes one’s physical resilience. Reacting emotionally in extreme, exaggerated ways rather than adequately addressing the situation leads to strong reactions to minor problems. Misplaced coping can involve physically getting away but not mentally. There can be withdrawal from or even a breakdown of meaningful and important relationships and friendships and withdrawal from pleasant activities due to tiredness and lack of motivation. Working more but less effectively can diminish one’s psychological resilience.
How to handle stress
1. Know your limitations. Gauge your reactions and learn to take each day one step at a time.
2. Learn about stress and how it affects your mind and body.
3. If you think you are getting burned out and have the symptoms, speak to someone about it. If that doesn’t work, please consult a qualified mental health professional, like a psychiatrist, who can help you with medication and behavioural management.
4. Work on problem-solving skills, which consist of changing the situation, redefining the problem, looking at alternative solutions, evaluating the implications of the alternatives, and choosing the best one to act on.
Try the four-step approach
- Constructive self-talk
- Quick recovery
- Thought stopping
- Mental diversion
Make a 10-point personal plan
1. Identify the sources of pressure in your life and learn to recognize your stress reactions.
2. Tackle the cause of your stress.
3. Clarify and set personal and career (SMART) goals. SMART stands for
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
4. Prioritize and monitor progress.
5. Reward success and examine failures.
6. Identify your strategy and learn stress-control skills, such as being assertive, using relaxation techniques, venting, avoiding faulty thinking, building and developing social support networks, managing conflict, and better time management.
7. Plan your activities.
8. Sleep 6-8 hours per day.
9. Understand your preferred coping style.
10. Maintain positive interactions with other people. Stay fit and healthy. Get professional help and seek social support.
Stay in control; don’t let stress control you. Stress is a dynamic process.
How the patients handled stress
1) The 22-year-old lawyer met with a psychiatrist and took medication, due to which his psychological problems improved. After taking behavioural therapy, he became more assertive and learned to say no at the right times and to draw boundaries.
2) The 45-year-old IT professional met with a psychiatrist and received treatment for her panic attacks, which have significantly decreased. She has reduced her alcohol use and smoking and has stopped trying to outwork her younger coworkers. Instead, she is working smarter and able to function better.
3) The 30-year-old banker took therapy for impulsivity and has uninstalled all his trading and personal loan apps. He is slowly paying back his loans while continuing to work.
(The writer is a consultant psychiatrist at Renai Medicity, Kochi)
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