Recognising burnout
The first step in preventing burn out is to recognise its early symptoms in time. However, it is important to note that not every type of stress leads to burnout.
Below, we have compiled some information about the symptoms and different phases of burnout.
For a long time, burnout syndrome was seen as a typical "manager's disease”, but symptoms can occur anywhere where daily pressure - be it professional or private - exceeds an individual's strength. People with an excessive tendency towards perfectionism, who define their self-esteem very strongly in terms of their performance, are considered to be particularly susceptible to burnout. Often, people with a great desire for harmony internalise this state of "having to function" until typical burnout symptoms become noticeable.
Burnout is not a sudden phenomenon, and occasional stress can have a very positive effect on physical and mental performance. However, when persisting phases of stress are not interrupted by sufficient phases of relaxation, an imbalance occurs. This distortion in stress management leads to a slow downward spiral that often ends in burnout.
... among others, early symptoms of burnout syndrome can include:
Especially at a very early stage of development, the onset of burnout can be effectively counteracted by a change in behaviour and the associated stress reduction.
Anti-stress training and workshops provide suitable methods for stress reduction. In these anti-stress seminars, those affected are shown how they can find a way out of the stress-performance spiral and how they themselves can bring more balance into their lives. Of course, there is more to avoiding stress than just the psychological approache: the right diet and physical activity can also contribute a lot to a more relaxed everyday life and to stress reduction.
Our goal at Alpenhotel Karwendel - Europe's first anti-stress resort - is not to treat burn out, but to prevent it from setting in at all.
Remember: everyone can only tolerate excess stress for a short period of time.
We have compiled information here to help you in self-assessment and burnout prevention: