When stress becomes chronic: This is how you recognize burnout

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Stress in daily life and at work in Switzerland has increased significantly in the last few years. Almost half of employees feel stressed at work frequently, even very much. In extreme cases, this can lead to burnout, with often high social and financial costs for employees and employers. That’s why it’s important to recognize the signs early.

Natasa Kalt (53) is a psychologist specializing in psychotherapy and specializes in depression, anxiety disorders, burnout, life crises, addiction and trauma. She provides an overview of the signs of burnout and how to prevent them.

Symptoms and signs

Even if you don’t notice it, those around you can often notice signs of burnout in an affected person. “Increased irritability, in particular, can be a symptom of burnout,” confirms the psychologist.

There are many other symptoms of burnout: as experts know, these include lack of energy and emotional exhaustion, feelings of alienation (derealization), decreased performance, physical pain, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, insomnia, social withdrawal and lack of motivation. However, it is necessary to be careful when making a diagnosis because these symptoms also indicate depression: “Depression and burnout cannot always be clearly distinguished. Sometimes they even combine with each other. “But you shouldn’t equate the two,” explains Kalt.

The difference between burnout and depression

In the case of burnout, the affected person is often very performance-oriented and suffers from pressure to perform. “The person often feels constantly stressed, empty, irritable, exhausted, and unable to relax or switch off,” explains Kalt.

Depression, on the other hand, involves family, environment, and self-esteem. The dominant emotion in depression is sadness. “Long-term burnout can also lead to depression and even anxiety disorder,” notes Kalt.

Anyone can be

It’s important to remember that working people aren’t the only ones who can experience burnout. Mothers and teenagers can also be seriously affected. “Burnout is always a risk when a person’s main activity is related to performance and stress,” the psychologist explains. This can happen through school, sports, an instrument, or something else.

A good work-life balance is important

A good work-life balance is crucial to prevent burnout. «All stress must be balanced. The body and mind need adequate time to heal and regenerate,” explains Kalt.

This relaxation can happen in a variety of ways, such as exercise, meditation, creativity and more. However, it is important that relaxation activity has nothing to do with performance, such as in competitive sports.

No decrease in adrenaline and cortisol

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are part of our autonomic nervous system and are responsible for certain hormone releases. “When the body enters the sympathetic nervous system due to increased activity such as stress, cortisol and adrenaline are secreted in the body. The parasympathetic nervous system, which is active during physical relaxation, reduces stress, among other things,” explains Kalt.

With constant stress, the body can no longer break down adrenaline and cortisol. Therefore, a balanced alternation between stress and relaxation is necessary to prevent burnout.

Not all stress automatically leads to burnout

However, it is important to distinguish between acute and chronic stress. Because it is mainly chronic stress that causes burnout. “Acute stress is when you are stressed during the day but are able to relax in the evening. With chronic stress, you cannot relax or relax for weeks,” says the psychologist.

Even a little stress is necessary. Kalt gives the following example: “During the lockdown during the corona pandemic, many people suddenly experienced no stress in their daily lives. People were temporarily a bit ‘fragmented’ because of this.”

Source : Blick