Does burn-out result from a lack of self-knowledge?

“I am on the verge of burn-out!” Who has not heard or said this sentence, whose resonance is even stronger in times of pandemic. It has become an overused expression and is often used during a period of intense work-related stress. However, it is full of meaning. Burn-out, the real one, is a professional exhaustion syndrome, which according to the WHO, sets in gradually. But why, faced with the same professional situation, do some people sink and others don't? In addition to external conditions, what role does the lack of self-knowledge play?

A good Definition of burn-out can be found in the compilation of Swiss, French and Scandinavian scientific works: it is a”physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that results from prolonged investment in emotionally demanding work situations.”. The consequences are the loss of appetite and sleep, but also and above all, the loss of one's ability to concentrate and think.

The big question then is: how does this phenomenon take place?

The Burn-out is of course the result of external pressure. Sometimes a moment of personal fragility. But also a lack of self-listening, and even more of a lack of self-knowledge. Because listening to each other is not enough. If we listen to ourselves without trusting in its value, it is impossible for us to hear and implement what is necessary to guarantee our balance.

Burn-out: what is it?

The Burn-out is “built” in three phases.

The first phase involves emotional exhaustion resulting from the feeling of being both overwhelmed by the demands of one's work and emptied of one's resources. The person affected no longer feels that they are producing the quality of work they once achieved, they feel frustrated. Then appear Burnout symptoms such as anxiety, stress, physical fatigue, insomnia, etc. It is through emotional exhaustion that the Burnout process.

Then comes the second phase, which results in cynicism or depersonalization. It refers to the development of detached and critical attitudes towards one's work, colleagues or hierarchy.

Finally, the third phase sees a strong decrease in self-esteem. A person experiencing burn-out evaluates themselves negatively and no longer recognizes their ability to get things done. This dimension is the consequence of the first two. Being emotionally exhausted, no longer having the same taste for her work, her sense of personal accomplishment is logically at an all-time low. Les Burnout conditions are combined.

While these phases describe well what anyone suffering from burn-out will experience, they say nothing about the intrinsic causes of this chain of feelings.

The Karasek model or the origin of burn-out

By studying the three phases of burn-out mentioned above, Robert Karasek, a professor of psychology in Boston, developed the model”Stress at work'. This model identifies the conjuncture of three factors that cause burn-out :

• The requirements: whether or not the individual is under a lot of pressure and an intense workload.
• The lack of social support: if the individual finds himself in a form of social loneliness at work.
• Decision-making discretion or control: if the individual has very little autonomy in the organization of his own work and his pace of concentration.

Listening to each other in the light of Karasek's model

Too few really know the importance of these three factors in order to avoid burn-out. Thus, as early as 2015, a study by Technologia showed that 8% of workers are affected by burn-out, compared to 20% of managers or freelancers. Do they have less pressure? Probably not. But human ties within the social body of a factory are an ideal screen against pressure.

So, by listening to yourself in terms of this model, you are in a better position to protect yourself from emotional overheating. Indeed, you know how to surround yourself and guarantee your autonomy to respond to your missions.

So everything starts with listening to yourself. Do you know how you work? Do you know what works and doesn't work for you? Do you know how to manage your biological rhythm and your involvement at work, regardless of external standards (deadlines, agreements, etc.)?

This notion of listening to yourself is fundamental. You have to listen to each other first Burn-out sign, since the risk factors set in well before the early signs of the syndrome. Listening to yourself, but also knowing the strength of the need you feel. Is it a current need or a recurring need? Should I implement more important measures in my work, for example a ritual that preserves my autonomy?

Let me illustrate with an example about the concepts of decision-making flexibility and social support of Karasek model. During lockdown, those who worked did so from home. Individuals have therefore moved from a controlled face-to-face environment to one that offers great organizational freedom. While companies concerned with remote working feared a drop in productivity, studies now show that productivity increased sharply at first. Why? Among other things, because the gain in autonomy has allowed many people to organize themselves more efficiently. This is at least the case for those who have listened to their pace of concentration, and who have been able to adapt their work rhythm to their daily life constraints. Then, after a year, productivity declined overall. The lack of social connection had become too great. Finally, back in the office a few months later, absenteeism doubled compared to before the health crisis. The reason? One of the main ones is clearly the refusal, more or less conscious, to lose autonomy again. We are certainly regaining social ties, but we cannot simply return to the world of before. The one where you demand the result and you control how to achieve it.

Knowing your value: the anti-burn-out par excellence

To listen to each other well, and thus guarantee a certain organizational autonomy, it is fundamental to know its value in relation to its environment.

The first thing I do when managing people is to tell them to do less. It may seem strange and yet I know that most of them overload themselves unnecessarily. Moreover, despite this recommendation, I see them maintaining the same workload and the same constraints. Why?

I explain this, in large part, by the need for recognition and value. In their minds, if they don't do it, or not quickly enough, they won't be properly recognized. Even worse, they would lose their jobs. However, in my experience, the percentage of individuals who are really fired compared to those who are afraid of being fired is rather low...

Thus, the fear of losing the recognition of one's environment - or even one's work - so fundamental in the concept of burn-out, leads some to adhere to a whole set of presuppositions: non-stop work, presenteeism, lack of autonomy...

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Professional constraints obviously exist, but while some are linked to the need for collective action, many are also simple cultural habits. Most can be negotiated if you position yourself as a partner of your company and if you have confidence in its added value. The key is therefore to know how to take a step back from the value that we produce. Being aware of it and recognizing it avoids protecting yourself behind religious respect for the rules. Knowing your value means giving yourself the means to defend your personal limits in the face of pressure, without being “selfish”.

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Let's illustrate with an example. One of our young graduates has recently been working for a consulting company. Over the months, he managed to develop his skills. He managed, alone and perfectly, a certain number of files. Then one day, he called me in a panic to explain to me how helpless he felt when faced with the new case he was in charge of. I then asked him if he had called on people who were more qualified than him on the subject. Bingo. He simply did not think of doing it, because he did not have enough confidence in himself to agree to turn to others. He wanted to be excellent, and so let himself be drawn into a negative and paralyzing spiral.

Knowing yourself well also means being able to recognize what you cannot do alone and therefore work in collective intelligence. That's why the social support mentioned in the Karasek model makes perfect sense.

I know myself and yet, burn-out caused me...

Can it happen that, despite a good Self-knowledgeAre we sinking into burn-out?

An individual can know himself and yet not listen to himself, thus generating Burnout symptoms. This happens, especially when you are not connected with yourself. This is the case when a crisis, personal or professional, destabilizes our balance. By focusing all our attention on the situation, we end up losing our ability to listen to ourselves. We devote all our energy to the situation we are going through, without any concept of autonomy. Generally, we last the time of the crisis. Then, if it has been long, the risk of burn-out is great since our balance has been weakened.

Taking a step back remains fundamental, and the feeling of crisis is what takes us the most away from it. The longer a crisis lasts, the more essential it is to take the time to “de-zoom out”, and therefore to listen to yourself, to assess a possible imbalance.

The ways to do that can be surprising. I recently met a person whose job is to supervise the operational management of irregularities at an airport: delayed flights, missed transfers, etc. This work generates, on a daily basis, numerous mini-crises as well as great pressure from dissatisfied customers and employees in need of a solution. To manage this constant stress, and to take the necessary step back, he goes to the bathroom several times a day. The only place where it can be protected from external stresses. For about ten minutes, he is alone with himself and re-focuses on the essentials before returning to combat. As funny as it may seem, it is this connection with himself that allows him to hold on.

It's up to you to protect yourself

Far from me the idea of relieving organizations of their responsibility in the face of burn-out, let alone ignoring the toxic management of certain managers. But the aim here is to give you the keys to take protective measures that depend on you. Remember three: know its value, gain sufficient confidence to be able to act as a partner in its environment, and co-organize with it the areas of autonomy necessary for its balance.

I don't know if the best anti-burn-out Is the Self-Leadership, but it allowed many people to get out of it. It allows you to have better self-confidence. That is the whole point of the program of Self-Leadership Lab, a personal journey whose first goal is the discovery of oneself, one's assets and one's aspirations.