Preventing Burn Out

Burnout Preventative Therapy

It is important to recognise the symptoms of burn out early on and initiate the necessary changes - be it on a personal level or in your working environment. Effective healthy activities include:

• regular physical activity
• restful sleep
• sensible diet
• sustainable social network
• humour
• positive emotions
• meaningful life
• optimism
• spirituality

Furthermore, it seems that several shorter holidays are more effective in preventing burnout syndrome than one annual holiday.
(Source: vgl. Roland von Känel, 2008, Das Burnout-Syndrom: eine medizinische Perspektive, In Praxis, Band 97, S. 477 – 487, Bern)

Give yourself space

A major problem with burnout is being caught up in the rat race. In other words, functioning in an everyday routine that is difficult to break away from. Feelings are suppressed and people often don't have the capacity to understand or accept that this is actually an illness.

The first step to prevent burnout is to acknowledge that you are simply overwhelmed - even if it is just momentary. Simply admit to this perceived weakness. Try to distance yourself from your problems and the source of conflict.

• Get away, for example, for at least a weekend
• The time saved in this way can be used to take stock of the situation
• Avoid distractions

With the help of a stress map, try to analyse the situation and assess the status quo.
Create a stress map by drawing up a list of all persons / events that drain you of power and energy and another of those things that give you energy.

This exercise enables you to sort out and organize the situation and help you create a structured overview of possible objectives and reasons for change.
(Source: S. 70ff, Dr. Christian Stock, 2010, Burnout: Erkennen und verhindern, Haufe-Lexware GmbH, Freiburg)

Stress Management

Permanently stressful working conditions clearly promotes the emergence of burnout. The best strategy to prevent burnout from occurring in the first place is, therefore, to avoid chronic stress.
But what is stress anyway? Stress occurs on 3 different levels:

1. Stressors: various stressful conditions and situations with which you are confronted
2. Stress intensifiers: Your individual perception and evaluation of the stressor. The stress intensifier decides whether and with what intensity a stress reaction caused by a specific stressor will be.
3. Stress reaction: the individual, physical and psychological responses to the stressors by your body

Stress actually describes the state in which we find ourselves, not the cause that triggers this condition. Whether a stressor actually triggers a stress response depends on your subjective perception and assessment of the stress intensifier. The resulting stress response is a sign that you have reached your personal stress limit.
Stress is an alarm reaction by the body, caused by the stressor, e.g., by a particular situation or event. Stress is not caused by the event itself, but by your personal interpretation of the situation. In other words, stress is "self inflicted".

Kienbaum Expert advice on how to organize a stress free working life:
„Pack everything you don't want to throw away in a cardboard boy and write a date on it (at least one year in the future). When this period has expired and you haven't missed one thing that is in the box, throw it away without opening it again. This actually works at home too! This, of course, does not apply to important documents and/or records.“
 (Source: Matthias T. Meifert (Hrsg.), 2010: Stressmanagement – Das Kienbaum Trainingsprogramm, S. 68, Haufe-Lexware GmbH, Freiburg)

Kienbaum expert advice on making priorities:
„Be aware of the fact that important things are seldom urgent and urgent tasks are seldom important. Your goal should be avoid urgent tasks in the first place. You should sort out unimportant tasks immediately.“
(Source: Matthias T. Meifert (Hrsg.), 2010: Stressmanagement – Das Kienbaum Trainingsprogramm, S. 70, Haufe-Lexware GmbH, Freiburg)

Kienbaum expert advice on developing resistance to stress:
Encourage yourself. Avoid negative thoughts and replace them with positive, reaffirming statements, such as: „I can do it!“, „I am not allowed to give up!“ etc.
 (Source: vgl. Matthias T. Meifert (Hrsg.), 2010: Stressmanagement – Das Kienbaum Trainingsprogramm, S. 68, Haufe-Lexware GmbH, Freiburg)

Action plan for stress and burnout prevention

Here we have compiled a short list of preventative measures for you.

• Make sure you have a well adjusted Work-Life-Balance
• Question your own objectives
• Plan time to rest and to sometimes do „absolutely nothing“.
• Separate your work and private life as far as is possible (e.g. don't check work emails at the weekend)
• Maintain your social contacts
• Indulge in spa treatments
• Try and get out in the fresh air regularly
• Practice relaxation techniques
• make sure you get enough sleep (at least seven hours a night)
• Sporting activity increases your stamina levels: you should take at least moderate exercise (e.g. walk, swim cycle or jog twice a week for 30 minutes) and integrate this into your regular schedule. It is important, however, that you do not overexert yourself.
• Pay attention to your body's signals
• Eat a healthy diet: Stress leads to elevated blood sugar levels, which is why you should eat a diet low in fat and sugar so not to weaken your body further.
• Reduce your consumption of addictive substances and only use medication such as sleeping pills and tranquilizers in exceptional circumstances.
• Keep a diary and enter into a dialogue with yourself.
  Concentrate for a moment before you begin to write. Write easily and effortlessly, almost of one's own accord. Give each entry a short and concise title.
• Räumen Sie ihren Schreibtisch auf
  Sie werden die Erfahrung machen, dass eine Sie umgebende Ordnung auch Ruhe ins Hirn und damit in die Gedanken bringt.
• „Affen von den Schultern schaffen“
  „Affen“ sind zum Beispiel zu erledigende Dinge, Projekte oder Verantwortlichkeiten. Jeder von uns hat eigene „Affen“ auf den Schultern. Viel zu oft lassen wir uns allerdings die „Affen“ anderer auf die Schultern setzten. Achten Sie darauf, wenn möglich nur die eigenen „Affen“ auf den Schultern zu haben.

(Quelle: Matthias T. Meifert (Hrsg.), 2010: Stressmanagement – Das Kienbaum Trainingsprogramm, S. 234f, Haufe-Lexware GmbH, Freiburg / Doris Kirch, 2011, Handbuch Stressbewältigung, 2. Auflage, Mankau Verlag GmbH, Murnau a. Staffelsee)

 Erste-Hilfe-Maßnahmen zur Stressbewältigung

• Atmen Sie (bewusst und vertiefend)
• Trinken Sie ausreichend Wasser
• Hören Sie Musik, welche auf Sie persönlich entspannend wirkt
• Bewahren Sie Haltung (halten Sie Ihren Körper aufrecht, das wirkt sich erhellend aufs Gemüt aus)
• Bachblüten für eine emotionale Balance
• Trinken Sie Kräutertees

(Quelle: Doris Kirch, 2011, Handbuch Stressbewältigung, 2. Auflage, Mankau Verlag GmbH, Murnau a. Staffelsee)

Manage stress - the Tiger Strategy

Here is a short excerpt from Doris Kirch's manual for coping with stress:

The Tiger: alert, even when resting

The secret of coping with stress successfully is called „Mindfulness“. Mindfulness means to consciously experience every moment. In a state of mindfulness we only register - we do not name, categorize or assess.
Mindfulness is simply not thinking. There is only one strategy to combat the persistent habit of thinking constantly: to be just as persistent with being mindful. You should try to observe something and then just let go. You will learn to replace preconceptions with perception and, as a result, develop calmness and equanimity in the brain.

Systematic training is required to develop mindfulness. This training can take place by either conscious meditation, or by using ordinary everyday activities as an exercise.

The tiger knows his possibilities

It is also important to find the right way for you to relax personally. Every person and every situation is different, so there is no sure fire method that is equally well suited for each. When looking for the right method, take what sort of person you are into consideration, your personal physical condition, age, time available and the degree of exhaustion you are suffering from.

(Excerpt from: Doris Kirch, 2011, Stress Management Handbook, 2nd edition, Mankau Verlag GmbH, publishers Murnau a. Staffelsee - in German)

Methods for active relaxation and stress management

Coping with stress can be managed basically on 3 levels: The stressor, the organism, or the reaction.

1. The stressors

Coping with the stressors means, changing long-term individual stress causing conditions: E.g., solve problems, reject unjustified criticism, hold talks with conflicting parties, delegate work.
First of all, an analysis must be made of the stress situation.
There are no universal methods to change stressors long term.
Different stressors require very specific coping strategies.

2. The organism 

Mainly systematic relaxation exercises are used for this purpose. This leads to lower levels of agitation, increased working capacity and the reduction of existing psychosomatic complaints.

Systematic relaxation methods are muscular relaxation, autogenic training, yoga and concentrative techniques such as meditation.

During muscle relaxation, the following muscle groups are alternately tensed and released:

1. Hands
2. Forearms
3. Upper arms
4. Shoulders and neck
5. Back
6. Face
7. Front neck
8. Chest
9. Stomach
10. Buttocks
11. Thighs
12. Lower leg
13. Feet

This relaxation technique is based on the principle of opposite conditioning. This means that muscle relaxation is physically incompatible with stress.

Autogenic training relies primarily on autonomic behaviour level. Through this training, the autonomic nervous system changes to the relaxed reaction basis. The psycho-physical capacity is increased and existing tension and agitation are reduced. The organism creates a "layer of protection against stress".

Examples of calming behaviour:

• I am and will remain calm and open
• I calmly watch the fuss around me
• I speak quietly and confidently

Examples of increasing self-esteem

• I master my life
• I do not care about the opinion of others

To improve performance levels

• I manage my responsibilities
• I work quietly, assured and willingly
• I deal with matters in a clear, determined and firm manner

(Source: Angelika Wagner-Link, 2009, Active relaxation and stress management: Effective methods for busy people, 6th fully revised and new edition, expert publishers, Renningen - in German)

Advice on improving insomnia

1. Move around during the day as much as possible in the fresh air
2. Eat a light supper early. Don't drink coffee after 15:00 hrs.
3. Ventilate your bedroom
4. Set a date for when your work must be finished or problems dealt with. Consciously "turn on" your leisure time – even if in an emergency it can only be for half an hour.
5. Practise autogenous training consciously and regularly during the day, but not with the intention of sleeping well at night.

(Source: Angelika Wagner-Link, 2009, Active relaxation and stress management: Effective methods for busy people, 6th fully revised and new edition, expert publishers, Renningen - in German)