The more we believe we are impervious to burnout, the more vulnerable we are. Why? Because we know no limits.
Mark (an assumed name), 6 ft. tall, 200 lbs., and in his early forties, comes to my office for a consultation. He says he feels “confused, discouraged and has no energy.” He cries and is afraid he will lose his farm. His doctor has prescribed antidepressants. Mark’s company has been growing for 10 years. He says to me, “I have always considered myself strong, a good businessman and a hard worker. I’m not a weak man, what’s happening to me?” He is afraid that he will hear the word “burnout” or even worse “depression”. “I’m too passionate for that”, he says.
Therein lies the problem. The people at the greatest risk of burnout are usually the passionate ones. There are five personality profiles of candidates for a burnout (1).
(a) The workaholic: An unstopable machine. Does easy jobs in small quantities but can’t go beyond a certain limit
Personality: A good guy.
(b) The saviour. Superman or Superwoman: a miracle worker. Takes on challenges which no one else can do as well as he can.
Personality: Needs to be admired
(c) The nitpicker. Thinks that everything he does is essential and that his performance makes all the difference. Thinks that the slightest slow down on his part will lead to a disaster.
Personality: Perfectionist
(d) Braveheart. Works at a job that more or less suits him. Constantly faced with problems he can’t solve. Gets no satisfaction out of his job.
Personality: Victim
(e) Ambitious. Has an insatiable need for money, prestige and power: Devotes his life to it.
Is constantly threatened by those who are richer, more prestigious or more powerful
Personality: Very career minded.
I have encountered all of these personalities in my practice. They are all convinced that they are immune from a burnout. The more they believe they are impervious to burnout, the more vulnerable they are. Why? Because they know no limits. They ignore the symptoms.
As soon as symptons appear, they try to camouflage them. Many agricultural entrepreneurs have confessed to me that they had always thought that people who suffer from burnouts are weaklings – until…
A burnout is not something that appears overnight. It builds up over time. The stages are as follows:
- You are worried.
The first step of the process that eventually leads to a burnout is that you feel worried about what is going on at work.
- You are troubled.
Your tasks are more and more difficult and you start to feel physical or psychological symptoms.
- You are obsessed.
You can’t think about anything but work and strongly believe that solving the company’s problems will mean a return to good health.
- You are exhausted.
This is the burnout stage itself. Your performance and productivity show obvious signs of deterioration. The final stage of this exhaustion is complete apathy and often includes symptoms of depression and health problems.
If you can see yourself in this description, it would be wise to consult a professional before you cause permanent and irreversible damage to yourself… or others, because exhaustion also affects your spouse, your family and your company.
(1) Adapted from Jacques Lafleur, 1999, Le Burnout : questions et réponses, Éditions logiques
Pierrette Desrosiers,
Work Psychologist, professionnal speaker, author and business coach
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