If recurrent or chronic stress is manageable for a time, it is not indefinitely. And when it becomes pathological, there is danger. It is therefore essential to be able to recognize burnout in time Burnout is a disease of the soul in mourning for its ideal, said Freudenberger, one of the psychoanalysts who was the first to speak of burnout in the 1970s. , following a study conducted on the burnout of caregivers.
The nervous system no longer functions normally
In a phase of normal stress, everyone acts or reacts by adapting, under the impulse of the orthosympathetic nervous system. Then, the pressure falls under the impulse of the parasympathetic nervous system and the individual finds serenity and relaxation.
Each nervous system has a role to play. The role of the orthosympathetic is to prepare the action, by attacking or fleeing:
- vascularize the muscles,
- mydriasis,
- close the sphincters,
- increase heart rate,
- increase blood pressure,
- increase the breathing rate.
The role of the parasympathetic is to prepare for relaxation and recovery:
- relax the muscles,
- relax the sphincters,
- eliminate toxins,
- slow down the heart and breathing,
- miosis,
- erection.
In a phase of recurrent or excessively repeated stress, the ortho and parasympathetic systems end up operating in parallel, which leads the individual to adopt adaptive behaviors. He lives in a state of permanent stress, limiting unpleasant perceptions. Stress becomes chronic, it pushes the individual to face it, by developing defense or adaptive mechanisms.
Burn-out: The mechanisms to spot
To hold on, it is a question of identifying certain mechanisms put in place by the person:
- She hardens herself emotionally and not only in the face of negative emotions, but also in the face of positive emotions.
- She distances herself, becomes cynical
- She reduces her ambitions, she becomes demotivated.
The incessant practice of these mechanisms at work and/or in private life leads straight to burnout. One day, the body says STOP and it collapses.
