The term burnout has been applied to everything from being tired during the weekend to the malaise of an entire generation. The WHO legitimized what it calls “burn-out” recognizing in the latest version of its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health problems, a handbook for recognized medical conditions < link >.
Source: World Economic Forum, May 28, 2019. Link. Burnout isn’t simply a synonym for stress, the definition suggests; it’s the result of deep, long-term stress that hasn’t been dealt with, either by the sufferer or their employer.
. . . “burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
INSIGHTS: Burnout has three components:
- Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job
- Reduced professional efficacy