About mental problems associated with work commitment

Although the youngest Gen Z workers see addressing mental health as a completely normal and natural topic, older generations may still see it as a stigma of failure or weakness. We talked to psychologist Silvia Csopotiová about this increasingly topical topic.

What will you learn in the interview?

• Specific tips for anxiety relief, with links to illustrative videos
• When is the right time to seek psychological help?
• What are the common and hidden symptoms of burnout?
• What preventive steps can we take to maintain our healthy vigor and work commitment
• How does the work of a psychologist with a person who suffers from mental problems from work work in practice?
• How can we help ourselves?

What are the most common problems associated with high work commitment that you solve in practice?

Very often, patients have problems that at first glance are not related to the psyche. However, it is, of course, necessary to rule them out clinically first, so that we know that everything is fine with the body itself. This means to rule out inflammation or serious diseases. If such somatic problems are not confirmed in the patient, the general practitioner usually sends him to us. There are also clients who are aware of the origin of their difficulties and come with an order to work on managing work stress and burden, or improving the balance of work and personal life.

What happens when such a patient comes to you? Apparently, it is not automatic to accept that physical ailments can actually be related to an aching soul.

Exactly, that’s why from the first moment we work to make sure that the patient understands that his physical problems may have psychological origins. Simply, it is normal if a person under the influence of daily stress, increasing responsibilities, but also dissatisfaction with salary evaluation begins to feel somatic difficulties. Especially if there is a discrepancy between the work performed and the subjective evaluation of its mastery, or its evaluation by the company for which the person works. Tension and pressure stemming from frustrating circumstances or chronic stress also interfere with the immune system, overall physical health or energy of a person.

For example?

Many changes that a person goes through are observable even by the client himself. Among the first, there is usually excessive physical fatigue even during activities that the client has managed without problems, or mental exhaustion and aversion to work tasks.

A frequent indicator can be a headache, a stiff neck or unusual reactions of the cardiovascular system. But it can also be stomach pain, morning sickness or diarrhea. Each person is unique and our bodies therefore react differently to stress. Anxiety is often a manifestation of the non-somatic nature of persistent stress. Especially if a person experiences failure at work, criticism, does not see progress in difficult tasks, or his superior fails to guide him properly.

Interesting facts:

• Every sixth resident of EU countries suffers from some form of mental illness
• More than 30% of employees from the so-called new EU member states
• Millennials (currently 35% of the workforce) see it as crucial that their employer supports a balanced work-life balance

Source: Nadácia Pontis

If we overdo it with physical exertion, the body will usually make it clear to us. Can we also understand the mentioned manifestations as a warning signal sent by our soul?

Certainly, whether it is somatic manifestations or anxiety, our body tells us enough through them. It is a signal that we need to slow down and focus on ourselves. That’s why we start with patients by setting the principles of a good lifestyle, we work with their daily routine and relaxation techniques.

To support a positive experience, we try together to modify a person’s life so that he also devotes himself to what he likes and what fulfills him. In more than one case, we encounter maladaptive coping strategies, simply put, an attempt to fight negative circumstances with inappropriate means. For example, people will switch medications in good faith, but they may not be the most suitable choice for the given client. Negative feelings are sometimes suppressed by excessive consumption of alcohol or other psychoactive substances. Of course, none of these strategies solves the problem, it only deepens it or creates a new one.

Can the stress associated with high work commitment lead to depression?

It happens when a person is really frustrated with their job situation or working conditions. He works in a routine, which, however, is not a source of stability for him, but of frustration. He feels that nothing is changing in his life and at the same time he is not experiencing anything positive. Such a person can stop seeing meaning in his work and life in general.

In connection with work, executive employees experience the so-called burnout syndrome. Why does it affect highly motivated workers in particular?

The original English name of this syndrome “burnout” in itself indicates that the flame must first be lit logically so that it can be extinguished later. That is the simplest explanation. When we give a lot to something, naturally, we can also lose a lot.

So burnout is less of a threat to those employees who come to “unwind” their 8 hours every day and don’t solve anything else?

It is very difficult to generalize these things. Therefore, we cannot define a prototype of a person destined for burnout. However, there are research papers describing higher risk in people who make high demands on themselves, try to manage everything by themselves, take on the responsibilities and competences of other people. They invest most of their energy only in work, thereby impoverishing their personal life. In a very simple way, it could be said that people who are clearly dedicated to their work are more at risk.

The more resources we have to deal with the challenges we face, the easier it is to overcome them. In this context, the sources are personality characteristics, psychological resistance, social background or our interests.

So, can we highlight such a personality assumption that is key to avoid burnout?

There are protective factors that protect us from adverse environmental influences. But many times we forget about our needs in our daily responsibilities and we only notice when we don’t feel completely fit. That’s why honest self-monitoring is important. Each one of us is responsible for ourselves and our lives. It is not right to rely on someone coming to us and saying: something is wrong with you, seek help. Just as we can be sensitive to our loved ones, it is necessary to be able to perceive our own feelings and thoughts. But it also applies to changes in our body. People with burnout often also suffer from insomnia, are irritable, and normal functioning during the day is naturally more difficult for them.

In such a case, it is probably not quite easy to fight insomnia on your own, if we neglect medication.

We live in a time full of technology, there are various applications that measure the quality of our sleep through the sensors in the watch. Thanks to this data, we can set the alarm clock at the appropriate stage so that we feel fresher during the day. Even if a person does not have such technologies at his disposal, he can keep a sleep diary and evaluate what time to go to bed so that he feels rested the next day.

Quality sleep is really an important helper in solving problems related to work stress. If we want to wake up well, we also need to sleep well. Sleep is a universal healer with many benefits and is essential for the optimal functioning of the human body and psyche. I recommend the book by the author Matthew Walker – “Why we sleep”, which helped me personally understand the meaning of sleep better and work on improving it. It contains many practical tips and explanations that are helpful in your daily sleep routine.

But what if I can’t sleep at all?

 

Parents of small children might be able to answer intuitively here. Sleep rituals are similarly effective for adults. This means creating a daily routine that precedes sleep. Our body learns that it is ready for sleep after taking the given steps. Tired of reading? Great, if you don’t enjoy it, you’ll tire of it sooner.

Just as important as what we do, it is important to adopt the habits of “what not to do.” For example, scrolling through social networks in bed, which I encounter very often, is for several reasons, both physiological and psychological, an inappropriate pre-sleep ritual. Try to remember what helped you fall asleep as a child… For me it was also cassette tapes with fairy tales. Today, there are various audiobooks, but I honestly do not disdain a nice story from my childhood, which also helps me to have pleasant memories somewhere in my emotional memory and to relieve stress from the past day.

Can a person help himself with burnout syndrome? For example, by changing your lifestyle?

If a person is already looking for obvious signs of burnout, there is no point in postponing a visit to a psychologist. There is nothing wrong with that, we can really help people if they open up to us. Burnout itself does not happen overnight, it goes through several stages and is gradual.

What warning signs should tell us that burnout is coming?

That depends on my own assessment of how my life looked and what suddenly changed in it. For example, you repeatedly fall asleep at work, although you have always been a well-organized person. Higher degrees are then resignation, loss of joy from work or from life. This resignation is then followed by burnout – a stage when a person loses motivation and will not only in work, but also in everyday life, in relationships.

Even today, visiting a psychologist is often stigmatized, although this is gradually changing for the better. How does the work of a psychologist work with a person who suffers from mental problems from work?

It cannot be generalized, it depends a lot on how the client can accept that he has a real problem and how he can cooperate.

The work looks different with each client, as each client is unique. It is important to create a relationship that represents a safe space for the client in which he can share himself, his experiences and thoughts. This is the key to him being able to talk about things that take him out of his comfort zone. Mutual sympathy, or the therapist’s ability to create the right atmosphere and empathically perceive the client, also contribute to this relationship. However, it is very important that the client tries to work on himself in therapy and between sessions and does not rely on the therapist being able to solve his problems. We function more like guides, but the client himself has the main say and the power to change. Readiness for change and active work on its implementation are therefore a springboard to solving problems.

So, before visiting a psychologist, we should forget that there is a quick remedy for our problem that we can pick up at the pharmacy along the way

With well-motivated clients who understand all this and have accepted that their burnout has a psychogenic origin, we achieve the first results relatively early. The most important thing is to realize that any psychological problems are not a sign of weakness. There is no such thing as a weak person, there are only challenging life circumstances. Therefore, the basis of success in the therapy of burnout syndrome is to get the client from the passive position of the victim to the role of active manager of his own life and all changes on the way to mental balance.

Tips for relieving anxiety from psychologist Silvia Csopotiova:

• Find a quieter and darker place where your perception will not be irritated by various significant stimuli, such as a noisy environment, a large movement of people or strong light. Such a safe place should allow you to rest for 5 minutes. It is great if the whole team agrees on it and its members respect each other. If the management allows, it is advisable to visually decorate such a space as a “relaxation zone” – for example, green plants, pleasant colors, comfortable seating, etc.
• Square breathing – observe precisely defined intervals that are equal between inhalation and exhalation. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for another 4 seconds. Exhale for 4 seconds and hold your breath again for 4 seconds before inhaling again. For people who have reduced lung capacity or simply find 4 seconds too long, they can use a shorter three-second interval. During this breathing, close your eyes and imagine the cycle of air passing through your body.
• Mental tension is also reflected in the muscle parts and it is a two-way ticket, which means that by relaxing the muscles we can also help our psyche. Try to relax the whole body, go through the individual parts, from the feet, through the back, arms and head. It is important to relax the facial muscles, facial expressions are a daily part of our lives. If possible, close your eyes. If there is no other option, focus on one point, looking at it the brain gets used to it after a while and is not burdened with processing this stimulus.
• For severe anxiety, try presence and mindfulness exercises. For example, list three things you see, three things you hear, and three things you feel. Or name the seven blue objects that are in the room and describe them. Sometimes the stress stimulus is the body itself, an accelerated pulse or numbness in the limbs. By occupying the mind and focusing on the things around us, we redirect our attention from the stressful stimulus to something that is neutral and does not provoke an emotional response in us.