Work Stress Management Guide: Signs, Symptoms, and Strategies to Prevent Burnout

1. WORK-RELATED STRESS AND BURNOUT

2. Objectives • Identify signs and symptoms of stress, reality shock, and burnout • Describe the impact of stress, reality shock, and burnout on the individual and the health-care team • Evaluate his or her own colleagues’ stress levels • Develop strategies to manage personal and professional stresses

3. Statistics • More people have heart attacks on Monday morning as they prepare to go to work than on any other day of the week • Two-thirds of all office visits to physicians are the result of stress • Stress plays a role in the two major killers of adults: heart disease and cancer

4. Stress • Effects of Stress • Hans Selye first explored the concept of stress in the 1930’s • His description of the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) has influenced our present-day notions about stress and its effects on humans • Stress is assessed on four levels • Environmental • Social • Physiological • Psychological

6. Good Stress versus Bad Stress • Seven factors identified: • Good stresses allow people to exert a high level of control over outcomes. Bad stresses allow little or no control • Positive feelings are associated with good stress and negative or ambivalent feelings occur with bad stress • Eagerness is associated with good stress

7. Good Stress versus Bad Stress • Exhaustion and avoidance are associated with bad stress • Good stress associated with personal growth and improved interpersonal relationships. Bad stress is associated with limitations and bad relationships • Processing all stress requires human action

9. Reality Shock • First few weeks are the “honeymoon’’ phase • Honeymoon phase won’t last forever • Graduates often feel a conflict between professional and work goals

10. Differences in Expectations • To cope with reality, you must recognize: • Expectations are distortions of reality (this can bring about disappointment) • To some extent, you need to fit yourself into your work, not fit the work to suit your needs or demands • The way you perceive events on the job will influence how you feel about your work

11. Your mental attitude will affect whether work is a pleasant or unpleasant experience • Feelings of helplessness and powerlessness cause frustration and unrelieved job stress

12. BURN OUT Health Promotion Program

13. Definition of Burn Out Usually is a gradual depletion of emotional, mental and physical energy due to work related stress.

14. Definition of Burn Out “Characterized by emotional exhaustion, a sense of depersonalization, and feelings of reduced personal accomplishment.” -Dr. Kenneth Cooper

15. Listless Fatigued Unmotivated Drained Exhausted Bored Burn out also known as-

16. Common Causes • Work Overload • Lack of rewards • Belief and or lack of control • Issues of unfairness

17. Burn Out • Everyone is at risk and all are susceptible! • Often it is your negative reaction rather than the specific job...

18. Symptoms of Burn Out • Poor work performance • Relationship problems • Health problems • Negative feelings • Substance misuse/abuse • Feelings of meaninglessness

19. Aspects (4 stages) of burnout • High expectation and idealism • Pessimism and early job dissatisfaction • Withdrawal and isolation • Irreversible detachment and loss of interest

20. Phases of Burn Out Exhaustion Callous & Cynical Helplessness, Failure & Crisis Shame & Doubt

21. What can I do?

22. What I can do! • Take good care of myself on a regular (daily, weekly) basis! Review these sites- www.aomc.org/hodz/general/stress.html www.clinique.com/busters.html www.ucc.vt.edu/stdyksk/stressmgt.html www.docpotter.com

23. What I can do • Ask for help! • Talk to others about your difficulties and seek their support… • Develop a plan to address burn out

24. What I can do? Increase my Personal Power! Find and establish ways to control and manage my time, space, workload, pace, resources, future and perceptions...

25. What I can do! • Rest & Retreat • Release • Regroup • Make personal changes • Regenerate

26. What I can do • Find purpose and meaning in activities- at work, home & community! • Handle workplace stressors- before they manage me!

27. What I can do? • Reevaluate my goals and priorities • Do not take the whole load myself! • Learn my own limits, and set limits with others • Ask for what I want and do not assume that I will get it

28. What I can do? • Forgive myself when I make a mistake... • Get rid of any of my perfectionist behaviors and expectations • Do not take on others burdens!

29. Preventing Burn Out • Know your stress danger zones at work and at home • Avoid or address the dangers as soon as possible! • Daily self care!

30. I CHOOSE… • I choose to relish my days • I choose to enjoy this moment • I choose to be fully present to others • I choose to fully engage in the activity at hand • I choose to proceed at a measured, effective pace • I choose to acknowledge all I have achieved so far • I choose to focus on where I am and what I am doing • I choose to acknowledge that this is the only moment in which I can take action.

31. THANK YOU!