Some people are more susceptible to burnout than others. In practice, it is noteworthy that there are certain work attitudes that are more common among people who suffer from stress. If you recognize yourself in one of the profiles below, be extra vigilant:
- Your job is your life. You equate your job with your identity (‘I am who I am because of my job’) and therefore you cannot put your work stress in perspective. Your self-esteem is determined by the satisfaction and recognition you get from your job.
- You see your work as your unique, personal realization. As a result, you do not see that you are actually part of a chain that functions thanks to everyone’s efforts. If something goes wrong, you consider that as your full responsibility.
- You want to prove something from a retribution perspective. You want to show that others were wrong, for example when you did not get that promotion or were fired. You want to prove yourself at all costs, and you often go beyond your limits.
- You are the mom/dad/wailing wall of the department. You listen to other people’s problems and get to hear everyone’s misery. You absorb a lot, lie awake, but you cannot intervene. You yourself don’t have any place where you can go with other people’s problems (such as HR, a trade union, partner …).
- You have a narcissistic armour. You only want to show perfection to the outside world, but are deeply vulnerable within. If someone bursts your bubble of perfection or you feel that you are losing ground, it can be very hard.
