"Of course I knew something was wrong, but I thought I should be able to handle it," Larry recalled. When he finally collapsed in front of his house, he finally realized that he needed help. "It was this blow that saved my life."
Steiner used a metaphor to illustrate this problem: "If you have a car, you should overhaul it once a year and check the oil frequently." . Patients with physical and mental exhaustion syndrome never send cars for maintenance. They are usually surprised that the engine suddenly fails after driving at full speed for thousands of kilometers. They completely neglected routine maintenance. "Now, we have clearly realized that long-term stress plays an important role in inducing psychosomatic exhaustion syndrome. From the perspective of biological evolution, the stress response of human body is an effective protective response. It can help humans and other animals avoid immediate crises, such as the sudden appearance of fierce carnivores. Before we realized the crisis, the brain realized the potential danger, and quickly started a series of physiological reactions within 1 second, which made us ready to fight or escape. Adrenaline flows into muscles, making us more flexible; Senses have also become more acute; The body also shuts down some less important systems (such as the digestive system) to conserve energy.
The problem is that even if the crisis we are facing changes-instead of a hungry bear blocking the hole, an angry boss asks you to finish the PowerPoint report within 30 minutes, this alarm system can work. When we are understaffed and can't finish the task on time; When we are in a hurry to attend the meeting; When we are in a hurry and pack our bags for a business trip at the last minute-the alarm system will light up red light again and again-at this time, the adrenal gland will secrete stress hormones, which will make the heart beat faster and blood pressure rise. If this tension lasts for weeks, months or even years, the body will inevitably get sick. Constant stress can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease, weaken the immune system, and make us suffer from viruses more frequently. Since he got a job in business nine years ago, Larry has been doing his best in his work and has always maintained the image of a model professional manager. At the age of 28, he entered a consulting company in the United States and was quickly promoted, taking charge of many affairs of the company. The company provided him with a car and an enviable salary. Behind the satisfactory work performance are constant business trips, 60-80 hours of work per week, and frequent weekend meetings. But he doesn't mind. Larry said: "Occasionally, I will lament the great pressure brought by this job, but I really enjoy it. Such a long time has brought me a lot of happiness. "
Until one day, Larry suddenly fainted outside his apartment with severe headache, rapid heart rate and dizziness, and was sent to the intensive care unit of the hospital. 1 year later, he recalled: "At first, I thought I had a stroke." But the doctor gave an unexpected diagnosis: burnout syndrome-Larry fell ill because of years of overwork. (Author ulrich Kraft/Translator Yu Jun) Many experts believe that in such an era of "making the best use of things and making the best use of people", cases like Larry are not rare, and the incidence is increasing day by day. A publication under the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health said: "Now, the harm caused by work stress to employees' health may be more serious than ever before. "Although physical and mental exhaustion caused by overwork is more common in middle-aged people whose energy begins to decline naturally, the same situation may also happen to young people. In June, 2005, 165438+ 10, Spirit commissioned and launched a Harris interactive poll in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. The results show that 1/3 workers aged between 25 and 39 are tired from work.
Soon, Codberger began to look for cases outside the medical field-he found that similar situations were common in many industries. Many people suffer physically and mentally: psychologically, they are prone to mood swings, unstable sleep and unable to concentrate; Physically, they have back pain or digestive disorders. This state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by professional career was defined by Freudenberg as "psychosomatic failure syndrome".
There is no special statistical data to support this ailment, to a certain extent, because the psychosomatic exhaustion syndrome has not found its own classification in the "Bible" in this field-the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. On the contrary, it is classified as "undifferentiated somatoform disorder". However, even without conclusive statistical data, experts still agree that the work pressure of all walks of life is getting bigger and bigger, and people are exhausted. For many patients with physical and mental exhaustion syndrome, the reasons are similar. Bad luck often comes to the best employees-these people always accept a lot of tasks with great enthusiasm. Work has become an important part of showing their personal value. As Larry described it: "In a way, my work has consumed too much energy, and other needs are no longer important." Too much investment in my work has left me in a state of degeneration, fatigue and indifference. "
In order to deal with the mountain of official business, the poor employee had to work overtime and stay up late in the office, ignoring physical exercise, ignoring dietary rules (eating unhealthy fast food at will, or simply starving), canceling private appointments, and even missing children's football games. Finally, as Larry said, "I completely isolated myself." Humans are social animals, and normal interpersonal communication is cut off, so we can't feel good. "Support from family, friends and colleagues is an important buffer against stress," said Manfred SchDelovski of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. Recently, he set up a research group to study the causes and consequences of work stress.
Another risk factor is his or her dominant position in the work and the appreciation he or she gets after working hard. Psychiatrist Juergen Statt opened Vivantes Medical Center in Berlin. He mentioned a patient who was a successful department head and performed well for several years in a row-until the company made structural adjustment, although she worked hard, she still could not reverse the fate of some subordinates being fired-which was tantamount to giving her a slap in the face. Since then, insomnia, anorexia and resentment have been bothering her, and finally she was sent to a medical center in Staade. He explained: "Such setbacks are part of life. However, the personality of patients with psychosomatic exhaustion syndrome will make them unable to overcome these setbacks. Their whole self-image has been shattered. " Experts call this frustration a reward crisis-they will feel that many hardships they have put into their work have not been paid enough attention. This situation will make the problem more serious.
It is only a matter of time before these patients' ability to work declines. They will find it difficult to concentrate, their creativity will decline, their memory will deteriorate and they will start to make mistakes. "Then, a vicious circle began," Stade explained. "Once you realize that your work is no longer as good as before, the pressure on you will get heavier and heavier, and things will get worse." Take Larry, who has always been gentle, for example, he began to vent his mistakes on his colleagues and criticize and reprimand them.
Stress and dissatisfaction with yourself will leave a mark on the spirit. Fading self-esteem and anxiety about failure torment them, which makes these patients with psychosomatic failure syndrome lose confidence, have no fighting spirit and suffer all day long. They may seek comfort from alcohol and pills. Some people even tried to commit suicide.