Job, private life, and something happens all the time: If you don’t take care not to overload yourself, at some point you’ll have more than “just” stress. What you should definitely pay attention to in order to protect yourself and your resources and avoid burnout.
Psychological stress caused by work, private life or even health challenges is an everyday phenomenon that everyone experiences. But how you deal with it varies and depends on several factors. It is important to recognize early warning signs of too much psychological stress and thus possibly avoid mental illnesses, explains psychologist and coach Linda-Marlen Leinweber on the Xing platform.
She uses the image of a barrel that eventually overflows: “Imagine that your organism is a barrel that is filled with water – symbolic of psychological stress. This barrel can take a lot, but without proper mechanisms to drain the water, it is at risk of overflowing at some point.”
Signals when too much is really too much
It’s very important to know your own early warning signals that show you: “My camel’s back is about to overflow…” and “I need a break!”.
This is the only way we can remain mentally healthy and stable, explains Leinweber. “If we notice this moment too late – because we don’t want to acknowledge it or we simply don’t know each other – early warning signals can also lead to mental illness.”
These are 5 important signals:
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Changes in your sleep, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep and a persistent feeling of exhaustion, no matter how long you actually slept.
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Concentration problems: Forgetfulness and constant digression on tasks, some to-dos slip through entirely.
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Irritability: Quicker irritability, negative thinking and a feeling of constant overwhelm, the “thoughts revolve around hypothetical catastrophes”.
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Digestive problems: irregularities such as diarrhea, constipation or changes in eating habits, such as consuming more sugar and fat.
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Physical pain: Back pain, neck pain or headaches caused by increased levels of stress hormones and muscle tension, especially in combination with little exercise due to stress, can be a signal.
“The list of possible early warning signals is long and highly individual,” says Leinweber. Because each of us brings a different “barrel” with us – in size and stability. And each one has to do with a different amount of “water”.
The solution varies from person to person
There is no patent recipe for finding a solution: “In some phases of life it is easier for us to find the right tap to relieve psychological stress, and in other situations we have to search longer,” explains the expert. The most important thing is: “Get a feeling for YOUR early warning signals. Get to know yourself. So that you can do everything you can to stay mentally healthy.”
Short break: not always helpful
Often recommended if the strain is too high: a short break. This can be a helpful measure to get out of the constant cycle of stress and exhaustion, explains psychologist Valentin Haas. The nervous system can relax a little. But the break can also be a dangerous illusion, warns the psychological psychotherapist. “These supposed mini-recoveries can actually make the problems worse.” Because they usually only scratch the surface. The real causes of the stress are often much deeper rooted and not so easy to combat.
Valentin Haas highlights the prevalence of burnout in society, where performance and productivity are often prioritized over personal well-being. According to Valentin Haas, this problem is increasingly affecting young people in particular. “A short break is not enough to cure such conditions. We need to go deeper and seriously address the psychological and emotional roots of these states of exhaustion,” explains Valentin Haas. It is therefore important to pay attention to physical and mental warning signals early on and to take appropriate precautionary measures.
Avoid burnout
Actively taking care of your own health helps avoid burnout. Valentin Haas advises:
- regular breaks,
- physical activity,
- balanced diet,
- enough sleep and
- to maintain social contacts.
“If you consciously pay attention to your needs and take targeted time for rest and relaxation, you strengthen your mental health and thus prevent burnout,” he explains.
With burnout prevention, you can avoid burning out and endangering your health. Here’s how you can get stress under control in a timely manner:
Important: If symptoms of stress persist over a long period of time, it is important to seek professional help.
Note: If you feel psychologically stressed or have depressive thoughts, you can find help from the telephone counseling service: on the telephone number: 0800/1110111 or 0800/1110222. Alternatively, there is the chat service at online.telefonseelsorge.de
Read more on Techzle\.com:
- Leisure stress can make you sick: How to protect yourself
- Too much work is not the only trigger for burnout
- Burn-out and bore-out: This is the situation for employees in Germany
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