In 2018, the World Happiness Report ranked the Netherlands as the sixth happiest country in the world, citing as criteria for selection: income (GDP per capita), healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, absence of corruption and generosity. At the same time, numerous local and foreign researchers reported enormous increase in work related stress, anxiety and physical exhaustion. The term, known as burn-out, has become even more apparent lately, with figures showing that around 1 million people in the Netherlands suffer from burn-out related symptoms, topping another list, this time for most burn-out related complaints in Europe. Numerous Amsterdam healthcare professionals are talking more than ever about the long lasting effect stress related illnesses can have on our body, but in order to deal with it, you need to recognize it.
How To Recognize Burn-out?
Whether you’re working in Amsterdam healthcare as a doctor, as a teacher, vendor or driver, you can suffer from burn-out related issues. This implies a state of mental and physical exhaustion caused by one’s professional life. Once it becomes a regular condition, it can become a serious threat to one’s general health, and infect happiness, efficiency and even reflect their personal lives. Reasons that can cause this feeling of burn out are numerous, but some of the most common ones usually include professional tasks or goals that are difficult to reach or impossible, low levels of control at work, even mobbing and bad relationship with coworkers. Therefore, in order to deal with this issue that has, in the last couple of years, become one of the most prevailing when it comes to work health and work culture, modern health centers suggest to first recognize them and then ask for professional help with a trustworthy doctor.
Industries Most Affected By Burn-out
Research shows burn-out is especially common in the fast-paced, competitive environment of the tech industry, but many other industries are at the highest risk of it as well. CBS’ 2015 report singled out six sectors, with the educational sector taking the lead, while others including industry, business, ICT, financial and public administration. However, doctors are not protected from it either. In fact, many modern general practice professionals are well acquainted with the term “burnout among doctors”. First described in 1974, the work-related syndrome has quickly become a household term among colleagues. Today, it seems like more Amsterdam and Dutch health care professionals are suffering from it.
How Can You Help Yourself?
After we established that burn-out can happen to anyone and at any workplace, it’s time to look into several suggestions and advices anyone can do to help themselves at work and their employees. Start by recognizing there is a problem and then think about the ideal conditions you would need in your workplace and then start creating them. Think about non-work activities and, if none of this turns out to be useful, you might consider talking to your colleagues, bosses and, finally, find a trustworthy medical clinic and ask for professional help.