It is often said that burnout affects those who are strongly committed to a cause – this can be in the professional, but also in the private sphere. In general, however, it can be said that a high workload causes stress. And stress is the biggest risk factor for “burnout.” Stress at work is often triggered by: too much responsibility, severe time pressure, boring routines, unfulfillable demands and expectations, changing shift work, poor working atmosphere, fear for one’s own job.

However, the causes can be more diverse and are by no means exclusively stress-related. Thus, the syndrome also occurs in people with less stress in their daily work. That is why doctors and psychologists see another cause of burnout in the personality of the person affected. Often people with high expectations of themselves are affected. This is often compounded by rather low self-esteem. Those affected lack the necessary coping strategies to deal with frustration and slights – it is difficult for them to say “no”. Nevertheless, they are in need of harmony and do not want to offend their fellow human beings. A discrepancy arises between one’s own demands and the possibilities of everyday life. Those affected suffer from the feeling that they are not being appreciated enough, that they are spending themselves without anything in return.

The causes of burnout are therefore difficult to define and identify. The crucial question is how someone reacts to stress and how they can better deal with it in the future.