“I have apathy” - how often can you hear this phrase from those around us. Everyone has moments in life when they don’t want to do anything, there’s no need for communication, and nothing around them makes them happy. There is only one desire - to lie down, curl up in a ball, so that no one touches or bothers you.
Before asking the question of how to get rid of apathy, you need to know what it is, its types, symptoms, causes. Someone will smile, but in vain. Apathy is a disorder of a person’s mental health; it does not just arise out of nowhere. If this condition does not last long, then there is nothing to worry about. It is much worse if the illness becomes protracted and, which is very dangerous, gradually develops into a severe form of depression. And in this case, only a qualified specialist can advise you on how to deal with apathy. You shouldn’t risk your health and wait – the consequences can be unpredictable!
What is emotional burnout?
The concept of “emotional burnout syndrome” was introduced by the American psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberger in 1974. It describes the state of demoralization, frustration and extreme fatigue that Freudenberger observed among mental health workers.
Emotional burnout is a state of increasing emotional, motivational, and physical exhaustion, which is accompanied by a feeling of emptiness and helplessness, a cynical attitude towards work and other people. This is a defensive psychological reaction in which the manifestation of emotions to those influences that can hurt or traumatize a person is “turned off.” This is how the body protects itself from excessive overload and forces us to dose and save energy resources.
Who experiences emotional burnout?
The main risk group for emotional burnout is people whose work involves great responsibility, strong emotional involvement in the process, and constant contact with people. These are doctors, police officers, firefighters, teachers, psychologists, journalists, and service workers.
At the same time, a person of any occupation can potentially “burn out” if he cares about his business and gives his best for the sake of the result. Psychotherapist Veronika Pivkina says that burnout in any area is facilitated by:
- Delayed result of efforts - a person cannot evaluate his contribution and effectiveness;
- Routine work - a person has to perform the same actions over and over again;
- Lack of feedback in evaluating work: both praise and adequate criticism, assistance in analyzing and eliminating errors;
- Heavy workload and lack of normal rest, especially in areas that require quickly making decisions and studying large volumes of material;
- Lack of proper remuneration for work, proportional to the effort put in by a person: not only material, but also moral.
There is no research on which gender is more prone to burnout: this is an individual reaction. However, discrimination can be an additional factor in burnout: women often encounter it when building a career in almost any field, and especially when getting into leadership positions. In addition to obvious discrimination, there are also limiting stereotypes: there are many of them, and they affect both men and women.
Thus, in the minds of many, it is still customary to divide spheres into male and female: “not a man’s job” to work as a stylist or teacher, “not a woman’s thing” to work as an engineer or programmer. People begin to make great efforts to prove to someone that they are in the right place and doing a good job. And even if a person understands that this is nonsense, these stereotypes can still put pressure on him and contribute to burnout, Veronika Pivkina is sure.
Causes of fatigue
Fatigue can be divided into physiological (normal) and pathological.
With physiological fatigue of the body, the reasons are usually the following:
- Leisure
- Emotional outburst, overexcitement
- Sports training
- Hard work
- Biorhythm shift due to travel or flights
Pathological causes of fatigue:
- Mental and psychological problems: excessive mental stress, chronic stress, anxiety disorder, depression, alcohol or drug abuse
- Medicines: incorrect dosage, abrupt withdrawal and incorrect use of certain medications are a common reason why constant fatigue, weakness and loss of strength do not go away
- Insomnia: if a person does not get enough sleep, the body becomes exhausted and chronic fatigue sets in
- Vitamin deficiency: vitamins and minerals are involved in the activity of the nervous system and are responsible for mental work
- Chronic diseases: the presence of heart failure, arrhythmia, hepatitis, COPD, rheumatoid arthritis, hormonal imbalance, cancer, infectious and other diseases are common causes of weakness and fatigue
- Excess weight and eating disorders: the body is forced to experience increased stress on the cardiovascular, skeletal and other systems, prone to muscle and joint pain and the development of conditions such as diabetes or sleep apnea
- Chronic pain: such patients often wake up at night and are in a state of constant tension, which may be associated with constant fatigue
- Viral infections and the subsequent rehabilitation period
- Lack of physical activity
We should also talk about such a reason as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, myalgic encephalomyelitis). This is no longer just a symptom, but a separate disease, which is characterized by a high degree of fatigue without a corresponding somatic disorder. Such patients may wonder why they feel tired and apathetic all the time, almost constantly, since they are hypersensitive to even light stress.
Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are able to carry out some relatively productive activity for only a few hours a day, or even less. We are not talking about difficult work, creative projects or intense workouts - such people are exhausted even by talking about abstract topics or going to the nearest store. They are forced to spend most of their time trying to rest and recover.
For persistent weakness and fatigue, causes in this case include viral infections, primarily the Epstein-Barr virus, and problems with the immune system. The etiology of this disease is still being studied. Risk factors include age over 40, female gender and stress.
The main symptom of CFS is extreme fatigue, which lasts for at least six months and is not relieved by rest. Characterized by post-exertional weakness, which persists for at least 24 hours.
Constant companions of chronic fatigue syndrome are various sleep disorders, cognitive disorders, muscle and joint pain, orthostatic hypotension, painful lymph nodes and frequent colds. With constant fatigue, the reasons for a decrease in the quality of life are not only in poor health, but in the fact that it becomes almost impossible to lead a full-fledged lifestyle: there is no strength for previous hobbies and even work, self-development and learning new things stops. It becomes difficult to maintain daily contact with people, to the point of social isolation.
Symptoms of the disorder may wax and wane, which can create a false sense of well-being. But, unfortunately, in the pathological condition of severe fatigue, the causes are rarely eliminated without specialized treatment. Therefore, despite temporary remissions, previous problems return with a vengeance.
It is always important to understand why you feel tired. If the condition continues for a significant amount of time and it’s not just that the day is too busy, then you need to consult with a specialist, because this not only interferes with life, but can also be a symptom of a serious mental or somatic disorder.
How can you tell if you have emotional burnout?
Symptoms of emotional burnout are divided into 3 groups:
- Emotional exhaustion: fatigue, feeling of emptiness, indifference to what is happening;
- Depersonalization: cynicism, detachment, difficulty in imaginative thinking, inadequate emotional response towards colleagues, clients, patients;
- Reduction of professional achievements: a feeling of incompetence and helplessness, dissatisfaction with work, doubts about one’s contribution to work and achievements.
If you observe such symptoms, you can test yourself using the Boyko test and the Maslach-Jackson questionnaire (MBI).
What are the dangers of emotional burnout?
Due to emotional burnout, people cease to understand why they do the work, and most importantly, why they do it well. This is a problem not only for the “burnt out” person, but also for those people who interact with him: we are faced with cynical doctors, psychologists incapable of empathy, aloof teachers. We don't get the help we asked for because they are no longer able to provide it.
For those who are “burned out,” the quality of life is greatly reduced: they feel incompetent, doubt or deny achievements, feel tired and believe that they are unable to influence anything.
“Against the background of emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue begins to accumulate, and all this can lead to psychosomatic diseases. There may be pain in the neck or back, head, stomach, stabbing in the side or under the heart - in general, any pain is possible in a wide variety of manifestations. People go to hospitals, undergo all sorts of tests, but they don’t find a reason - it doesn’t exist at the physical level. Psychosomatic manifestations are more characteristic of people with idealistic expectations: a person simply waits for something to happen that will save him,” says Veronika Pivkina.
She also noted that among her clients there were no ones who complained specifically about emotional burnout. This situation may persist throughout the country, because people usually come to a specialist in critical situations when they cannot do anything themselves. When it doesn’t really matter whether the problems really started with burnout, and it’s more important to figure out what the person is doing wrong and how it can be corrected.
If life has lost its taste and colors. How to help yourself with apathy, a psychotherapist told
What should you do if you suddenly lose interest in the world and people around you, you are not happy with what used to bring you pleasure, you are exhausted under the yoke of constant fatigue and bad mood? Psychotherapist Alexander Musikhin answered questions from the sb.by portal.
When is apathy a symptom of a disease, and when is it a normal condition?
Sometimes apathy signals serious illnesses, but even completely healthy people can experience it. “Apathy itself is not a diagnosis, but a symptom of a number of diseases (mental, neurological), painful or absolutely normal psychological conditions. So, a person who is not sick with anything may feel a loss of strength and not want anything if he is very tired or finds himself in a stressful situation from which he cannot find a way out,”
- says the psychotherapist.
Alexander Musikhin. Alexander Musikhin gives an example: “Let’s say you have an emergency situation at work, and you work for half a month at a tense pace, 12 hours a day, without weekends or holidays.
In this case, loss of strength, physical and mental exhaustion are a natural reaction of the body. Once you return to a healthy schedule of work and rest, you will be full of vitality again.” But if you don’t overwork, sleep for 8 hours, walk in the park for at least half an hour every day - and still you can barely drag your legs from inexplicable fatigue, don’t feel any interest in life and people, are ready to lie in bed all day long and do nothing, this is alarming. call.
Even more serious symptoms that require an immediate visit to a specialist are suicidal thoughts, prolonged insomnia, loss of appetite leading to sudden weight loss, inability to comply with social obligations (a person stops going to work, makes an appointment and does not show up because he cannot force yourself to get up from the sofa, etc.).
If apathy is caused by brain damage (for example, due to atherosclerosis, traumatic brain injury, tumor) or in combination with other symptoms indicates a mental disorder (schizophrenia, endogenous depression, etc.), medical help, of course, cannot be avoided. But in some depressive conditions, you can cope with apathy on your own.
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Depression depression discord
All depressions are divided into three groups:
• endogenous (brain biochemistry is disrupted);
• reactive (from the word “reaction”, i.e. some event occurred in the outside world to which a person reacted with depression);
• intrapsychic (a person cannot cope with an internal crisis).
These types of depression differ significantly from each other. Fundamentally different conditions require fundamentally different approaches to treatment, which is why psychiatrists work with the first group of depression, and psychologists and psychotherapists work with the second and third groups.
Endogenous depression
is a severe mental disorder that requires contact with a psychiatrist and strict use of medications. Psychotherapy can only be an additional method of treatment, and in some cases it is even contraindicated.
Reactive depression
provoke painful losses: death of a loved one, loss of a job, ruin of a business, etc. If the condition is so severe that a person finds himself wanting to commit suicide, he should resort to medication. In other cases, it is enough to limit yourself to working with a psychologist or psychotherapist who will help you survive the loss, teach you new ways of responding, and speed up adaptation to changed conditions.
For intrapsychic depression
It is also advisable to work with a specialist, only he is faced with a different task: to help overcome the internal crisis and adapt to the changes caused by it.
“Apathy with intrapsychic depression is due to the fact that a person changes over the years and outgrows his previous interests.
What seemed important, attracted and pleased at the age of 20, a 40-year-old person loses interest, which is why he becomes lethargic, depressed, and indifferent. To overcome the internal crisis, he should focus on finding new relevant interests,” explains Alexander Musikhin.
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Is it possible to prevent apathy?
It is impossible to predict, and therefore prevent, the apathy that occurs with mental illness. “A person may have a genetic predisposition to endogenous depression and schizophrenia. But whether the disease will develop or not, one can never say for sure. But it is not difficult to predict how successfully a person will cope with external and internal crises. They are successfully overcome by those who are in touch with their emotions and desires,”
- says the psychotherapist.
How to help yourself cope with the pain of loss
If a person has suffered a tragedy, the key point is whether he can adapt to his grief. “After the death of a loved one, it is completely natural to be depressed, give vent to tears, and lose former interests for some time. This is the normal work of grief, which lasts an average of a year. The person grieves, but continues to function: brushes his teeth, washes the dishes, keeps his clothes clean, goes to work, etc. He allows himself to be sad and angry, and does not consider it shameful to ask for help. For example, a woman whose husband died does not go crazy from pain in an empty apartment, but goes to her friend, asks: “Have pity on me,” and sobs on her shoulder the whole evening. This brings her relief. But if a grieving person suppresses his anger, does not allow himself to be sad and cry, and is unable to ask for or accept someone else’s help, things are bad. The experience of grief and a state of apathy can drag on for years,”
– warns Alexander Musikhin.
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It is helpful for the griever to know that the work of grief occurs in several stages. The first is negation:
the person diligently pretends that nothing has happened - they say, we live as we lived.
Then he experiences strong anger
- at fate, God, himself, other people and even the departed.
The next stage is bargaining
: a person puzzles over the question of how the tragedy could have been prevented.
Bargaining gives way to depression
: the understanding comes that nothing can be changed: there is no escape from what happened, this is a given.
Apathy sets in. The last stage is acceptance
: the person has cried, suffered and come to terms with the loss.
He tells himself: life goes on and makes new plans based on new circumstances. “The stages of grief cannot be canceled, skipped, or swapped; they must be lived sequentially.
The less a person resists, the faster he moves from one stage to another,” the psychotherapist points out.
How to overcome an internal crisis
It is important for those who are overwhelmed by an internal crisis to realize their true desires and understand what steps are required to realize them. A common story: a person lives as his parents advise him, or is guided by a script taken from society. He conquers one peak after another, achieves fame and recognition, and becomes rich. At first he is satisfied with everything, he rejoices at his successes, but for some reason internal dissatisfaction grows; from a certain point, what previously attracted and pleased no longer evokes positive emotions. The reason is that a person lives according to someone else’s life plan, which does not coincide with his internal aspirations and values. What to do? “Learn to live from I WANT, not from NEED. To do this, you need to find the answer to the question: “Where should I go now?” As soon as a person separates his desires from those imposed by authorities and society, he will have new meanings, new goals, new desires,”
– the specialist emphasizes.
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“As you can see, the reasons for apathy can be very different. But no matter what causes it, it is important to be attentive to yourself, maintain contact with your desires and needs, be able to take care of yourself - and then if your life loses taste and color, it will not be for long,”
– summarizes psychotherapist Alexander Musikhin.
How to deal with emotional burnout?
When fighting burnout on your own, you should be prepared that it will take time. This is more difficult than working with a specialist: it is difficult to objectively assess yourself, your condition, in order to understand exactly where your thoughts and emotions are, and where are the imposed attitudes. It is difficult to move yourself from a negative point, to pull yourself out of a state of indifference, because there may not be enough internal resources for this.
In independent struggle, the psychologist recommends acting in this way:
- Reduce loads. If you have a lot to do at work or at home, then think about who to share them with. You will need time and resources to fight.
- Reduce the level of responsibility. You can ask your loved ones to look after your children and help your colleagues at work. It is important that the responsibility for what is happening does not lie solely with you, especially if it is the responsibility for other people.
- Focus on yourself. Learn to relax: Read about relaxation techniques and find one that suits you. The main thing is to wait until fatigue and indifference subsides.
- Figure out what is important in life and what is not. Analyze what depresses and causes a feeling of meaninglessness and uselessness of work, what emotions you have isolated yourself from, why certain situations occurred.
- Think about how you can influence the situation. First of all, you need to cover basic physical needs, the need for safety. Everything here is individual: someone will need to decide how to increase income, someone will need to change companies, accumulate a financial cushion, and someone will realize that they want to work in a different field.
A psychologist will help you figure it out faster and relieve the person of some of the burden of responsibility, because this way you will work as a team.
Causes of apathy
Scientists have named the main reasons that can plunge one into apathy:
- age crisis, especially middle age;
- failures in love and family life;
- the end of a certain period of life when everything went according to a well-established rut, for example, studying at the university;
- change of place of residence where you have lived for many years;
- change of place of work where extensive work experience has been accumulated;
- the end of a long period that required great emotional costs;
- excessive “burning” at work;
- insufficient amount of vitamins in the body - vitamin deficiency;
- suffered a serious illness,
- presence of psychosomatic illness;
- stress caused by some negative event;
- an event that is excessive and intense in terms of emotional costs;
- pregnancy period.
Who should I contact for help?
Veronica Pivkina explained what you should consider when choosing who to contact:
- Find a specialist who is right for you. Usually, after 1-2 consultations, you can evaluate whether the recommendations help you, whether you like the approach to work, whether there is an effect, whether trust has emerged. If a specialist is not suitable for you and you do not like it, then effective therapy will not work - it is better to look for another one.
- Assess the specialist's qualifications. Ask about education, advanced training, and techniques used by the specialist. Don’t be afraid to ask even what seems indecent, vulgar, or inconvenient to you: a normal specialist will not leave any questions unattended.
It is important to remember that no specialist can solve your problem unilaterally. A person will still have to understand himself, work through the problem and change what does not suit him. Each of us manages our own lives, and everyone can change something in it.
