ABSTRACT
We note again that burnout is generally a consequence of both predisposing and precipitating factors. Three strategies combine to assist in its amelioration: address the occupational factors involved, introduce de-stressing strategies and modify any personality contribution. There is also a need to assess the degree of burnout. Is the individual burning out or burnt out? Hooke’s law of elasticity provides a useful analogy: if not stretched too far, an elastic body will spring back, but if stretched beyond its limits it won’t, i.e. most individuals will spring back and regain their capacity to cope if pressures are reduced, as they have retained their ‘elasticity’. However, if work stressors are both severe and prolonged, and if personality factors have locked the individual into a disabling cycle, then that individual may not bounce back so readily. This can apply even if the stressor is ‘neutralised’ by a countervailing event, or removed altogether. Individuals who are completely burnt out need a more emphatic reset. A counsellor can help give perspective and motivation to modify lifestyle to ease pressures. The individual can become too dazed by immediate demands, almost entirely composed of their occupation. They need a new perspective or a new career.
