Sick from boredom? As critics think, boreout is just a new name for an old (and quite normal) phenomenon, namely boredom at work, overqualification, underchallenge. Psychologists, however, believe it is a serious problem with the character of a disease.
What is the boreout syndrome?
Boreout syndrome stands for stress caused by underachievement. Thus boreout can be described as the counterpart of burnout. This is because burnout also involves a discrepancy between the employee’s performance, talents and abilities and the demands of the job. The difference, however, is that in boreout, the employee is underchallenged. Most often, anyway, boreout occurs at work and could be mistaken for laziness. However, in principle, those affected like to work and look for recognition and challenges. If these cannot be met and the work is perceived as uninteresting, immoderate boredom sets in and attempts are made to avoid work. Sometimes those affected try not to let the dissatisfaction at work and the lack of motivation show, because they fear for their job.
Causes
The most common causes are high intelligence or good and highly qualified education or specific talents that are not in demand at work. There may be interest in the work and good will at the beginning, later there is a dislike due to repetition. This may increase to such an extent that the person is unable to continue the work even with external coercion, great effort and willpower.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
In boreout syndrome, the affected person usually feels fatigued, very tired and listless. Even simple tasks that used to be done on the side can seem like major hurdles that cannot be overcome. It is usually difficult for those affected to even begin a task. Often, concentration problems also become apparent very quickly during a task. If the task to be mastered is of a physical nature, sometimes purely physical and apparently muscular condition and strength problems are also apparent. Many of those affected also suffer from a depressive mood, which can worsen to the point of severe depression. Self-esteem is affected, patients tend to hold themselves and their own abilities in low esteem. There is a lack of challenges in life, mostly in the direct professional life, and thus, in addition to natural ambition, one’s own drive and desire to work dwindles. This often leads to work being carried out with little commitment and to a loss of concentration. Since this leads to an increased number of errors in execution, the affected person often gets the impression that he or she can no longer cope well with even the simplest tasks. Thus a vicious circle closes, and both frustration and disinclination are intensified more and more. The affected person becomes apathetic and is often no longer able to improve his situation.
Course
Typical are also complaints about the much work that is actually not there, because there is little to do. The employee shows up early for work and is the last to leave. The effects for those affected by boreout are fatal. Frustration and fatigue spread, there is a lack of drive and, in extreme cases, depression. The employee hardly dares to do anything and finds no way out of the unsatisfactory situation.
Complications
Without treatment, the boreout syndrome is likely to worsen if the underachievement is not eliminated. For example, the constant boredom and lack of utilization can lead to depression (major depression or dysthymia), sleep disturbances, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In addition, feelings of inferiority are possible: the affected person feels not needed and put down. He may blame himself for his situation or assume that there is something wrong with himself. In the case of boreout at work, this impression can arise especially when colleagues seem busy. Pretending to be busy, however, is another possible consequence of boreout syndrome. Out of fear of losing their job or of being seen as lazy, those affected sometimes look for fake tasks or artificially prolong actual work tasks.However, this deception additionally perpetuates the underchallenge. The boreout syndrome is often not recognized until other psychological problems arise. On the one hand, the syndrome itself is relatively unknown, and on the other hand, those affected are often not aware of the strain until more serious complications arise. In part, therefore, motivation for therapy is also a problem. Although underchallenge and boredom are in the foreground in boreout syndrome, it is also a form of stress. Deep relaxation is completely absent in many cases of boreout syndrome. For this reason, boreout can develop into burnout syndrome.
When should you go to the doctor?
Temporary boredom and brief periods of underachievement are perfectly normal and need not indicate boreout syndrome. Many professionals experience more hectic and quieter periods; interesting and monotonous tasks alternate. Mild depressive symptoms may manifest during the monotonous periods. However, a visit to the doctor is usually not necessary. However, if the psychological symptoms persist and the feeling of indifference and dullness does not subside, medical clarification is advisable. Such and other depressive symptoms that occur without external cause and persist should be examined more closely after only two weeks. The family doctor is a suitable contact for an initial diagnosis. A blood test can clarify whether, for example, there is a deficiency that could explain the symptoms. If no physical cause can be determined, a visit to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist is advisable. Often, those affected do not seek professional help until they have been suffering from boreout syndrome for a long time. In such a situation, sufferers can also turn directly to a psychotherapist or psychiatrist, since physical causes have usually already been ruled out. Furthermore, urgent suicidal thoughts and other acute situations in which boreout patients are at a loss are legitimate reasons to turn to a clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy to entertain immediate and intensive support.
Treatment and therapy
First and foremost, the sufferer must recognize the problem. Anyone affected by boreout should first honestly answer the question of how much time he really spends working and how much is just for show. He should ask himself which work is particularly uninteresting and boring and which work actually interests him. The next step is to take the initiative. The person concerned could look for a new job or ask his boss for more interesting tasks. If possible, this should be formulated in such a way that it is conveyed to the superior that one can do more than the previous work. It would also be important to find compensation in one’s free time. But this is rarely possible for those affected, because so much energy flows into the unloved work. However, those who cannot help shape their work and cannot create a balance will only perform the work with great reluctance and possibly not at all. In this context, good earnings cannot necessarily have a compensatory effect, although without them the work would of course be even worse, since monetary recognition would then also be lacking. An obstacle in curing boreout is that boreout can lead to the employee not satisfactorily performing tasks that are too simple for him, due to his lack of interest, and to him making serious mistakes even in the simplest activities. From this, the supervisor may conclude that his employee is not capable of solving more complex tasks. But exactly the opposite would be the case: with more complex tasks and higher self-determination, errors occur less frequently.
Outlook and prognosis
Because boreout syndrome is not a disease in its own right, there is no reliable prognosis for the course of the disease. However, to assess the prospect of recovery, the particular mental illness that results can be considered. Frequently, boreout syndrome leads to clinical depression. The prognosis is most favorable when the individual first suffers from a depressive episode. In this case, the depression has a 50% chance of returning if no specific relapse prophylaxis is undertaken. After the second, third and fourth episodes, the long-term prognosis is generally less favorable.The duration of depressive episodes can vary greatly, even in the same person. 15-20% of depressive episodes last longer than a year. Depressed individuals who do not have another mental illness often recover more quickly and completely than those who have multiple concomitant illnesses. Boreout syndrome is not considered a concomitant illness in this sense, as it merely explains the underlying causes of the depression. Specific and early treatment can positively influence the prognosis. With appropriate prevention, the probability of relapse after a depressive episode is lower. In boreout syndrome, as in burnout syndrome, external factors play an important role. A higher resistance to these influences can therefore influence the individual prognosis as much as changes in the personal environment.
Prevention
Preventing boreout depends only to a very limited extent on the individual and what interests and talents he or she actually has. For a mathematician, for example, who only hits top form when he can solve complicated problems, the job market doesn’t give too much away. It may be that he would be underutilized with a job in the insurance or finance industry – not to mention simpler activities. It would therefore be advisable not to look for an easier job in “one’s own” field, but for a completely different one that reflects another facet of one’s personality. Incidentally, it is not always advisable to make a profession out of one’s hobby, which must then serve to earn a living.
This is what you can do yourself
If underchallenge, monotony and boredom determine the life of the affected person and the meaning in an activity is missing, there are self-help options to get out of the dilemma. First, the affected person should reflect on his life situation and review his own behavior. If the affected person is ready for additional tasks in the daily work routine, he should openly address this with his work colleagues and superiors. In the course of a clarifying conversation, the affected person can find out whether there are new tasks for him to make work more interesting. With further training, the person concerned can satisfy his greed for new knowledge and possibly also be fit for a new job. It is important for people to find a balance between their individual skills and the tasks and challenges that need to be solved. If the affected person does not get opportunities for new activities after a clarifying conversation, a change of job is advisable. In order to mitigate a boreout syndrome with its stressful symptoms, relaxation exercises, autogenic training or Qigong are often used. Artistic activities, such as actively making music or painting, in the free time of the person affected can also have a positive effect on body, mind and soul. Those who like to be active and feel their bodies can also incorporate sports activities into their lives.