You've probably heard the term "burnout" before. But what about the opposite, "boreout"?
The perhaps less well-known phenomenon of boreout generally refers to under-stimulation and boredom in the workplace and its health consequences for the body and psyche.
If you're constantly under-challenged, you'll eventually become ill—burned out from boredom. We've compiled the 5 best tips for you to combat boreout syndrome!
Table of contents
1. The symptoms of a boreout
In fact, the symptoms of burnout and boreout are very similar . Depression, sleep disorders, lack of motivation, tinnitus, headaches and back pain, as well as stomach and intestinal problems are typical.
The symptoms are similar, but the causes could hardly be more different . While burnout suffers from excessive demands and stress, boreout is characterized primarily by boredom and disinterest in one's own work.
The artificial word “boreout” can be translated into German as “bored” and describes the state when nothing works anymore because of boredom .
According to a study by the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Federal Institute for Vocational Training , one in seven employees in Germany suffers from boreout , although the symptoms are often misinterpreted. [1]
According to the results of the study, those affected often feel under-challenged in terms of their professional skills and have the feeling that they are unable to make meaningful use of their own skills .
If the job is also very time-consuming and there's no balance in leisure time , the symptoms of boreout set in . The key challenge is recognizing and then combating boreout syndrome.
After all, who wants to admit to their boss that their job is boring or they can't muster any interest? Many are afraid of being fired and pretend to their boss that they're busy and happy.
However, this behavioral strategy is difficult to maintain in the long term and even simulating busyness is eventually no longer feasible for the person affected.
In order to spend their time at work in at least some way that is meaningful, those affected seek refuge in private distractions and waste their time surfing on Facebook or planning their next vacation.
While this may provide a short-term distraction, it's not a long-term strategy either. The reason for this is simply that people need work.
The feeling of meaningful work or professional success, regardless of the degree, is fulfilling for everyone. If professional success, meaningful work, or any form of recognition and praise are lacking, the feeling of not being appreciated further increases dissatisfaction and frustration.
Take-Home Message #1 : Boreout is a state of chronic understimulation. Those affected find it difficult to break out of this state and fear the potential loss of their job. This increases frustration even further.
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2. The cure for boreout - positive stress
Sure, a relaxed workday can be nice, do you think? And you think you can never have enough free time? That's only partly true, because the perfect balance between challenge and relaxation plays an important role in many ways and also influences your productivity .
Too much rest or boredom , in the form of boreout, reduces your resilience . Your mind, in particular, deteriorates if it isn't challenged from time to time.
Did you know that mental challenges improve your brain function ? This positive form of challenge is called " eustress " and increases your long-term performance .
How does this work? Specifically, they train your working memory. This is where information is stored for a short time. The more often it's used, the faster it works.
Mental stimulation at work, for example through challenging tasks that can sometimes be stressful, increases your performance in the long term and makes you more resilient.
Even though it may be more strenuous, such demanding situations strengthen your body and mind , as a whole cocktail of hormones is released to prepare you for the situation.
When you find yourself in a challenging situation, your breathing and heart rate increase, and adrenaline and noradrenaline are released. These bodily functions support and activate you.
For example, faster breathing provides your brain with more oxygen. Once you've successfully mastered the situation, your body releases dopamine and serotonin, the so-called happiness hormones.
A study by the University of Amsterdam examined what happens when people with dementia release little dopamine and serotonin over a longer period of time. [2]
The study found that a deficiency in these two hormones and neurotransmitters not only makes you feel unhappy, but also causes other negative effects.
These include fatigue , difficulty concentrating , and memory lapses . Chronic understimulation, in the form of boreout, triggers certain effects on a neural level that make you feel even worse. Do you know you need to free yourself from your boreout and are you looking for support?
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Another surprising effect of boreout is related to the hormone and neurotransmitter oxytocin . This is also released when you feel like you're accomplishing a meaningful and important task and are wanted as a key employee at work.
When it's released, it triggers a positive, rewarding feeling within you. It also has an important effect on your health, as it protects your cardiovascular system and acts as a natural anti-inflammatory, as a study from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found. [3]
Those suffering from boreout rarely encounter situations of positive stress . As a result, they don't experience these kinds of stress, and the positive feeling of success that comes with the release of hormones simply doesn't materialize.
Take-Home Message #2: A certain amount of positive stress is not only good for your mood, but also influences your health and mental performance. Therefore, the motto is: Get out of the boreout! The following tips against boreout will help you do just that.
3. 5 tips to combat boreout!
Self-knowledge and documentation
The first step toward recovery, as is often the case, is self-awareness. You can diagnose yourself as to whether or not you're suffering from boreout.
If you have recognized that you are suffering from boreout, it means that you are aware of your situation and, above all, are ready to make a change.
Just because you know you need to change something doesn't necessarily mean you know what that change is. First, start documenting what exactly bores you or what exactly you're spending your time doing at work.
How quickly do you complete your tasks, and how often do you waste time just to appear busy? What else do you enjoy about your job, and what do you dislike?
Once you have clarified this and written things down, you can move on to tip 2.
1. Talk to your boss
Take the initiative and talk to your boss. You'll now have a better understanding of what you enjoy about your job and what's causing the boredom.
Perhaps you have already thought about what other areas of responsibility you would enjoy and can suggest these to your boss.
You should n't be afraid of this conversation , because your boss also has an interest in motivated and satisfied employees . No one benefits from your boredom or your behavioral strategies to cover up your inactivity.
2. Create a balance between meaning, time and money
Typically, three factors are crucial for job satisfaction : meaning , time , and money . Money alone doesn't make you happy; you also need free time and have to find meaning in your work.
Only those who maintain a good balance between all three factors will avoid boredom. So, if you're currently feeling like you can't change your professional situation because you're dependent on the money, you could temporarily try making your free time more challenging.
Exercise can also help here. Pushing your body to its limits is also good for your mind , as it releases endorphins that make you happy.
But sports such as climbing can also challenge your mind, create positive stress and thus boost your hormone production!
3. Draw conclusions
If your situation has n't changed despite new responsibilities , and you're still unmotivated and under-challenged at work, then you should consider a complete career change .
The fact is that your job takes up a large part of your life and you shouldn't spend it in a chronic state of boredom.
Are you looking for new challenges , whether in a new job or perhaps even in the form of further training? Perhaps you also see the opportunity to become self-employed and build your own business ?
4. Seek intellectual balance in your free time too
If you are under-challenged in your job and suffering from boreout, you still have the opportunity to exhaust your mind in your free time .
Find an intellectual challenge that you can pursue after work and that will help you further your education. Who says that stagnation at work means complete stagnation in your life?
For now, this is just a job you should change as soon as you're ready. Until then, it doesn't hurt to simply make yourself smarter and more competent.
Learn a new language , read books , enroll in an adult education course , or engage in witty conversations with friends and acquaintances - all of this will help you find balance after work and compensate for your lack of stimulation.
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4. Conclusion
Boreout can have the same symptoms as burnout, but instead of being caused by persistent overload, it results from persistent underload. The first step is to recognize the symptoms. Then you can find the cause and work on making your daily tasks more interesting.
5. Sources
[1] https://www.baua.de/DE/Angebote/Publikationen/Berichte/Gd68.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
[2] http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v12/n4/abs/4001949a.html
[3] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453013002369
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