Burnout or just neurotic? Your personality type might be why you’re feeling swamped at work (Holistic Hustle)

Kharissa Parker is a news producer, writer, certified health coach, and “Holistic Hustle” columnist for Startland News. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. For more of her self-care tips on how to keep your cup full, visit kparker.co.

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When it comes to emotional regulation and mental health at work, Americans seem to be plagued by depression, stress, anxiety, and burnout now more than ever. As we begin to dive into burnout, there are a few key things that are important to keep in mind:

1. These ailments are not interchangeable. They are four different things.
2. Though they are separate issues, they can co-exist.
3. One problem can lead to another, so it’s important to be aware of your thoughts and feelings in order to properly tackle the matter and prevent things from getting worse.

Burnout is considered to be a phenomenon — not a medical condition like depression, stress, or anxiety, according to the World Health Organization. WHO also says that burnout has three characteristics: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (or detachment from work), and reduced personal accomplishment. What’s interesting is that certain personality types are more prone to experiencing burnout than others. Which personality type of you have can give insight into what leads to burnout as well as which pillar of self-care is helpful in preventing and treating it.

The Big 5 Personality Types

Everyone’s personality generally falls into one of five categories: Openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, or neuroticism, according to Psychology Today.

Openness to experience 

People with this personality type are curious by nature. They see the beauty in everything and enjoy admiring people, art, nature, and new ideas. They’re very creative and have many interests. 

Open people can fall prey to emotional exhaustion because they care so much about others, according to a study published earlier this year in BMC Psychology. If you have this personality type, setting healthy boundaries at work will protect you from taking on other people’s problems to the point that it wears you out emotionally and causes burnout.

Conscientiousness

These folks value systems and order. They have a thing for keeping things clean and organized and are pretty detail-oriented. They like to plan ahead and get things done. 

The study said that conscientiousness people have a tendency to push themselves so hard that they can end up emotionally exhausted and detaching from work. If this is your personality type, you’ll want to be mindful of your why. What you do means nothing if it’s not connected to a higher purpose. Making spiritual alignment a priority will help you keep perfecitionism in its place.

Extroversion

This is the more outgoing and social personality type. They have a lot of energy and don’t just like to be around other people, they need the interaction to thrive. Extroverted people also have to express their emotions no matter what.

Extroversion is one of two personality traits linked to all three characteristics of burnout. Practicing emotional intelligence is recommended to keep your energy in balance and reduce the risk of burnout.

Agreeableness

Your soft-hearted, compassionate people are part of this group. They cooperate easily and are likely to be more kind.

Being agreeable is linked to emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment. Like those with the openness to experience personality trait, setting healthy boundaries is of the utmost importance. It’s also important for you to be vocal about what you need to feel appreciated at work as opposed to only catering to everyone else all of the time.

Neuroticism

These are the people who are a bit emotionally unstable and are prone to mood swings. It doesn’t take much to upset them and they often have a harder time bouncing back for bad experiences.

Neuroticism is the second of two personality traits that is subject to all three characteristics of burnout. Because neurotic people are prone to stress and anxiety, mental clarity must be a priority.

What’s your personality type?

We’re multi-dimensional people, so you might find that you resonate with multiple personalities. Here’s a link to a free quiz where you can discover yours.

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Fueled by her expertise as a news producer, writer, and certified health coach, Kharissa Parker is passionate about helping entrepreneurs in Kansas City achieve their goals without sacrificing self-care. Check out her brand, The KP Method, and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.