Magazin: The unexamined life is not worth living

Unfortunately the burnout syndrome can hide itself really well. I know an entrepreneur who, after many successful years, managed to survive the recession years starting in 2008 but in the meantime lost his peace of mind, his friends and his wife. Stress simply got the better of him, he lost his empathy and became cynical, even aggressive. In the last few years he was unable to return to his old self, despite the fact that he managed to stay in the business and the economic crisis ended. Recently I have had a chat with him and during our discussion I realised that he could justify each and every step of his: he believes that mistakes were committed but nothing was his fault. The problem is, dear reader, that self-justification narrows down a person’s perspective. Self-justifying people simply don’t know themselves, therefore they can be fooled by their feelings and the world around them very easily. Consequently, they may not realise that they are on the verge or in the middle of a burnout. You may ask the question: How do I get to know myself? My advice to you is simple: self-observation. It is best if one keeps asking themselves questions, to learn what they do or how they feel in a certain situation. It is also crucial for everyone to know to what extent they depend on external feedback. ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’ said Socrates and all I can add to this is that if one doesn’t make efforts in self-observation, the chance of a burnout increases.