Burnout is becoming increasingly common these days. Unfortunately, there is still little talk here. To break the taboo, KRO-NRCV is launching the new TV program Out Of Office. In this series, presenter Joris Linssen follows five people with burnout who are trying to recover on a care farm. Here they hope to gain new insights thanks to mentally disabled people, who find themselves in a completely different world.
People with burnout followed in the TV program Out Of Office
Apparently more than a million people in the Netherlands suffer from complaints that are associated with a burnout. That number has also increased in recent years. Nowadays there seems to be more pressure on (work) performance, possibly due to, among other things, the difficult housing market and the advent of social media. As a result, you are more likely to be confronted with other people’s lives, which sometimes seem a lot better than your own.
Although many people suffer from burnout complaints, unfortunately there is still too little talk about it. Fortunately, people are trying to break that taboo, for example by making TV programs about the problem. For example, KRO-NCRV is now launching the reality program Out Of Office, in which presenter Joris Linssen follows five people with burnout during their recovery. And that recovery process takes place on a care farm among mentally challenged people. The participants experience too much stress in their lives, but the mentally disabled farmers live a happy and stress-free existence. Something that the participants of Out Of Office can learn a lot from. Well, that’s the idea!
Attendees
Burnout can occur in various types of people. That is why several people participate in the TV program Out Of Office: from young to old. These are the five people being followed:
Alexandra (52)
Various people participate in the TV program Out Of Office: from young to old. This clearly shows that burnout occurs in various types of people. First of all, 52-year-old Alexandra participates, who has even suffered a burnout twice. The first time she immediately quit her job and started working independently as an HR consultant. Only then did she fall back into her old pattern. That’s why she immediately stopped working, but apparently she was already late. The burnout was back again. What mainly bothers Alexandra is that she gets recognition from her work. “I work, therefore I am, I sometimes say,” she explains. “But if you can no longer work, who are you?”
Martin (55)
In the case of the second participant, 55-year-old Marthin, the stress kept piling up. He works as a counselor at a care institution that houses people with intellectual disabilities. However, these are people and their behavior is difficult to assess. During his work, Marthin feels a great responsibility for the clients and their safety. However, he experiences a lot of stress as a result, partly due to the staff shortage and the high workload. When he subsequently has a near-death experience, the stress only increases. That ultimately leads to a burnout, from which he will recover. However, he later relapses again. The difficult thing about Marthin’s situation is that he has no one to talk to about it. “I come from a Moluccan family. I never learned about mental complaints,” he explains. “In our culture this is often kept hidden.” In addition, he has no contact with his family and his relationship is now over. So he is virtually alone.
Gemma (41)
For 41-year-old Gemma, burnout is not caused by her work. She once took the plunge by exchanging her permanent job for a life as a self-employed person. She will continue to work in healthcare, but is also starting a training course to become a holistic coach. In terms of finances, she can do that because her husband has a good job. However, things then go wrong when their marriage suddenly ends. Then at a certain point Gemma is completely alone: without a husband, income, house and even without her children. That is the moment where she starts experiencing burnout complaints. These then become worse as soon as she feels pressure to rake in more money. When she receives the official diagnosis for burnout, it is quite confrontational. But she does think it is important for her personal development. “For me, the burnout is really a wake-up call. I did things that didn’t suit me,” she explains. “There are just things I run into. Now is the moment I look those challenges in the eye, a kind of spiritual journey.”
Wesley (33)
33-year-old Wesley suffered a burnout due to his work. He has a quite difficult job as an IT specialist for an auction website. To do this, he must make all complex data transparent for the commercial departments. So a lot of staring at letters and numbers. When he was on his way to work, he often checked emails on the train. He thought that was completely normal and didn’t seem like anything serious to him. However, as soon as he saw an email about a work presentation, he started having severe chest pain, palpitations and stomach pain. What seems? He had a panic attack. This was the beginning of his burnout. It makes the thirty-something sad, because: how did it get to this point? Although he also discovers how difficult it is to talk about your true feelings. Something that is important, especially if you experience mental problems.
Hilde (29)
Finally, we have the youngest participant, 29-year-old Hilde, who works at a car company. At one point she calls in sick from work, although she doesn’t know exactly what she has. But things are not going well: “I had difficulty concentrating and came home overstimulated every day. I was always tired and had no energy for anything.” So she has a burnout. She honestly never expected that with herself. Fortunately, she can turn to family and friends for her mental problems. Although Hilde also notices the taboo on burnout and mental struggles in general. “People said, ‘But everyone suffers from that these days,’” she says. “As if it’s not a serious problem.” In the TV program she hopes to learn more about herself so that she can control her burnout.
Start date
Are you curious about the stories of the five participants? Good news, because the new TV program Out Of Office will be on TV fairly soon. From March 5, 2024 you can follow Alexandra, Marthin, Wesley, Gemma and Hilde. A new episode will appear every Tuesday at 9:30 PM on NPO1.
