Part of the burnout lies in the tasks you have all done. Not only the scope of the tasks, but also the content, the weight, the way in which it is done, the pressure, stress, expectations, etc.
It will help to make a list of things you did just before the burn out and link it to how you felt about it. So, for each task you describe what you did and how you felt.
You will probably find out that the tasks were, very, many, heavy, difficult to combine with other tasks and that caused you feelings of anger, haste, fear, etc.
This can be an eye opener for you and those around you. So, you can see how your tasks and the experience were intertwined. You may also see how it is possible that it has come to this.
When asked: why you let this happen, I pay extensive attention in Phase 3.
Own experience
After I was back at work more often and did small tasks, I did this. Written down everything I did before the burn out and what I thought of it, what it did to me.
I soon discovered that I had taken on a lot of tasks. In combination with my perfectionism and the fact that things didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, I was often angry, negative, cynical and above all not very nice.
Both (task and task perception) were the perfect environment for a burn out. I literally envisioned my burn out. I found that a shock because I immediately realized where I had gone wrong.
I immediately wondered why I had let it come to this. I only found out later.
What’s positive
By writing down your tasks and the task experience, you gain insight into what you did and how you felt. You see the overload arise. All those tasks that you have drawn to you, combined with negative feelings, is the basis of the burn out.
Tips:
1. Write down everything, your old tasks and how you felt
2. Discuss this with people you trust
3. Seeing the development of the burn out also offers the insight that you will get out of it. Recognizing the problem is the basis for the solution
For the employer
To understand how this has come so far, it can help to have this conversation with your employee. You look openly and honestly at what went well and what could have been done better.
Then you can look at the situation with more objective glasses. You gain insight into where the employee is now and how the reintegration is progressing.
Reintegration’s are often delayed because the employee is expected to fully resume his old tasks too quickly. By asking that, you go beyond reality.
The employee is not that far yet.