“Burnout in Thailand? Impossible!” That’s probably what most of us would think.
But symptoms of ‘burnout’ are not always linked to high workload alone, they can
also have other causes. I have identified 3 groups of people that are vulnerable
to symptoms of burnout, even in a sunny, tropical country like ‘mai pen rai’
Thailand:
First, there are the foreigners who try to make a living here
and who are employed by foreign or Thai companies. Often, they have to face high
amounts of work-related pressure and stress right from the beginning of their
assignments, while having arrived completely unprepared for the cultural changes
they would have to face. Many are surprised and overwhelmed by how hard it can
be to ‘juggle’ giving up the old life, finding and adapting to a new home, new
colleagues and their work ethics, and learning how to get around and at the same
time, to meet all the expectations they put on themselves.
Then, there are foreigners who try to start their own
business in Thailand. These expat entrepreneurs are completely on their own,
having thought that their experiences as tourists should have prepared them well
enough. Soon, however, they face all kinds of obstacles in building up a
successful business venture here as foreigners. Many things don’t work out as
they would have back home with the same effort and money put into the project.
Many little annoyances might gradually not only take the fun out of their dream
of working in an Asian country, but lead to outright frustration and the feeling
of never reaching a point where everything runs smoothly. And I haven’t even
mentioned dealing with governmental institutions and paperwork.
Finally and probably surprisingly, even retiring in Thailand
can lead to ‘burnout’. I already mentioned the huge changes a migration to
another country involves, and even if everything started happy and smoothly,
after some time, the excitement might gradually fade away, perforated by
disturbing or even annoying little experiences, social isolation or conflicts
with other people. Also, many Westerners suffer from a lack of challenge and
communication: they are bored out by the daily routine that kicks in after a
while and feel stuck between meals, drinks and hanging around without any kind
of challenge.
Even finding someone to talk to at a certain nouveau level
might prove difficult. But being ‘bored out’ has many physical similarities to
burnout and might gradually make us just as sick and depressive. So it is
important to take these signs seriously and fight them at an early stage before
one gets overwhelmed by his or her own negativity.
In the next issue, I will write a bit more about typical
symptoms of burnout and bore out, and outline strategies on how to deal with
them.
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Live the happy life you planned! Richard L.
Fellner is head of the Pattaya Counseling Center in Soi Khopai and
offers consultations in English and German languages (after making
appointments at 0854 370 470). |
