Emotional Resilience in Everyday University Life

What can I do when I experience permanent overload in my job and everyday life and am no longer able to recharge my batteries in my free time?

Burnout is the reaction of our body and our emotional life to chronic stress. According to the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) , symptoms include

• emotional exhaustion: e.g., lack of drive, lack of energy, weariness, ready irritability
• depersonalization: increasing distance between affected people and their environment (clients, colleagues, etc.), which results in increasing apathy.
• failures: especially in view of continuously increasing demands your own achievements seem small. Mental overload can also lead to more mistakes.

Burnout can cause different kinds of symptoms: psychological or physical symptoms, changes in behavior or in the social field.

Take care of yourself and let others help you!

... is a feeling that stays with us throughout our lives – and it has its raison d’etre! But if anxiety takes control over our everyday life or lasts for a very long time, if activities in our free time, our social life and relaxation only happen once in a while and we cannot really enjoy it, if we maybe even suffer from physical symptoms, talking to a trusted person (family, friends), psychological counseling or therapy might be helpful.

If you suffer from psychosomatic symptoms due to constant (mental) overload, such as issues of digestion, headaches/migraine, breathing problems or even panic attacks, do not hesitate to seek help!

It is sad but true: depression is one of the most common illnesses of our time. According to the depression guideline of the German Medical Association and other studies, one in five adults will suffer one form of depression in their lifetime. But: feeling sad, gloomy or pessimistic or having lost hope does not automatically mean you are depressed! 

Depression is clinically diagnosed by assessing the presence of certain major and minor symptoms. The number and severity of the existing symptoms determine whether a mild, moderate, or severe depression exists. Next to common symptoms such as “feelings of sadness, loss of pleasure and interest in activities, feelings of excessive guilt and low self-esteem, disrupted sleep, lack of appetite, fatigue, and poor concentration”, as listed by the WHO, there can also be other symptoms linked to depression.

Women are more often affected by depression than men and depression often starts at a young age.

Whatever your specific case is, the most important thing is: the earlier you get help and support, the better! But for those affected by symptoms of depression, it is often especially hard to bring themselves to take the first step of seeking help.

They are caught up in a complex psychological system of self-doubt that diminishes their successes and achievements. They do not believe that it was their own potential that let them accomplish it. Often, they attribute their accomplishments to luck or coincidence rather than to ability.

This perception may also be influenced by the so-called “Matthew effect”: in line with the proverb “to him who has will more be given”, past successes may have a stronger bearing on current success than the actual current achievements. This may be due to the associated resources and preferential attachment.  

But just knowing about these attributions and thought patterns can be the first step towards change! Additionally, writing therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other strategies for changing thought patterns have proven useful. Take care of yourself and let others help you!

According to current research, up to 80% of employees experience stress at the workplace and suffer from its consequences. When it comes to sick absence rates, the proportion of psychological stress and mental illnesses leading to incapacity for work has increased from 2% to 16.6% in the last 40 years. According to the 2018 health report of the company health insurance funds (BKK), nowadays they are the second most common diagnosis in medical certificates.

Furthermore, an online survey of the pronovaBKK from April 2020 shows the effects of the pandemic: approx.30% of employees worry about their jobs and 80% report higher stress levels compared to the time before the pandemic.

Within the context of workplace health promotion, the Department for Human Resources shares information on measures against mental stress and psychological strain, such as mindfulness, and offers courses on stress and conflict management as well as health activities imparting techniques to cope with mental strain.

Guidelines for affected employees:

• information provided by the Psychische Gesundheit in der Arbeitswelt (PsyGA) project (mental health in workplace settings) on how to support those affected in order to enable them to recognize their stresses and strains.
• Information provided by the Psychische Gesundheit in der Arbeitswelt (PsyGA) project (mental health in workplace settings) on health solutions and tips for managerial staff and businesses including guidelines and practical examples for avoiding getting stressed about stress.

If you experience any problems or difficulties, there are various contact persons at the University of Mannheim who can help you. Ute Pfründer, certified psychologist, offers psychosocial counseling when you are dealing with mental health-related issues at the Initial Point of Contact and Counseling Service. Whom you would like to confide in is entirely up to you.

Help in case of emergency: if you need help with a medical emergency, please dial 112

or call the medical emergency services (on-call medical service 116117, emergency and on-call medical services of the City of Mannheim, emergency services of the City of Heidelberg).

• Mannheim: residents of Mannheim can reach the emergency service of the Central Institute for Mental Health  via 0621 1703 – 7777 erreichbar.
• Heidelberg: psychiatric and psychosomatic emergency services of the Heidelberg University Hospital. The psychiatric urgent care services of the Department of General Psychiatry and the Center for Psychosocial Medicine at Voßstraße 2 (06221 56-4466) are available 24/7 for immediate medical assistance for people experiencing a severe mental health crisis.
• Wiesloch: the PZN Wiesloch (Psychiatrisches Zentrum Nordbaden) located at Heidelberger Straße 1a is a psychiatric center   offering psychiatric, psychosomatic, and psychotherapeutic care in the form of various inpatient, day-patient, and outpatient treatments.It can can be reached via 06222 55-0. The PZN also has locations in Weinheim, Schwetzingen, Bruchsal, and Mosbach.

Your general practitioner can also refer you to the competent psychiatric hospital.

• Telephone counseling service: the crisis line offers 24/7 free support and advice via telephone (0800 111 0 111 oder 0800 111 0 222), e-mail, or chat.

Advice and support in non-emergency situations – therapy

• The outpatient mental health clinic at the Otto Selz Institute (OSI) of the University of Mannheim in L 13, 17 offers therapeutic help in the direct vicinity of the university. Therapy inquiries for adults can be addressed to the team around Prof. Alpers via 0621 181-3480 during the current office hours indicated on the homepage.
• At theDepartment of General Psychiatry of the Heidelberg University Hospital at Voßstraße 9, psychologists and physicians completing advanced continuing education in psychotherapy offer quick, supervised help at the outpatient clinic via 06221 56-6676 (psychodynamic/depth psychotherapy).
• The ZPP Heidelberg (Center for Psychological Psychotherapy) at Bergheimer Str. 58A, telephone: 06221 54-7291, that belongs to the Institute of Psychology at Heidelberg University offers treatments for adults, teenagers, and children. As the ZPP is an institute for training and continuing education in psychotherapy, psychotherapists in training work here under supervision (the focus is on cognitive behavioral therapy). 
• Medical or psychotherapeutic assistance can be also be obtained via the Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians of the Lands of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, and Rhineland-Palatinate or the appointment services of Baden-Württemberg or Hesse.

Counseling and self-help

• The information on regional advice and support (provided by the Bündnis gegen Depression Rhein-Neckar Süd (Alliance Against Depression) offers an overview of contact points and counseling services in the region including contact details and important information.
• Advice on psychological self-help is available for various problem situations, e.g., via guidebooks or on the homepage of the PAL publishing house.
• If you are suffering from, for example, anxiety or eating disorders, depression or a chronic illness, visiting a self-help group can be a good source of support. 
• The Federal Centre for Health Education (Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung, BZgA) provides information on eating disorders online or via 0221 892031.