I learned this fact about frogs’ behavior from a seminar by Anastasia Markova (Asya) titled “Depression and the Work Environment,” which I recently organized. With some embarrassment, Asya shared this example with us, explaining that she knew of no better illustration of the elusive and gradual process of burnout at work – the kind of burnout that develops as a result of slow, barely noticeable changes in the work environment. These changes often remain below the threshold of conscious awareness, yet because their impact is constant and cumulative over time, they lead to psychological exhaustion, depressive states, and professional burnout.
What she told us was this: if you place a live frog into a pot of hot water, it will immediately jump out and save itself. But if you put the frog into a pot of cold water on a stove that is gradually heating up until it reaches boiling point, the frog will not notice the change and will be boiled.
The situation of frogs in a pot on a slowly heating stove is very similar to the situation of people who are exposed to continuous but mentally unregistered stressors in their work environment. Asya told us about one of her clients who came to her with complaints of depression, yet did not associate his condition with any factors in his workplace. This changed only when he mentioned that he had had lunch with three of his colleagues, and all of them shared that they were either currently in psychotherapy or had just completed it.
Because of his depressive state, her client tended to isolate himself from his colleagues, and this lunch was a major exception. That exception, however, turned out to be extremely important. When he later shared this with Asya in therapy, they began to explore aspects of his work environment that had not previously been in focus. It was impossible to overlook the fact that out of seven people in their team, four were in psychotherapy because they were not feeling well.
Although at first glance this client’s work as a graphic designer seemed to involve a great deal of creativity and freedom, it turned out that, very gradually and almost imperceptibly over the years since a new senior manager had arrived, both the work itself and the relationships at the workplace had changed considerably. There was now much greater pressure to do more and more – much of it aimed merely at demonstrating to upper management how effective the new manager was. Thus, while at higher levels of leadership people were left with the impression of exceptional activity and efficiency, the situation at the level of the client’s team was very different.
For Asya, it was easy to see the connection between her client’s depression and the factors in the work environment, because in addition to being a systemic psychotherapist, she is also an organizational psychologist (a lecturer in organizational psychology at the University of Quebec). Through their joint exploration of workplace factors, it became clear that he felt depressed only when he was at work – something he had not been able to notice so clearly before. Even during the period of readjustment after a vacation, he did not yet experience the symptoms of his depression. They emerged very gradually as he slowly re-entered his work routine.
Once he became aware of the specific factors that made him feel unwell, he said that it felt to him like entering a room that contains a substance harmful to one’s health. When he is not in that room, he feels fine. When he enters it again for short periods of time (the adaptation phase after a vacation), he still feels relatively well. But when he begins working full-time, the symptoms of his depression return with full force. The problem was that he had not known he was feeling this way precisely because the stressors in his work environment were too subtle at first glance, and it is difficult for a person to realize that they are being exposed to them.
This was one of Asya’s examples illustrating the link between mental health problems and workplace stressors when the work environment changes in ways that go unnoticed. I personally find this example very valuable, and that is why I am sharing it and passing it on. I believe that here in Bulgaria we are exposed – to an even greater extent – to the constant impact of stressors that are difficult to identify and recognize as such, yet nevertheless exert a harmful influence on us. Because they are widespread and omnipresent, we fail to realize that we feel the way we do precisely because of them. We blame ourselves for feeling exhausted, demotivated, irritable, and apathetic. And we push ourselves even harder in an attempt to cope.
The truth, however, is that the air we are breathing in the room is toxic to our health – both physically and psychologically. With prolonged exposure, we too may end up being “boiled.”
Kameliya Hadzhiyska
