By 
Ask anybody working in a difficult or thankless job: burnout is real. This phenomenon is extraordinarily difficult to cope with. It can set on suddenly or over time. Sometimes we see it coming. Other times, it seemingly comes out of nowhere. Burnout exhausts our resources, leaving us feeling like a hopeless, dried up husk of our previous selves. Recovering takes a lot of time and energy, too.
In 2019, the World Health Organization called burnout a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
- increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
- reduced professional efficacy.” AKA a sense of lacking accomplishment or effectiveness.
As a licensed clinical social worker, I’ve seen a lot of people enter psychotherapy complaining about these very problems. Other times, we discover that hiding beneath an existential crisis or workaholic pattern is a profound sense of burnout.
I have also experienced burnout, albeit in smaller episodes. Being a social worker and therapist during the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the hardest, most trying experiences of my life. Enormous events far outside of my control upended not only my life, but the lives of my clients. I’d typically always juggled 4-5 projects at a time with little issue. Suddenly, even basic tasks became exhausting. Only after taking care of myself and setting good professional and emotional boundaries did I begin to recover.
So let’s talk about it. How do we recognize burnout within ourselves? Where does it come from? And what the heck do we do about it?
Helping me illustrate my points today is Martin D. Skeleton. His pictures document his struggles in a rigorous quality assurance position at a bank. I’ll refer back to Martin as an example as we move through this article.
What Burnout Feels Like
Sometimes we’re acutely aware that we’re suffering burnout. Other times, we’ve sunk so deep in the quagmire of responsibilities that we have no clue about the extent of our exhaustion.
Think of a pitcher of water, filled to the brim. This represents all of the energy you can possibly give. As you live your life, you decide where to pour that energy, whether into work, family, relationships, hobbies, or spiritual life. When burnout occurs, it’s like our pitcher springs a leak. We begin losing ourselves, and thus there’s that much less of us to give.
I’ve previously written about all the ways stress manifests in the body. Here are some physical signs of burnout:
- Chronically exhausted, even after getting enough sleep
- Getting sick more often (Stress weakens our immune system!)
- Muscle pain and headaches
- Change in sleep or eating habits
Of course, stress causes all sorts of emotional and behavioral mayhem, too. Some of burnout-specific ones include:
- Feeling helpless or trapped
- Low motivation
- Detachment from others
- Putting off or ignoring responsibilities
- Using food or substances to cope
You might be reading this and thinking “Hmm, Chris, these symptoms of burnout sound an awful lot like depression and anxiety.” You’d be right! In 2019, some researchers looked at a bunch of scientific studies and found that 59% of people suffering burnout had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and 58% with a mood disorder. Some of this could be due to mental health providers misdiagnosing work-related stress as major depressive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. On the other hand, we know that stress can trigger the onset of mental illness.
Burnout is on the rise, too. In 2021, amidst difficult work conditions and a pandemic, 89% of employees said they’d experienced burnout in the last year. These numbers should worry everyone. If this many people say they’re struggling and exhausted, it’s safe to say we as a society are not doing as well as we should.
Why Burnout Happens
To be honest, I have a problem with the World Health Organization’s definition of burnout. They classify it as a “workplace phenomenon.” While I understand why they’d call it that, I don’t know what they’re considering to be “work.” Does someone need to earn a paycheck to feel burnt to a crisp? I’d strongly argue no. A lot of work we do is unpaid. Parents know– they may love their child, but the stress and exhaustion of caring for a small human can get hard to deal with. Caretaking of any kind could burn someone out. Heck, even job searching sucks. Let’s also throw in chores, school, and self-improvement projects, too.
For the purposes of this article, I’m going to use Dictionary.com’s definition of work: “exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something.”
With that settled, let’s return our attention to the question at hand. What sours a person’s relationship with work? After years of research, scientists have narrowed down six important areas that determine whether a person may burn out. Martin D. Skeleton will help clarify.
Workload
Work responsibilities add up. If Martin’s got a steady routine going as a quality assurance analyst at the bank, he will probably enjoy a nice sense of structure and routine. Having several projects to juggle may even fill him with a sense of purpose at his job. On the other hand, if he gets flooded with deadlines, Martin will probably start feeling overwhelmed. The forty hour week only goes so far. He may end up working longer hours, taking longer to complete tasks, or just doing them all worse than he would like to.
It’s worth noting that having no duties or responsibilities may trigger burnout, too. Martin likely needs something to work on to give him a sense of purpose and growth. Doing nothing all day sounds like a dream job, but it can also become incredibly exhausting in its own way.
Control
Has you ever been micromanaged? It sucks, right? This type of management style drains hard working employees like Martin D. Skeleton of motivation and a sense of effectiveness. This stems from a broad principle: people (usually) want to know that they have power in this world. That they can affect their environment in some way.
Martin wants to have respect in the workplace. That means being able to work independently, make his own decisions, and keep the resources he needs. Anything less than that will begin exhausting Martin of his work resources.
Reward
Nobody wants to work without a proper reward. Martin D. Skeleton isn’t going to the bank five days per week for his health. He needs a paycheck. If the bank underpays him, Martin will likely begin feeling resentment and develop burnout. On the other hand, if the bank pays him well for his good services, Martin will feel valued and taken care of.
Reward goes beyond money, too. Employees want recognition and validation for their work. Having the promise of upward mobility, such as in the form of promotion, also improves a person’s wellness in the workplace. Even simple praise feels good. To sum up, lacking these reinforcements is a one-way ticket to burnout.
Community
The environments in which we work becomes almost like a second home for some. As a result, workplace relationships and environments have a big impact on our lives. Let’s compare two workplace communities.
Exhibit A: Martin D. Skeleton, swamped by his workload, confides in his coworker that he is feeling overwhelmed. That coworker shrugs and says it’ll get better. Days later, Martin hears his coworker gossiping that he may not be cut out for the job.
Exhibit B: Up to his ears in paperwork, Martin tells a coworker how exhausted he’s been trying to keep up with everything. The coworker hears him and points out how good of work he is doing. Then, that coworker invites him out for drinks to unwind.
It’s no secret which scenario will fill Martin with a sense of purpose and belonging in the workplace. We can’t always control the ebbs and flows of stress that get thrown our way. Consequently, relationships are a crucial protection against burnout. We spend so much of our lives working. It’s important that time is spent in supportive communities.
Fairness
In general, people want to know they’re not stuck in a rigged system. Fairness means that decisions at work are done in a reasonable, equitable fashion. Trusting that rewards and punishments come based on merit reinforces a sense of power and dignity in the workplace. In other words, people need to have confidence in work-related procedures and ultimately how they’ll be treated.
This feeds into issues around social justice. Imagine if Martin and all the other skeletons got paid $18 per hour doing the same QA job. However, the werewolves and vampires in that position earned $20. What incentive is there for Martin to work harder when the system is geared against him?
It’s no secret that marginalized people– particularly people of color, women, and especially women of color– earn less money for equal work. This gross unfairness massively feeds into burnout.
Values
People generally prefer to do work that fits with their vision for the world around them. A paycheck means a lot, sure. But a perfect workplace goes beyond a simple exchange of time and effort for money.
Say Martin cares a lot about the environment. He might feel especially good when his bank adopts a new recycling and composting program. That synergy between his workplace and his own values will likely reenergize his sense of purpose and belonging. On the other hand, if he then learns that his bank has been investing in oil and coal companies, those good feelings will go up in a puff of smoke.
Holding one’s own values while working in a system that constantly disappoints is exhausting. That gaping moral chasm can trigger burnout over time.
The Stages of Burnout
While we may notice burnout suddenly one day, it’s a gradual process of deterioration. To illustrate, Winoa State University created a model so workers (and, hopefully, their friends, family, and managers) can track how they’re doing. People don’t move through a straight line on this; we typically move up and down the stages based on how everything’s going.
Honeymoon [Burnout Stage 1]
Typically, the honeymoon phase begins with the start of a new job or project. People in this stage are satisfied, energized, and committed.
This step in the process is crucial. Few people ever remain in a honeymoon phase through the entirety of their work. As a result, the coping strategies workers develop during this stage will determine how they deal with their job’s stresses later on.
Balancing Act [Burnout Stage 2]
Unchecked optimism and positivity about a job usually fades away. Over time, reality sets in as the challenges become apparent. Maybe the workload is growing. Or perhaps the community isn’t as supportive as one would hope. Every job has its pros and cons, and some days are better than others.
This stage is called a balancing act because the worker is dealing with things they both like and dislike. Their energy may begin to wane as mild symptoms of burnout begin to pop up. It is crucially important that they take action now at this stage to prevent the burnout from getting worse.
Chronic Symptoms [Burnout Stage 3]
Exhaustion, frustration, and sadness become routine as burnout worsens. While the worker is still holding on, the quality of their work begins to deteriorate. The schism between the person and their workplace begins to turn adversarial.
Crisis [Burnout Stage 4]
Red alert! When burnout’s chronic symptoms get left untreated, they intensify to the point of crisis. The worker obsesses about their job’s shortcomings. Where they once felt optimistic, pessimism now reigns supreme as they doubt themselves and/or their workplace. These symptoms splash over to other aspects of their lives. They may withdraw from friends. Food, alcohol, or drugs may look like attractive forms of escape. Even their immune system might sputter as they get sick more often.
At this point, recovering from burnout will take serious time and effort. It’s become a psychosocial emergency.
Enmeshment [Burnout Stage 5]
The worst result. By this point, burnout has become so intertwined with a person’s life that they have trouble recognizing it. Exhaustion and cynicism now represent a new normal. Typically, these symptoms begin to manifest in the form of chronic physical or mental illness.
“An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure”
The above quote comes from Benjamin Franklin. Pretty smart guy, I hear. His words may as well describe our best strategy for dealing with burnout: to avoid it altogether.
It is way, way harder to come back from burnout. I looked around and couldn’t find any definitive length of time, but that shouldn’t be surprising. As shown above, people occupy different stages of burnout. Some people take weeks or months to rebound. Others need years.
So how do we prevent burnout from escalating? I put together a list of strategies recommended by experts, as well as strategies my therapy clients have reported being useful.
Build a Good Self-Care Routine
This one’s crucial. If you want to know how to approach this, click here to check out my article on building an effective self-care routine.
Take Days Off
Human beings aren’t robots built to work nonstop. We need time to spend with loved ones. To tinker with our hobbies. If work begins to drain you, try taking a vacation. In the same survey that found nearly 90% of workers were burned out, 40% acknowledged they don’t take enough time off.
Sleep!
Sleep plays a crucial role in our mental health. When we don’t get enough rest, everything begins to go haywire. Worse, one of the most common features of burnout is a big change in your sleeping habits.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to know how to improve our sleep. For more information, check out this guide on getting your sleep game going strong.
Eat Well
A balanced diet makes all the difference. To use that classic metaphor, we need fuel in the tank to deal with our problems. Nutrition also gives our body the necessary ingredients to create helpful neurotransmitters like serotonin so we can overcome whatever stress stands before us.
Exercise Regularly
Remember, our brain is our body. What’s good for one is good for the other. Exercising regularly is not just good self-care; it also helps keep our stress levels manageable.
Engage Your Support System
Always try to engage in the relationships that matter to you. Remember, friends and loved ones know who you are outside of just your work. That separation from your responsibilities is important. However, they can only help you if they know you’re struggling. Communication is key.
Hopefully, the community in your workplace is supportive, too. They have a special insight into the unique pressures of your job, so their input can be really helpful. Maybe they can give tips or take some of the load off you. If nothing else, a good bitch session can do wonders.
Take a Moment to Reflect
Life can move fast. If we don’t set aside time to think about how we’re functioning in the workplace, we’ll be burned out before we know something is wrong. Take a moment and reflect: How are your values aligning with your workplace’s? Are you engaging in self-care enough? Is there anything you can do to better manage your workload?
Answering these questions earlier on can help you prevent burnout before it takes hold.
Seek Professional Help
We often encounter complex and difficult issues that we cannot solve on our own. Many times, our own history and the way we see ourselves can impact our work. Seeking professional help can be one of the best decisions you can make to avoid burnout and promote your overall wellness.
I do offer my own psychotherapy services for Californian residents. However, there’s a wide range of providers who can help you find the relief you need.
Rebounding from Burnout
Don’t feel ashamed if you’ve not successfully avoided burnout. The average age for people to encounter burnout for is 32 years old.
So what should you do if you’re experiencing burnout? Say you’re experiencing chronic symptoms, crisis, or worst of all, enmeshment. All of the strategies I listed above come into play here. Doubly so, in fact.
To review, we’re talking:
- Engage in good self-care
- Enjoy some time off
- Sleep well
- Eat healthily
- Exercise
- Talk to your friends and family
- Take the time to evaluate how things are going
- Connect with mental health providers
If work’s got you feeling burnt to a crisp, you need to adjust your expectations. The path is not easy. Think of burnout as a work-related injury. Is it fair to expect somebody who just broke their leg to go run a marathon? Of course not! Even though burnout is not as visible as a broken leg, it is still debilitating.
Be kind to yourself as you try to recover. It will take time and energy. It may not feel good to hear, but you must expect there to be good days and bad days. Patience remains key as you take care of yourself and heal. Your wellness is worth the trouble.
From Burnout to Balance
It’s not just our dear friend Martin D. Skeleton– burnout is a growing epidemic that’s upending workplaces and ruining lives. I hope this deep dive gives you the tools to evaluate what’s going on and begin to figure out how to fix it.
One last note to any bosses or managers reading this article: you are in a unique position where you can impact the well-being of your employees. Please embrace that responsibility. If you’re interested, I wrote a different article outlining which different options can improve mental health in the workplace.
If you found this article helpful, please share it with someone who you feel could benefit from reading this. You can also take a look around the rest of the site. Mind and Prose is all about self-care, psychoeducation, and fighting stigma. If you’re interested, please consider joining my mailing list! As a thank you, you will receive a free worksheet to track your sleep and mood. As you now know, these two pieces are incredibly important in better understanding your relationship with work and possible burnout.
What are your thoughts on burnout? Have a story to share? Sound off in the comments below.
