Toward the end of my schooling, I started to hear professionals talk about their working experiences. In these discussions, they kept referencing the risks of professional burnout and warned us of the dangers of all-consuming work environments. Then I started hearing more buzzwords like “work-life balance” and “office culture.”
It may have been my naiveté, but I ignored these warnings. It’s not that I thought I was immune to burnout, rather I thought this was a good problem to have. If you’re burning out at work, at least you have work. By the time we were having these discussions, I was eager to leave school and start getting money.
Like most things, I ignored this phenomenon until it happened to me. Once I started to experience the symptoms of burnout, I began to realize why professionals were giving us warnings. It’s stressful, exhausting, and can be all-consuming.
Since my time in school, I’ve come to realize how common burnout has become. In fact, Buzzfeed called millennials the “burnout generation.” This phenomenon has become a major issue for young professionals, and the World Health Organization has taken notice.
What Exactly is Burnout?
Burnout is usually classified as a state of mind that comes from habitual stress. This traditionally comes from work, but there are other scenarios that may lead people to feel burnt out. When talking about burnout, it’s common to hear other mental health conditions discusses such as depression, panic disorders, or anxiety.
Burnout is often characterized by stress resulting from a loss of control. It’s not just having a lot of work to do, it’s stress from doing work that doesn’t have consistency, meaning, or personal importance. This is likely why it presents itself so frequently in workplace environments, though you may also see burnout in relationship or parental duties.
The symptoms of depression and anxiety are often similar to the symptoms of burnout. Sometimes there’s a loss of motivation, lack of self-esteem, heightened levels of stress in all areas of life, or alienation from others. When undressed, these symptoms will repeat themselves and increase in severity.
As burnout becomes increasingly common, more research goes into understanding it. Treatments often include setting boundaries, self-care, and a healthy separation of work life and personal life. Still, it’s all too common for people to develop a sense of burnout. Especially in a time when many people are working remotely, they struggle to separate themselves from work responsibilities. When your home and your office are in the same physical location, it can feel like you’re always at work. This allows work to become more consuming and burnout to creep in at any time.
Classifying Burnout
Burnout has become so closely associated with the workplace that the World Health Organization has classified it as an “occupational phenomenon.” This provides a certain level of validation to those who are left feeling burnt out. Most importantly, it recognizes burnout as a common condition and a sensation experienced by many people.
The WHO does specify that burnout is not a medical condition. Still, they identify symptoms of burnout that can be shared with phenomena that are medical conditions like anxiety or depression. So, this allows medical professionals to treat burnout with some uniformity, though burnout should still be considered its own unique phenomenon. During this treatment, other conditions may be discovered and addressed.
The WHO continues to study the impact of the workplace on mental health, but their recognition of burnout in any capacity can destigmatize the need to address the condition. Burnout has been believed to be a sign of weakness or someone who cannot handle the demands of their job. As more people deal with the sensation, there will be more people who can benefit from treatments.
Hopefully, our body of knowledge will continue to expand as the medical community recognizes burnout’s prevalence among workers. This will give counselors more resources when talking to patients. Individuals experiencing burnout will also be able to find information to manage their condition. This can make a difference on people’s willingness to address burnout.
The Rise in Burnout: Who’s to Blame?
When looking at the rise in burnout, the most optimistic explanation would be an increase in mental health discussions. This would paint a picture of a societal shift that welcomes people to address concerns. Enough feel comfortable enough to discuss their feelings of stress, anxiety, and panic that more resources are being developed.
This could also mark a shift in workplace dynamics. A greater number of employees may be feeling they’re being assigned high volumes of work without much direction. If they want to get promoted or advance at their company then they need to exceed expectations. So they dedicate more time to work and less time to their personal life.
The rise in burnout has been a trend for the past few years, but the pandemic has seen rates rise faster. If you look at the causes of pandemic burnout, you’ll begin to understand the causes of burnout that have always existed. People fear they will lose their jobs or be replaced. They’re working longer hours and many employers don’t place an emphasis on personal wellbeing. People don’t feel secure in their jobs, so they keep doing more to try to prove their worth.
Certainly, the WHO’s acknowledgment of burnout is a step in the right direction. Treating the phenomenon as valid means people will slowly address the stressors causing burnout. This can also be viewed as a sign of dangerous work environments and a need for people to overwork themselves, and that would need to be addressed at a grander level.
Addressing Burnout
Objectively, a lot of burnout solutions seem simple. You’ll be told to make a schedule, focus on healthy living, set boundaries, etc. For someone who’s dealing with burnout symptoms, it can be hard to let go of your stressors and actually execute these solutions.
Talking to trusted friends and family can also be helpful. This may allow you to realign your goals and come up with strategies to manage responsibilities better. Trained professionals can also be a great resource if you are able to access them. This is especially true for individuals who may be managing depression, anxiety, or panic attacks in addition to burnout.
A big component of managing burnout revolves around control. If you are able to feel you have a greater level of control, you will be better suited to handle your stress. This may require you to have some tough conversations, but the longterm benefits can reduce stress significantly.
As years progress, burnout will continue to be an issue. Work environments don’t seem to be changing positively as a response to the pandemic. This means people will continue to work in conditions of stress and anxiety. Knowing that you are susceptible to burnout can prevent it from taking a hold of your life. I was warned, but I thought I would be different. Then I learned I was fully susceptible once I started to feel the symptoms. This was a humble reminder that anyone can feel burnt out, but having open discussions can make all the difference.