We've all been there - that soul-crushing feeling of being completely drained, unmotivated, and disillusioned with our work. The debilitating mental and physical exhaustion that leaves us questioning if it's all even worth it anymore. This insidious state is what's known as burnout, a now widespread epidemic in our always-on, hustle culture.
But what exactly is burnout? A 2016 study published in the International Journal of Stress Management defines it as "a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed." It manifests as three key dimensions:
1) Overwhelming exhaustion - both emotionally and physically
2) Cynicism and detachment from your job
3) A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment
At its core, burnout represents a depletion of mental resources stemming from chronic, unrelenting stress. And our brains show real, measurable changes during this state of severe burnout. Psychological scientists like Dr. Philippe Goldin have used brain imaging to examine what burnout looks like neurologically. His research found that during burnout, the amygdala (the fear center) becomes hyperactivated while regions like the prefrontal cortex (involved in cognitive control and decision making) become dysregulated and underactivated.
So in essence, burnout reflects an excessive firing of the brain's stress response system without the higher reasoning areas acting as a healthy counterbalance. The result is an overwhelming sense of being burned out - checked out emotionally, constantly on high alert, and unable to effectively control impulses or make mindful decisions.
This begs the question - why are we so susceptible to burnout in the first place? The same 2016 study points to key risk factors like excessive workload, lack of autonomy and control, inadequate rewards or recognition, and a conflict between our personal values and job demands. Sound familiar? Anne Helen Petersen's book Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation examines how millennials, in particular, have become the "burnout generation." She argues that from a young age, millennials were indoctrinated into the culture of craven hyper-competition and pressure to overachieve. Raised in an era of economic insecurity and dwindling social support systems, overwork became the norm as the stakes felt higher than ever. In many ways, this pressure to constantly hustle and prove our worth has become amplified in the age of social media and side gigs. We're inundated with images of aggressively perfected workaholism from every angle, while algorithms push us relentlessly toward productivizing every waking hour.
What about freelancers, entrepreneurs, hustlers, and decidedly non-9-to-5 workers? These burnout catalysts hit particularly close to home. We've taken on the immense responsibility of our own business or career path, with the high stakes and lack of boundaries often leading to overwork. Add in imposter syndrome, financial stressors, the pressure to "hustle harder," and a lifetime of conditioning around overachievement, and it's a perfect storm for burning out.
The good news is that you can recover from burnout but it requires a multi-pronged approach, both from the individual and wider culture. On an individual level, it involves setting firm boundaries, prioritising self-care activities, nurturing supportive relationships, and redefining self-worth outside of work productivity. Talking therapy at The Farley can also be invaluable, providing a non-judgmental space to unpack core beliefs and develop strategies to prevent burnout cycles.
References:
Liston, C., McEwen, B. S., & Casey, BJ. (2009). Psychosocial stress reversibly disrupts prefrontal processing and attentional control. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106, 912–917. doi:10.1073/pnas.0807041106
Maslach C. and Leiter M.P. (2016), Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4911781/
Michel A. (2016), Burnout and the Brain. Available at: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/burnout-and-the-brain
Peterson H. A (2020). Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. Boston: Mariner Books
Comentarios