You have likely heard people say things like this in their daily lives: “I’m tired all the time”, “I can’t do this anymore”, “I’m so done”, “My work is pointless”, “Nothing I do is matter”, “Everything is so draining”, “I’m not making any difference”, ‘I feel numb.” These statements are evidence that someone is might experiencing a burnout. Burnout has emerged as one of the major mental health concerns in modern society, particularly in the context of workplace, educational environment and caregiving roles.
Herbert Freudenberg (German- American psychologist) who first introduced the term “Burnout” in the 1970s, describing it as a syndrome of exhaustion, depersonalization, and a decreased sense of accomplishment. While it is not formally recognized as a disorder in the DSM-5, the World health organization (WHO) classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon, highlighting the significant impact on health, productivity and well being.
According to Herbert Freudenberger, burnout symptoms manifest in three primary areas that is: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion is a profound feeling of being drained of energy and resources due to excessive work demands. Depersonalization is starting to not care about your work or co-workers, which makes you lose interest in your job and reduced personal accomplishment is feeling bad about your work, which makes you feel like you’re not good enough at your job. Herbert Freudenberger, also noted a range of other symptoms: Physical symptoms: Headaches, fatigue, insomnia, gastrointestinal issues, and a weakened immune system. Behavioral changes: Increased irritability, frustration, cynical, displaying suspicious or victim-like behavior, and difficulty concentrating. Psychological distress: A general feeling of being unwell or malaise, anxiety, and a diminished ability to feel happiness.
Burnout is differed from the stress in its chronicity and depth. Stress is usually a short-term reaction to a specific trigger, like a tight deadline. It goes away once the problem is solved. Burnout is a long-term state of exhaustion that builds up over time from constant, unresolved stress.
Burnout has many different causes, including issues at work, in our social lives, and with our own personal habits. In workplace burnout is typically cause by excessive demands, lack of control or autonomy, poor relationship, provide insufficient resources or foster toxic cultures, unfairness and values are mismatched. Beyond occupational settings, students experience burnout due to excessive academic load, lack of support, insufficient rest, poor time management, financial stress, unrealistic expectations, lack of motivation or interest, where as in caregiving roles it is due to lack of support, role confusion, Physical and emotional demands and financial strain. The increasing expectation to always be connected and “hustle” makes it harder to separate work from your personal life. This lack of clear boundaries prevents people from truly recovering and resting, which in turn quietly fuels a crisis like burnout or chronic stress.
Addressing burnout needs changes both at work and for individuals. Companies can help by giving people reasonable workloads, recognizing their efforts, and encouraging a good work-life balance. One proven method is job crafting, where employees adjust their jobs to better fit their strengths. This can make work more engaging and less stressful. Individually, people can fight burnout with mindfulness, regular exercise, and good time management. It’s also important to get support from friends or professionals to feel less alone.
Burnout often happens without a sound. It builds up slowly, especially in jobs with a lot of pressure. People might ignore early signs of burnout. They think it’s their own fault, a personal weakness. They don’t see it as a problem with their workplace. This thinking makes people wait too long to get help. It also makes mental health seem like a bad thing in the workplace.
To sum up, burnout is a serious problem for our minds. It hurts not just individuals, but also companies and society. We need to learn the signs of burnout. We also have to fix the deep-seated reasons for it. We must create a work culture where people care for one another. This is how we prevent burnout and help people get better. Instead of pushing people to their limits, we should aim for a healthy and long-lasting commitment to work. This can protect our mental health and help us be productive for a long time.