Burnout Library

Burnout sneaks in. It marinates over years until one day, you’re drowning and you just can’t get your head above water. 

You’re pushing harder than ever and still losing ground. You’re waking up exhausted, even after a full night’s sleep. You’re snapping at your spouse, zoning out when your kids talk, or pouring a drink the second you get home.

 One day, you wake up and don’t recognize the person you’ve become. 

• You’re running on caffeine and cortisol. Coffee, adrenaline, and willpower are the only things keeping you going.

• You’re losing patience fast. The little things set you off—at work and at home.

• Bad habits are becoming a crutch. A glass to unwind turns into two, then three. Video games, social media doom scrolling – all of it.

• You feel distant from the people who you love. Physically present, mentally somewhere else.

• Your performance and passion is gone. You used to love the challenge—now it’s just another day to get through.

And the other part? You tell yourself you just need to get over this hump, close this deal, fix this problem—then it’ll be better. But it never is. Because burnout doesn’t fix itself. It keeps taking until there’s nothing left.

Let’s explore some of the biggest lies to have ever existed regarding burnout:

Self-Care Will Fix IT!

Fact: There is NO scientific evidence that says “self-care” prevents or fixes burnout. Effective burnout management requires WAY more than “self-care.”

You Just Need to Take Time Off.

Fact: There is no scientific evidence that going on a vacation or taking time off work will fix burnout. Yes, time off is often required to pause the nonstop flow of stressors that add to your burnout. But taking time off isn’t the answer to burnout and will not fix burnout. Because what happens when you go back to work?Burnout will be there waiting for you.

Burnout is Just Being Overextended.

Fact: Burnout is more than just physical fatigue. It encompasses emotional exhaustion, detachment from work or responsibilities, and a sense of ineffectiveness. It affects your mental health, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Burnout really just impacts nurses and healthcare professionals:

Fact: While high-stress jobs are a common context for burnout, it can affect anyone. This includes caregivers, students, and individuals in any role where stress and demands become overwhelming.

Burnout is because you just can’t handle the job.

Fact: Experiencing burnout is NOT a sign of personal weakness or failure. It is a response to chronic stress and systemic issues in work environments or life circumstances. Addressing burnout requires understanding and systemic changes, not just personal willpower.

Why do some people get burnt out – when others just don’t? 

Consider this: You have to care a lot about your work to get burnt out in the first place. 

Burnout isn’t random—it’s a complete storm of personal tendencies, work demands, and societal pressure. And if you’re a high achiever, Type A, or someone who’s always set the bar high, you’re already wired for burnout. 

What does the research say on this? 

Personal Causes

Some people can coast, do the bare minimum, and sleep like a baby. You’re not one of them. If you’re burning out, chances are your own wiring is playing a role.

• High achiever mentality – You push harder than most and don’t know how to turn it off.

• Type A & perfectionism – “Good enough” isn’t in your vocabulary, which means there’s always more to do.

• Prone to anxiety – Your brain is always running, planning, and overthinking.

• ADHD – Hyperfocus keeps you in overdrive, but it also keeps you from noticing when you’re running on empty.

• Depression – Pushing through the exhaustion instead of acknowledging it, until it starts pushing back.

• Difficulty setting boundaries – Saying no feels like failure, so you just take on more.

• Self-worth tied to productivity – Rest feels lazy. Slowing down feels wrong. So you don’t.

Work Causes

Your job isn’t just a job—it’s an identity, a mission, a competition. And work today isn’t built for balance.

• 24/7 availability – Work doesn’t end at 5. Emails, Slack, and late-night calls make sure of that.

• High-pressure roles – If you’re the one making the big decisions, there’s no room for mistakes—or rest.

• Never-ending to-do lists – There’s always more. More deals, more meetings, more goals, more fires to put out.

• Toxic productivity culture – Hustle harder, sleep less, be grateful you have a job—sound familiar?

• Lack of control – You’re responsible for everything, but half of it is out of your hands.

Societal Causes

We live in a world that glorifies burnout and calls it ambition.

• Work is your worth – If you’re not busy, what are you even doing with your life?

• Hustle culture is a badge of honor – Burnout isn’t seen as a problem—it’s proof you’re “dedicated.”

• Tech keeps you always on – There’s no such thing as unplugging when your phone is your office.

• Social comparison – Everyone else looks like they’re crushing it, so you feel like you have to keep up.

• No room for failure – Slowing down feels like falling behind, and falling behind feels like failing.

You can see how even just 2 parts of each category can set someone up for burnout.

It’s no wonder we are in an epidemic of the syndrome.

Burnout sticks around, it follows you home, into your body, your relationships, and your purpose in life.

Generally, what I observe is that longer it goes unchecked, the more it takes from you. (That’s why early intervention is so important!) 

Relationships Break Down

• Always distracted → work is still on your mind, even at home.

• Short fuse → patience gone, snapping at the people you love.

• Isolating without realizing it → no energy to socialize, easier to stay in.

• Partner feels it → less connection, more stress dumping.

• Kids notice → they don’t get why you’re always “too busy” or never fully there.

Your Body Pays the Price

• Constant stress wears down your heart → higher blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease.

• Your immune system takes a hit → getting sick more often, slower recovery.

• Always exhausted but can’t sleep → wired at night, drained during the day.

• Hormones out of whack → weight gain, digestive issues, mood swings.

• Coping mechanisms kick in → more caffeine, more alcohol, more quick fixes.

The Thing You Worked So Hard For (Work)

• You stop bringing your A-game → slower thinking, bad decisions, mistakes.

• The work you loved? Feels like a burden now.

• Emotionally checked out → showing up but not really there.

• Risk of career derailment → burnout doesn’t just fade, it forces change.

• No motivation to climb higher → everything feels like too much effort.

Losing Your Purpose

• Passion fades → the thing that used to drive you? Feels meaningless now.

• “What’s the point?” → you start questioning everything.

• Regret sneaks in → all those sacrifices… were they worth it?

• Feeling stuck → can’t keep going like this, but don’t see a way out.

• Lost perspective → spent so long chasing goals, you don’t even know what fulfillment looks like anymore.

These are just a few off the top of my head. There are countless more..

Since the discovery of burnout as an occupational phenomenon in the early 1970s, researchers from a variety of professions and academic backgrounds have published countless articles in developing a comprehensive understanding of the syndrome. American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger first used the term burnout to illustrate the negative mental effects and high demands of healthcare professionals, such as in nursing and medicine.

Freudenberger’s early contributions to the study of burnout were influenced by his experience working in an addiction clinic in New York, as he noticed a decrease in general well-being among clinical staff and volunteers. His early observations included symptoms that manifest in both physical and work domains, bearing similarity to insomnia and depression because of an excess of work demands. However, Freudenberger was not only an observer of these symptoms, as he soon reported experiencing the ill effects of the challenging nature of his occupation. Along with exhaustion symptoms, he noticed a decrease in the efficacy of his work and a decrease in empathy in the volunteers at the clinic. As a result of his personal experience and observations of his fellow staff, Freudenberger published his original article, Staff Burnout, in 1974. This was the first known publication outlining burnout as a problem in the academic literature.

Soon after Freudenberger’s original publication, interest in the phenomenon grew in both the academic and public domains. Over the next few years, private and public discussions grew on an individual and organizational level regarding stress in the workplace. Social psychologist Christina Maslach elaborated upon Freudenberger’s original work in her research on how individuals respond to stressful workplace environments. Her research identified common responses such as social isolation, avoidance, and reduction of innovation and novel solutions to work-related problems. Dr. Christina Maslach has since published dozens of studies on burnout and has contributed to much of the research available today.