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Terminology may be a source of complication here. The word "burnout" became closely associated with drug addicts experiencing serious problems back in the 60s
by m0llusk 5y ago
Terminology may be a source of complication here. The word "burnout" became closely associated with drug addicts experiencing serious problems back in the 60s and 70s and has had stigma about it ever since.
In my experience "exhaustion" is a less provocative while also being a more accurate description of what is going on. Being in a competitive, high productivity mode as much as possible can take a toll on people especially in the modern always connected environment.
- bluefirebrand 5y agoThis seems like a weird quibble to have. "Burned out from work" has been an acceptable term for "extremely stressed and exhausted from work" for at least a decade. The workaholism comparison to drug addiction is actually pretty apt, too.
- shard 5y agoYes, I recall using the phrase "burned out from work" over 20 years ago. Maybe m0llusk is thinking of the phrase "cracked out"?
- samatman 5y agoIn this profession, "burnout" has a well-understood meaning. If you say you're suffering from burnout, people will mostly know what you mean, if you say "exhaustion" people will figure you're just not sleeping enough. No one is going to assume you did a ton of psychedelics or speed and broke your brain, even if that's what happened (I rather suspect stimulant use is a factor in more programmer burnout than one might like to think).