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One of the things nobody ever mentions is that burnout (by any definition) isn't necessarily bad. It could just be that you don't want the job you have anymore

One of the things nobody ever mentions is that burnout (by any definition) isn't necessarily bad. It could just be that you don't want the job you have anymore – and that is often good! You get to find a job you do want and your employer gets to find somebody who wants to do your job more than you do.

mistrial9 3y ago
one thing people don't realize is, serious injury on the job isn't necessarily bad! It could be that the job was just too dangerous and difficult for you. You will be removed from the jobsite, and maybe that is what you wanted all along. Someone else that wants to have a job can take the one you left. And your employer gets a benefit from getting a fresh, uninjured person.
boesboes 3y ago
yeah, hard disagree. Once you burn out, you are way too late to just find a new job. I'm currently going though something close to a burn out, things like making coffee can make me cry. Haven't slept more than 3 hours in a month and can barely form a coherent sentence half the time. But hey, at least now i know i need to find a new job! Sure that is gonna go great.
- nonrepeating 3y ago
  Good lord. That sounds like a living death, and I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing that. I can think of ten different optimistic aphorisms to spout at you right now, but instead I’ll respect you enough to simply acknowledge what you’re going through and agree that life should be better than that.
- 000ooo000 3y ago
  Nevermind that putting on your clown shoes and doing the Pls Hire Me dance is one of the most dehumanising parts of working life. If burnout makes you sad, just stop being sad and get a new job!
lisasays 3y ago
Right, but only in the sense that depression and anxiety aren't "bad", they're just "pain signals". You get to find a job you do want and your employer gets to find somebody who wants to do your job more than you do. As if the root problem is that you just don't want to really do your job. (As opposed to the far more likely: you absolutely did when you started out -- until the employer started getting in the way. And telling you to take more yoga classes as a way of coping).
- paulcole 3y ago
  > As opposed to the far more likely: you absolutely did when you started out -- until the employer started getting in the way You can be the thing that changed as well.
  - lisasays 3y ago
    Yup, that's how burnout works -- by tricking you into continually coming up with reasons to believe that it's all your fault. Fortunately, however -- once you have enough observational data with these things (so as to be able to make a balanced assessment about them) -- it becomes perfectly reasonable to come to the conclusion that "It isn't me, it's them." Cause you know, sometimes it just is.
wonderwonder 3y ago
Burn out follows you from job to job. I burned out 3 jobs ago and am still fried. I take it you have never burned out as it seems you dont understand to complete mental wall that it erects in your mind that crushes everything in both your work and pesonal life.
- swayvil 3y ago
  In your 3 jobs, was the work the same or different? I mean, was it all computer stuff or did you change it up with ditchdigging?
  - wonderwonder 3y ago
    The same, software. Can't really afford to take the massive paycut that comes from starting a new career now. I actually did it once ~15 years ago. Left software due to burn out and took a 50% paycut. All my stress disappeared. White collar non sales jobs are pretty easy coming from a software background if you have some complementary people skills. The complexity is much lower so it's easier to shine. Was great for a few years then decided to have kids so I needed more $ and went back to software. The stress had just been waiting for me the whole time :)
    - swayvil 3y ago
      That would explain why the burnout persisted over the next jobs. It was the same work.
      - wonderwonder 3y ago
        yup, no real way to avoid it though
outworlder 3y ago
> One of the things nobody ever mentions is that burnout (by any definition) isn't necessarily bad. That is completely missing the point of what burnout actually is. Some people take years to recover - good luck starting a new job. Dissatisfaction with the current job is a signal to go somewhere else. Being on the verge of completely stopping to function as a human being is necessarily bad.
swayvil 3y ago
Seriously. If your lifestyle is making you feel bad then that's a sure sign. No mystery there.
grugagag 3y ago
Burnout is bad. I recovered after a bad episode but feel I lost some faculties because of it, can’t tap into some skills I used to have any longer. Maybe im more resilient now but that’s because I won’t let burnout build up anymore and enter a don’t give a shit mode to protect my sanity. And all this to make more bucks for some rich arses.

mistrial9 3y ago

one thing people don't realize is, serious injury on the job isn't necessarily bad! It could be that the job was just too dangerous and difficult for you. You will be removed from the jobsite, and maybe that is what you wanted all along. Someone else that wants to have a job can take the one you left. And your employer gets a benefit from getting a fresh, uninjured person.

boesboes 3y ago

yeah, hard disagree. Once you burn out, you are way too late to just find a new job. I'm currently going though something close to a burn out, things like making coffee can make me cry. Haven't slept more than 3 hours in a month and can barely form a coherent sentence half the time. But hey, at least now i know i need to find a new job! Sure that is gonna go great.

nonrepeating 3y ago
Good lord. That sounds like a living death, and I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing that. I can think of ten different optimistic aphorisms to spout at you right now, but instead I’ll respect you enough to simply acknowledge what you’re going through and agree that life should be better than that.
000ooo000 3y ago
Nevermind that putting on your clown shoes and doing the Pls Hire Me dance is one of the most dehumanising parts of working life. If burnout makes you sad, just stop being sad and get a new job!

lisasays 3y ago

Right, but only in the sense that depression and anxiety aren't "bad", they're just "pain signals". You get to find a job you do want and your employer gets to find somebody who wants to do your job more than you do. As if the root problem is that you just don't want to really do your job. (As opposed to the far more likely: you absolutely did when you started out -- until the employer started getting in the way. And telling you to take more yoga classes as a way of coping).

paulcole 3y ago
> As opposed to the far more likely: you absolutely did when you started out -- until the employer started getting in the way You can be the thing that changed as well.
- lisasays 3y ago
  Yup, that's how burnout works -- by tricking you into continually coming up with reasons to believe that it's all your fault. Fortunately, however -- once you have enough observational data with these things (so as to be able to make a balanced assessment about them) -- it becomes perfectly reasonable to come to the conclusion that "It isn't me, it's them." Cause you know, sometimes it just is.

wonderwonder 3y ago

Burn out follows you from job to job. I burned out 3 jobs ago and am still fried. I take it you have never burned out as it seems you dont understand to complete mental wall that it erects in your mind that crushes everything in both your work and pesonal life.

swayvil 3y ago
In your 3 jobs, was the work the same or different? I mean, was it all computer stuff or did you change it up with ditchdigging?
- wonderwonder 3y ago
  The same, software. Can't really afford to take the massive paycut that comes from starting a new career now. I actually did it once ~15 years ago. Left software due to burn out and took a 50% paycut. All my stress disappeared. White collar non sales jobs are pretty easy coming from a software background if you have some complementary people skills. The complexity is much lower so it's easier to shine. Was great for a few years then decided to have kids so I needed more $ and went back to software. The stress had just been waiting for me the whole time :)
  - swayvil 3y ago
    That would explain why the burnout persisted over the next jobs. It was the same work.
    - wonderwonder 3y ago
      yup, no real way to avoid it though

outworlder 3y ago

> One of the things nobody ever mentions is that burnout (by any definition) isn't necessarily bad. That is completely missing the point of what burnout actually is. Some people take years to recover - good luck starting a new job. Dissatisfaction with the current job is a signal to go somewhere else. Being on the verge of completely stopping to function as a human being is necessarily bad.

swayvil 3y ago

Seriously. If your lifestyle is making you feel bad then that's a sure sign. No mystery there.

grugagag 3y ago

Burnout is bad. I recovered after a bad episode but feel I lost some faculties because of it, can’t tap into some skills I used to have any longer. Maybe im more resilient now but that’s because I won’t let burnout build up anymore and enter a don’t give a shit mode to protect my sanity. And all this to make more bucks for some rich arses.