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I have a much more succinct description of burnout: Burnout is a broken narrative. Everyone has ups and downs, and everyone expects that. We persevere, howev
by dropit_sphere 13y ago
I have a much more succinct description of burnout:
Burnout is a broken narrative.
Everyone has ups and downs, and everyone expects that. We persevere, however, because we believe, however irrationally, that it will work out in the end.
Burnout is believing that no, it probably won't.
The way that someone stops believing this is very reasonable---they take risks with the assurance that it will work out ("low salary, but look at the equity! Keep working!"), and then it doesn't (company shuts down). Or perhaps "we promise this is the last crunch" --- and it never is.
Don't confuse this with a lack of trust. Healthy people who don't trust their employers leave and start a company/work for someone else. Burnout is when you don't see a happy ending anywhere.
- chmike 13y agoSounds like a depression.
- neohaven 13y agoWhich is why burnout is mostly work-induced depression.
- flipcoder 13y agohow would someone know if it's work-induced? Depression is commonly attributed to things that weren't actually the cause.
- dnautics 13y agodepression is chronic and not necessarily tied to real expectations of real things. Burnout is acute, most people with burnout snap back, although it might take a while.
- dropit_sphere 13y agoWhile this is true, I think "fuzzy forecast of the general future" is the thing that ties them together. That chronic depression is caused by chemicals rather than external data seems to be a minor point (well, not for treatment, but you know what I mean). I'm not sure it's possible to simultaneously believe "in the future, I will be deliriously happy," and be depressed.
- burntroots 13y agoAnd/or adrenal fatigue.