While stress is a natural and generally productive response to our environment, burnout is the result of prolonged exposure to stressors without recovery or active release. If left unchecked, chronic stress can progress into burnout, but what if the way we view burnout is part of the problem? What if burnout was not just an individual problem but a reflection of the environments, values ​​and systems in which we live and work? Perhaps it’s time to challenge conventional wisdom about burnout and reimagine what it means to live and work sustainably.

Here are seven ideas that can help change the perspective on burnout:

1. Burnout shouldn’t be the price you pay for success. For many high-performing professionals, it’s almost as if burnout is considered an inevitable part of the job. In an article for the Harvard Business ReviewBurnout researcher Kandi Wiens writes that “burnout has become the new standard in many work environments.” The sad truth is that many people now expect to one day feel burnedHowever, success should not come at the expense of our health and well-being. This requires creating supportive environments and sustainable practices where success and well-being can coexist.

2. Burnout is a signal that we need to slow down, reevaluate and reprioritize. In this fast-paced and ever-changing professional landscape, we are often challenged to do more, be more, and excel, whatever the cost. In many ways, hustle culture is still hailed and celebrated as the only way forward. We see exhaustion worn like a badge of honor. And too often, symptoms of burnout, such as chronic fatigue, cynicismand emotional detachment are only addressed when they become severe, making recovery more difficult. Being self-aware and listening to what your body is telling you can help mitigate long-term consequences. You can explore some of the common signs and symptoms in my article: “5 Stages of Burnout: Assessing Where You Are.”

3. Burnout is the curse of the strong. Many people view burnout as a sign of personal weakness or failure. But the reality is that burnout is not a skills gap. It’s not just about work or lack of borders. Burnout is the curse of the strong. It hits the hardest workers in every room. Those people who are diligent. Those who care deeply. People who suffer from burnout try to carry the weight of the world with both hands and rarely ask for help. People who don’t care, those who cut corners, or those who accept that others carry the load don’t burn out.

4. Time spent outside of our values ​​contributes to burnout. Working with thousands of people all over the world, I’ve learned that it’s not just the volume and time of work that leads to burnout; it’s the time spent outside of our values ​​that is also a contributing factor. When we spend time living and working outside of our values, it erodes our soul. We feel disconnected from the things that matter most to us. For example, maybe you enjoy being a present parent, but find yourself setting your kids up on their devices every night so you can just finish “a few” emails. Or maybe you want to take your elderly parent to doctor’s appointments, but you can’t do so because your schedule isn’t flexible. When this happens over and over again, this low-level resentment can start to build, making us more likely to pick up on all the irritants around us. When we live in alignment with our values, we are able to guard against burnout while creating lives that fulfill us.

5. Active recovery practices are necessary to support our well-being. When we rely on quick fixes, we only delay the onset or inevitable return of burnout because we don’t address the root causes. Very often we see people step away from work, whether for days, weeks or months, to get the rest and recovery they need to get back to their baseline, but once they returned to work, they regress in the state of professional burnout in which they were previously.

This highlights the importance of integrating sustainable micro-practices into our lives and routines to keep us healthy every day, not just when we’re feeling exhausted and exhausted. We need to find environments, behaviors and habits that allow us to recover and cope in real time. In my message, “10 Active Recovery Practices to Stay Healthy While Working“, I share some research-backed practices that can keep us healthy while we do good work. These practices that support work-life integration and our need to rest and recharge serve not only to prevent burnout, but also to cultivate our highest and most authentic potential.

6. Burnout isn’t just about self-care; it is also an organizational responsibility. When it comes to combating burnout, the focus is often on the individual. How can we “fix” them? What can they do “better”? The reality is that burnout is not just about the individual; this may be a sign that systemic changes are needed within an organization. We see factors such as excessive workloads, poor managementand lack of resources and support contributing to burnout levels.

Telling people that personal resilience and self-care will only fix the situation is not the solution. In my message, “6 Ways to Keep Your High-Performing Team From Burning Out“, I suggest ways teams and organizations can address six key areas to create an environment that supports employees’ emotional health and psychological safety.

7. Burnout isn’t limited to work. Although burnout is real, accepting it as the only definition can limit its scope and impact on our health and well-being. For many people, the lives we lead outside of work are often more complicated than the tasks within our professional practices. Our personal responsibilities, such as provision of care or managing household demands, also come with a huge amount of invisible tasks and emotional labor. Non-work burnout is an equally valid experience, but it is not uncommon for people who suffer from it to blame themselves for their struggles and hide those struggles from others.

Final Thoughts

As burnout remains a complex and multifaceted challenge, it is important that we rally around our colleagues, teammates and loved ones who are experiencing it. I hope that some of these insights will spark meaningful changes in our conversations about burnout and help us move toward more systemic and sustainable approaches to preventing and managing burnout.

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