Are you burning out?

I used to think burnout was simply feeling exhausted, with no energy—mental or physical—to keep going. As the term suggests, my flame had burned out, and I couldn’t even run on reserve. However, I discovered that constant exhaustion (no matter how much I sleep) is only part of a potential burnout picture. It’s important but not enough to qualify as burnout.

The term “burnout” is now used everywhere, often without much thought. It’s become the go-to word when life gets hectic, and we feel overwhelmed by the speed of events and tasks. But burnout is more than just being “crazy-busy.”

It wasn’t until I came across Chris Bailey’s book, How to Calm Your Mind, that I realized I, too, had been using the term mindlessly, possibly creating negative energy by disregarding its true power.

The Burnout Formula

There are three components to burnout, and yes, exhaustion is one of them. But it’s only one-third of the formula. The other two parts are cynicism and inefficacy. While feeling completely wiped out is a core part, it doesn’t tell the whole story. We also tend to develop cynicism, a negative attitude that seeps into everything, and we start feeling unproductive as if our efforts make no difference. These three components are all necessary, but none is sufficient on its own.

Here’s a breakdown:

Exhaustion

Exhaustion happens when our body can’t mobilize energy. It’s not just physical—it’s mental, often accompanied by the inability to focus. When cumulative stress builds up, certain chemicals in our body, especially cortisol, become imbalanced. Cortisol, the stress hormone, naturally peaks in the morning to energize us and then declines toward the evening, allowing for rest. Chronic stress disrupts this, flattening the peaks and leaving us feeling depleted and without energy or the ability to respond.

Cynicism

Cynicism comes as pessimism and skepticism toward everything we do, regardless of the situation. It often includes a general distrust of others’ motives, assuming their actions are rooted in selfishness. Practically, this can show up as sarcasm, using humour to mask deeper distrust.

Inefficacy

The third component is inefficacy—feeling profoundly unproductive as if no matter how hard you try, nothing makes a difference. It’s not just about feeling inefficient; it’s about being unmotivated to accomplish anything as if your efforts are futile.

An Academic Definition

According to the World Health Organization and experts like Christina Maslach, PhD, “burnout is the ultimate manifestation of chronic stress”. Chronic stressors such as financial worries, relationship problems, or work issues, can lead to burnout when we don’t give ourselves time to recover. Even less obvious stressors, like social media, the world news or daily traffic, can contribute to this accumulation of stress.

So, ask yourself: Are you on the path to burnout, or do you just need a break, a spa or maybe a vacation?

The Opposite of Burnout

It’s easy to assume the opposite of burnout is a stress-free life, but it’s not. The opposite is engagement. Interestingly, you need stress—good stress—to stay engaged. The key is how you manage it. Acute stress, different than chronic stress, is the kind that comes and goes, helps push performance and doesn’t linger. Once it’s over, your body returns to baseline. Think of running to catch a flight: once you’re seated in the plane, the stress fades, and you’re just relieved you made it.

Instead of exhaustion, you feel energized. Instead of cynicism, you trust others and feel optimistic. Instead of inefficacy, you see your efforts making a difference. So now you see how these three factors move us along the engagement-burnout spectrum.

A Workplace Phenomenon

Burnout was first coined in the 1970s by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, who observed emotional and physical exhaustion in healthcare professionals. Dr. Christina Maslach later expanded on the concept, focusing on workplace burnout and identifying its three dimensions. Her work has shaped how we understand and assess burnout today.

Interestingly enough, since the pandemic, the lines between work and personal life have blurred, opening space for more non-work-related burnout. Hybrid and remote work have made burnout more common, as constant connectivity prevents many from “switching off”, leading to chronic stress, exhaustion, and ultimately, disengagement.

Assessing and Preventing Burnout

What can we do to assess if we’re heading toward burnout and take action to prevent it? Christina Maslach identified six key factors in the workplace that contribute to burnout or engagement. These factors can either foster chronic stress or make us flow at work. The better aligned we are with them, the more engaged we are and the less likely we are to experience burnout.

Workload

How much work do we have on our plate? The natural thought is to reduce the amount of work. But is this feasible? The key is understanding your available time, as there’s a direct relationship between workload and time. There’s only so much we can achieve in 24 hours. When the workload exceeds our available time, it becomes a problem. 

When working with clients, C-Suite executives, or front-line workers, the first action is to create a 24/7 schedule (click here to download) to understand your “real” time. Log everything you need to do in a week: sleep, eating, meal prep, transition times (e.g., taking kids to activities), and care of others. Make sure to include hobbies, rest and social time as well.

Once complete (with honesty), you’ll have a clear picture of your available time. The solution may not be to reduce the workload but to reshuffle your focus hours, block meeting-free time, delegate, and set priorities per task to guarantee efficiency and work-life balance. Or, it may require sharing work or saying “no” to projects and focusing on quality versus quantity. 

Values

In my opinion, this is a very influential factor. Is your work aligned with your values? Or are you doing work that goes against them? Values are core preferences that shape who you are. There are no right or wrong values. The key is alignment between your work and your values. When we act in line with them, we feel connected at a deeper level. When we don’t, it can create rumination and chronic stress. 

Doing a values exercise is not as simple as logging your schedule. It requires thought and focus. Start by writing down one or two of your core values. For me, one would be integrity. Use these to screen your work. I would ask myself, does my work, my clients, and my business partner (MV) help me act with integrity? How can you see your values shaping your results? Or work it backward—what areas of your work challenge your values? Is there something you can do to reduce that noise? 

Lack of Control

The third factor (and there’s no particular order) is our sense of control over when, where, and how we do our work. This is great in flexible work environments like remote or hybrid settings (if you are self-driven and disciplined) but terrible if you need structure. The question is, do you truly own what’s on your plate? No matter how important or trivial our work may be, having no control over how we work or deliver results is a potential contributor to chronic stress. 

From the previous exercise, once you’ve logged your available working time, think about how much of your work you control. This isn’t about power but agency over your work. 

Insufficient Reward

Do you feel fairly compensated and recognized for your contributions? If not, it’s draining. But rewards are not just financial. Three types of rewards influence chronic stress or engagement: financial (compensation), social (recognition), and intrinsic (enjoying the work itself). 

How do you feel about your rewards, and what can you do to improve them? Based on flow theory, you may improve your intrinsic rewards by increasing the challenge or interest in your job, getting more training, or improving skills to enhance performance. 

Community

Community involves our sense of connection with those around us. It’s not always a given at work, and remote or hybrid offices have made it even more challenging. There’s little community-building via Zoom. 

But community doesn’t mean making friends at the office. It’s about building strong, respectful relationships based on strengths, skills, and talents. It involves belonging to a group and giving and receiving relevant contributions. 

Community can make you engaged or lead to chronic stress and negative emotions. Can you network more within your team? Can you find individuals with similar professional interests outside of work to build a community? Log this time in your 24/7 schedule and make it part of your week’s plan. 

Fairness

The last factor is the feeling of being treated fairly in the workplace. This is tricky because we can’t control others, but we can control our actions, particularly concerning emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Fairness refers to the perception of equal treatment, unbiased decision-making, and justice at work. 

If you feel treated unfairly, start by seeking clarification from your supervisor. Open communication often resolves misunderstandings and shows you’re proactive. Engage in dialogue by presenting concerns professionally, using specific examples, and explaining how the situation affects your performance. Suggest solutions to address the issue.

Take your foot off the pedal

Now that you have an x-ray on burnout, avoid using the term if you are not (yet) there. Every cell in your body (and brain) will read your intention and drive you towards it. That said, if you feel that you are driving down the burnout road and away from engagement, then seek help and self-assess to learn what areas are easier and faster to correct.

Check on these six factors every so often, and take actions that may self-correct in these areas to prevent falling into any or all of the three components of burnout. Download the Burnout Prevention Guide here to keep this list of factors handy and share it with your team.

This knowledge, awareness and tools also equip you to help others, that may be colleagues, family members, students and friends. Being mindful of the definition and work-related factors contributing to burnout is incredibly helpful.

Stay well, and be engaged!

Rosana