Burnout is the term used to describe a long stint of physical and mental exhaustion caused by extensive stress or being overworked. Needless to say, this has become an ever growing problem in the working world today, and one that is usually left untreated. But perhaps the more pressing issue is how narrow of a scope recognizes their symptoms. Regardless of whether or not they are treated. The same symptoms of apathy followed by irritability and exhaustion seem to be common just as much is students and single parents as in star employees. The main common thread between them seems to be that in many ways the person suffering from burnout is made to feel as though it is their fault. So as many students prepare for finals and the middle of the fiscal year for many others, it may be worth discussing the condition.
As far as is currently known, the primary cause for burnout in most people stems from a very deep frustration and stress caused by the daily grind of work. In many cases the catalyst is an insurmountable workload or a sense of one’s work having no purpose. Maybe a boss takes credit for all of their employee’s accomplishments, maybe the person is struck with a midlife crisis, ultimately the outcome is the same. Frustration grows as the work piles on until eventually it blossoms into anger and apathy. In many cases, it is more than a simple restful weekend can remedy. Most cases of burnout that are recognized as such last for weeks, months, or even years.
Worse than the fact that this condition is as common as it is; burnout is treated in many professions by many people as a liability. People suffering from it are often made to feel as though it is their own fault. They are the ones that can’t handle the stresses of the job. They are the ones with the problem. This is often something that greatly angers the psychologists that study the condition as it is simply untrue. Moreover, the work ethic that causes it in most cases is the very thing that got the people most at risk of burnout hired in the first place. Or, alternatively, the very thing that got them into the university that causes them to feel they need to work so hard.
In many cases, if a college student shows signs of burnout it is ignored; passed off as part of the process of getting through higher education. If a person in the workforce went days without sleep and subsisted of ramen noodles and coffee in preparation for a project, red flags would be raised. If a university student does the same they are applauded, in fact, if they don’t they may be criticized as to why they didn’t. While much could no doubt be said for the health concerns raised by this behavior in either case, a proper psychological article on burnout would do the topic more justice than can be done here. Suffice to say it is highly unhealthy and ultimately leads to conditions that worsen the symptoms and further the cycle that causes the the condition to last as long as it does. But perhaps the worst of it is that going through one’s university years like this often sets the very president for how work should be handled that leads to burnout in the workplace.
The mentality in which burnout is approached may play a major role in how bad it can get for some people, if it is even recognized and acknowledged at all. This is unlikely to change soon, but it is still worth acknowledging in some form.
