understanding burnout authored by Leo Miller

1. Understanding Burnout
Authored by Leo D. Miller
Many people in the world of business are running into an issue of production never seen before
in history: Burnout
So what is burnout?
Burnout is described by HelpGuide as: “...a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion
caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally
drained, and unable to meet constant demands.”
What does that mean for those of us in the business world, how do we experience burnout?
Burnout can occur in a variety of ways, each with its own possibility of a negative impact, such
as-
▪ Working long and excessive hours to finish projects.
▪ Taking on too many responsibilities at the same time
▪ An overbearing workload mixed with home issues
▪ Corresponding with too many people or parties, over-networking
These issues arise from an ever-busy society that encourages us to be the best
entrepreneur/candidate we can be, sometimes to a detrimental effect. While it is always
admirable to strive to be the best worker or businessperson we can be, it is also admirable to
understand our own limitations.
Why worry about burnout?
Experiencing burnout can be detrimental to business productivity. Instead of steady workflow,
and projects getting finished; it becomes a spotty, inconsistent mess of unfinished work.
Working as a team requires all members to be actively doing their part, this cannot be if your
partners are too tired or overwhelmed to continue in a timely matter.
In my own search for a cure to burnout, I came across a book by a philosopher named Byung-
Chul Han called ‘The Burnout Society’; which explores the topic of burnout with a level of
complexity I had never thought possible. Han looks at the issue of burnout as the symptom of
large-scale systemic issues with globalization and neo-liberalization of consumer society. While
I don’t share the same level of pessimism as Han does about global society, I see his points
clearly pertaining to the way we position ourselves in the larger picture of the world, particularly
the business world.
A quote that stood out to me while reading Han’s text

2. “Depression—which often culminates in burnout—follows from overexcited, overdriven,
excessive self-reference that has assumed destructive traits. The exhausted, depressive
achievement-subject grinds itself down, so to speak. It is tired, exhausted by itself, and at war
with itself.”
We are always improving ourselves, gaining experience, and growing our networks. We seek to
maximize our impact in everything we do to produce the best results possible. Its come to my
attention that in the process of doing so, we have abandoned ourselves while in the pursuit of
ourselves.
How do we deal with burnout?
Upon wondering how to combat burnout I considered the sources of where it comes from in our
lives. It’s good to understand that burnout comes from both internal and external sources.
We overwork ourselves and push ourselves to the limits in the name of progress and profit,
without understanding that our newfound success cannot be fully enjoyed in the depleted state
we leave ourselves in. It is also good to understand that sometimes the overbearing stress we deal
with comes from outside of our control. The impact of war and disease in our current era weighs
heavy on all our chests and becomes yet another overbearing element amongst all of our other
problems in life.
It’s also good to understand the symptoms of burnout and deal with them as you see them.
Knowing your limits in life is a virtue known by few, but it can be the difference between
finishing your projects and feeling debilitated. Giving yourself time to process and work through
your stressors can allow you the opportunity to find the energy to finish strong. Make sure you’re
not overloading yourself with tasks; and taking care of your health, both mental and physical. If
you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed by all that’s arranged on your plate, then you know it’s
time to take a step back.
Another thing to consider is that burnout affects everyone, we all experience burnout in varying
degrees. With that in mind, practice empathy in the workplace. Acting with consideration can
make a difference in your team's productivity levels when nobody feels that they are being
overworked or tied down with excessive responsibility.
Make time to deal with stress in order to prevent burnout. Practice self-care and encourage
others to do the same. Knowing when to take a break from your work, it makes a whole world of
difference for your productivity. Not everyone can just drop everything and refrain from working
for a while, but you can still make time to decompress. As Han put it “Today we live in a world
that is very poor in interruption; “betweens” and “between-times” are lacking.” Make the time
you need to recover to keep your workflow steady.
Closing thoughts on burnout
Having considered the implications of burnout in the business world, one can start to work
towards maintaining an efficient flow. Know your own limits when managing multiple projects.
Take time to prioritize your health and the health of those around you. If you’re feeling stressed,
make time to recover so you can get back to full capacity. Our capacity to achieve in the business
world is affected greatly by burnout, so take the time to understand it and deal with stressors as

3. they come. As Han put it “it is not the excess of responsibility and initiative that makes one sick,
but the imperative to achieve”. With that in mind; don’t be afraid to take a break if you’re
experiencing burnout, you’ll feel better knowing you’re working at your fullest potential.