Recognise burnout for what it is

As much as feeling depleted or utterly exhausted will manifest physically, the real cause can often be traced back to unresolved issues that have been affecting one's mental health over time.

- By Freddie van Rensburg

As many of us started the work year again in January, now is a good time to reflect on burnout: what it is, how it presents itself and, most importantly, how to prevent it.

Burnout has become one of the defining mental health challenges of our time. Accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, blurred work-life boundaries and an always-on culture, many of us no longer work from home — we live at work. Understanding burnout as more than simple exhaustion is essential if we are to identify, prevent and meaningfully address it.

The World Health Organization classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. It is described as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been managed and is characterised by three core dimensions:

Importantly, burnout refers specifically to experiences in the occupational context, yet it is frequently used, incorrectly, to describe difficulties in other areas of life.

Burnout rarely arrives suddenly or unexpectedly. It is the result of a process, aptly captured by the pioneering endocrinologist Hans Selye, who said: “First things are difficult, then we get used to it, and finally we cannot stand it any more.”

This goes far beyond ordinary tiredness and may include:

As emotional resources are drained, people often cope by pulling away:

The final dimension of burnout strikes at identity and self-worth: