7 Things We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Being Burnt Out

We all know it.

The dreadful and paralyzing feeling of not being able to do the things we want to and not having any inspiration.

Even though commonly referred to as being ‘burnt out’, this sensation has nothing to do with spending too much time in the sun. It’s the times when we feel like we don’t want to do anything, even though we actually would like to. It’s the times we would do anything to be productive, but we simply feel like there’s nothing left in us. Contrary to what you might be thinking, it’s something everyone goes through, no matter what industry or field you work in, or what you do in life.

The common things people always mention when referring to this predicament are lack of motivation, frustration or exhaustion, however, there are things that we all feel yet no one is willing to talk about. Sometimes it’s because we believe that hiding something makes it go away, but more often than not, we are conditioned to think that there are certain things we shouldn’t discuss publicly. Let’s try and change that.

1. Depression and anxiety

For most of us, being uninspired and unproductive leads to feelings of despair and worthlessness. This, in turn, is often a major cause of depression and anxiety since we spent half of our time being unmotivated and then we’re nervous because we were unproductive. And the vicious cycle continuous. The problem here is how to make yourself get out of it. You can’t simply start doing things, because it’s not that simple. If it was, no one would feel this way.

2. Social isolation

Another thing we don’t often discuss is the fact that with feeling burnt out comes the need to isolate ourselves from our family, friends and loved ones. We feel as if we have nothing to contribute, so we might as well stay in and wallow in our sorrows. Additionally, the overwhelming exhaustion that is an inseparable part of being burnt out, doesn’t allow us to be social because our energy is spent. So, we choose the comfortable company of our four walls. Unfortunately, that’s never the solution. Being alone when experiencing these strong feelings is never the answer, and it can even worsen your self-worth.

3. Substance abuse

Even though it might not happen to everyone, it’s still a major outcome of feeling burnt out these days. We feel like we’re not being productive and hard-working, we blame ourselves making our sense of self spiral even further down and so, we reach for something that can help us cope. For some it’s alcohol, and for others, it might even be drugs. Today’s society romanticizes the idea of substance abuse in books and movies making the person seem like someone we want to become. They look glamorous and we’re convinced that it’s the way to go. However, we cannot fall into that belief. It’s incredibly easy to lose ourselves in an addiction, therefore we have to remember that it’s not the solution to any of our problems.

4. Abandoning your responsibilities

When your work or hobby requires creativity and constant motivation, your paychecks may suffer as well. You are unable to focus on tasks that used to be a pleasure for you, and every single thing that you used to do in a heartbeat now takes you hours or even days. Being burnt out affects us both physically and mentally, which means that we start seeing our life as a grey monotonous routine instead of a colorful joyful ride it used to be.

5. Lack of self-worth

When you’re isolated from your friends, when you have no inspiration, and when you seek relaxation in unhealthy forms, your self-worth suffers tremendously. You feel like you’re not good enough and we’re taught not to talk about such things. Partly, because we’re told that it’s not important to love yourself, which is one of the biggest lies you’re ever going to hear. Self-worth is the key to feeling happy and productive, which means it can cure being burnt out if you start believing that you’re capable of remarkable things!

6. Pressure from society

Watching everyone have seemingly perfect lives on social media, happiness, and success, makes us feel as if we have to live up to unrealistic expectations. However, no one ever talks about the fact that we never post about the moments we were broke and couldn’t afford to go out or the times we were crying over a breakup. People try to paint a picturesque idea of their lives and convince their followers that it’s exactly how their lives look like. When you’re feeling down, it’s easy to fall for that illusion, but we need to remember to give ourselves a break and be humans. And humans aren’t perfect.

7. Unexplainable anger

Once everything seems to go wrong, and you are exhausted from doing even the smallest tasks, everyone and everything around you can make you upset and angry. You’re taking your frustration out on your friends, family and significant others. Your anger is misdirected and can cause strains in your relationships that are vital to your happiness and satisfaction in life. Irritability is very common when we’re feeling burnt out, but again, no one is willing to talk about that and discards it as something that everybody feels. We should just get over it without addressing the issue. According to today’s society, a lot of problems shouldn’t be addressed, which is the wrong way of thinking about it. Something we put aside doesn’t solve itself.

Being burnt out is generally associated with creative work, but it can happen to anyone in any field. The issue starts when we refuse to talk about the problems we’re experiencing and we’re burying them deep inside. Talking about what bothers us and what happens in our lives is one of the easiest ways to feel better. We need to try and break the stigma that’s being perpetuated today and talk. Talk about anything and everything. It’s one of the wonders of being human. We love to talk so let’s do it!