5 Ways To Avoid Burnout

Take a deep breath. Focus on that breath. Feel it enter your lungs. Listen to the air swish through your nostrils. Hold that breath. How do you feel? Embrace the stillness of the moment. Now exhale. Slowly. How do you feel?

Still crazed? Yeah, me too. It’s called burnout.

This state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress is becoming increasingly common, particularly among young professionals encouraged to “push through” their limits. But you rarely hear anyone talk about it.

I am writing this editorial note as a PSA. If you are like me, you obsess over success, the score is never high enough, and though the race is long over, like Cake sang:

Because he’s racing and pacing and plotting the course,

He’s fighting and biting and riding on his horse,

He’s going the distance,

No trophy, no flowers, no flashbulbs, no wine,

He’s haunted by something he cannot define.

And what is he, I, you… trying to define? What the win looks like.

In the modern rat race, we’re often sold a paradoxical dream: Relax, but do it quickly. With every scroll through our feeds, we’re bombarded by influencers who look like Greek gods and entrepreneurs who seem to never sleep. Enter the world of self-help gurus, the fitness-obsessed and grind culture.

If your social feed is like mine, it’s filled with self-motivation content. While inspiring at first, it can create unrealistic expectations and perpetual pressure to perform. You know, those posts featuring David Goggins who, on a slow day, accomplishes more before sunrise than most do in a week. While inspiring, the unending algorithm can push us toward an existential cliff.

Similarly, the current fitness culture promotes the idea that more is always better. This can lead to Overtraining Syndrome, a condition characterized by decreased performance, increased fatigue, persistent muscle soreness, mood disturbances, and more. This syndrome not only affects physical health but can also deteriorate one’s mental health, contributing further to burnout.

A meme comes to mind:

Therapist: What do we do when we are mentally and emotionally burnt out?

Me: Burn ourselves out physically, too?

Further, the glorification of “hustle culture” has led many people to believe that the only path to success is through constant work. This mindset equates busyness with success, where sleep is simply a concept and coffee is a food group. Here, we find entrepreneurs glorifying 18-hour workdays, somehow glossing over the part where they admit to crying in their vehicles from sheer exhaustion. 

This relentless pursuit can lead to sleep deprivation, a lack of work-life balance, and a host of stress-related health issues, such as anxiety and depression. The narrative that rest is for the weak, that leisure is a luxury and that one must use every spare minute productively is not only toxic but also unsustainable.

So, what do we do? Try the following:

1. Set realistic goals and small wins along the way.

2. Limit social media consumption. Try reading a book on Stoicism instead—Ryan Holiday's The Daily Stoic is a great place to start.

3. Recognize the importance of rest and recovery, both physical and mental. Scheduled downtime can prevent overworking and help maintain long-term productivity.

4. Practice mindfulness and meditation. Doing so can significantly reduce stress levels and enhance overall well-being.

5. Sure, consulting with a psychologist can provide strategies to manage stress and recover from burnout, but what I have found is that just confiding in a mentor helps dramatically. It’s OK to show weakness to people you trust.

While this message is not for everyone, it’s important to my fellow alphas. Heavy is the head who wears the crown…

Here’s one final piece of advice—get outside! Take this issue with you to the woods or to your closest lake bank. Take in the stillness of the natural world. Be present. Stop dwelling on what you have to do and focus on what you get to do. Because tomorrow is never promised, enjoy what God has given you today.

Good luck out there and make it a blessed spring season!