The term ‘burnout’ often gets misused, leading to confusion about what it truly means. If we look at the definition from the National Institute of Health - they define burnout as:
‘A psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job. The three key dimensions of this response are an overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment from the job, and a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.’
Although I’ve personally never experienced burnout to its full extent (I do recognise some times in my life when I was getting dangerously close to the edge though), I work with a lot of people who have. One client described it as, ‘No matter how much you took off my plate, I just couldn’t shift the feeling of overwhelm, exhaustion and total lack of motivation.’
So it’s important to call out here that burnout goes further than stress. It’s more than feeling exhausted. Those things can be indicators that you’re at risk of burnout, but burnout itself is a form of psychological shutdown in response to chronic stress.
With that definition in mind, it’s not hard to see why burnout is so prevalent in startups. Even the best run startups are chaotic, demanding and relentless. Sure, the highs can be great, but even those are often a double edged sword - you raised that big funding round - queue trumpets and fanfare, and the article in Forbes, and your name on some lists - but then the realisation sets in that you now have to deliver on the massive goals you outlined to potential investors. The mismatch between the moonshot vision and goals most startups espouse, and the resources they currently have available to move toward that vision, provide the perfect pressure cooker environment to burn folks out.
When you amplify that environment with a cultural narrative that glamourises ‘hustle’ and self-sacrifice; and then you throw into that environment a significant number of ‘anxious high achievers’ (a lot of Enneagram type 3’s) - it can all be a recipe for mental health disaster.
There is no silver bullet for burnout. But burnout can be prevented, managed and treated, so don’t lose hope. Here are some of the things you might consider.
Be clear on the fact it’s a bad thing
It sounds trite to say, but I know people who see burnout as a badge of honour. The ultimate evidence of hustling for the cause. Let’s just be clear that burnout sucks - it’s bad for you, your company and everyone around you. We should be careful not to blame those who experience burnout, but let’s not treat it as a desirable place to end up.
Prevention is better than cure
There is no set recovery path from burnout, but most people I know who’ve experienced it have had a 12+ month journey to recover from it, in which they’ve had to pull back in many important areas of their life. It’s typically not something you bounce back from quickly. So all the more important to spot the warning signs and proactively take steps to manage things before getting to a place of burnout. Some warning signs might include: exhaustion, irritability, inability to focus, disrupted sleep, increased reliance on coping mechanisms e.g. eating, drinking.
Your responsibilities vs. organisational
Burnout is not just an individual problem, it’s often a structural or organisational one. There are things that are within your control to change but if you continue in the same environment, then you’ll need the support of the organisation around you. Approach it as a collective problem, not an individual one. Some of the changes might include redefining your role within the organisation, or redistributing certain responsibilities.