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Burnout. This term has spread like wildfire over the last several years - understandably so. Since the pandemic in 2020, we started hearing about this phenomenon called burnout, mostly among front-line workers in healthcare, manufacturing, and any industry that required people to be in person during one of the scariest times in history. The interesting thing, though, is that the conversation about burnout didn’t dissipate and fade like the talk about the COVID-19 virus did.
Why, in a time when things should have gotten better, did burnout stay at the forefront of the news and media?
What is Burnout?
Burnout is characterized by three things:
- Depersonalization
- Decreased professional efficacy
- Emotional exhaustion
When true burnout occurs, it can take months or even years to improve. It is a formal medical diagnosis that your doctor or clinician can make. Currently, burnout is related only to occupation. Simply put, burnout is chronic stress along with a loss of hope that anything will change in your reality. This, in turn, causes physical manifestations such as high blood pressure, chronic disease, headaches, and more.
What Burnout is NOT:
Burnout is not fatigue or tiredness, laziness, something that can be fixed by taking a vacation, nor is it all in your head. It is real. It is difficult to go through. However, it's something that can be managed if you understand it and are willing to take action.
I suffered from burnout when I practiced medicine as a physician assistant. I loved helping people in my clinic, but I also felt this sense of hopelessness because I saw that patients wanted to get well. However, we were exclusively treating chronic disease. The root of burnout for me was a lack of self-awareness regarding my future tendencies and also something called social cognitive theory and structural theory. 
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