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In today’s fast-moving world, burnout is a real problem. It happens when stress builds up from working too much or feeling stuck in a routine. If you don't look forward to work and find no joy in your achievements, you might be facing burnout. This kind of stress makes you want to escape and can stop you from enjoying life. It’s not just about being busy; it’s the anxiety and stress that keeps you from feeling happy even when you succeed. That’s why self-care is so important. It helps you manage stress and find joy in what you do again.
"Supernova Burnout" is a term coined by clinical psychologist Dr. Steven Berglas to describe a chronic state of anxiety, disappointment, suffering, and depression that people experience (Berglas, 2001). This condition typically affects successful individuals who, despite their achievements, do not feel happy or confident. Instead, they feel anxious, fatigued, and even helpless, unable to derive satisfaction from their work, and overwhelmed by stress.
Being too ambitious
When people are very ambitious and maintain an attitude that success is the only option, they can easily become lazy and weary. By focusing solely on "success" and not finding the purpose and meaning in the work itself, they are filled with anxiety and stress before success, and once they achieve it, they lose their goals and feel empty. Lacking self-care, some may even become depressed as a result.
Lack of Psychological Fulfilment
Some highly accomplished individuals do not receive the psychological fulfilment they expect when they reach their goals. Society may celebrate their professional success and material wealth, but they do not find happiness and contentment from these achievements. Instead, they fall into anxiety and stress over what they have and what they could lose, affected by burnout.
Don't think that only successful people face these troubles of burnout. Living in a highly competitive environment, each of us carries various expectations from those around us, such as parents hoping you will stand out, or companies expecting your performance to continuously improve. These inevitable expectations often bring not only huge stress. When we have been working in the job market for years and reach a certain height, the responsibilities we carry become greater, and it's no longer a matter of resting when you wish. A high income comes with heavier burdens and greater anxiety. If negative emotional pressure dominates your life, success becomes handcuffs that restrain you and eventually lead to burnout.
1. Anxiety
After dedicating years of effort and time, with a burning desire to become an elite admired by all, the anxiety and stress over achieving success continuously mounts and causes burnout. There's a fear of not being accomplished enough or not sufficiently successful. Such anxiety doesn't subside even after attaining real success; the individuals discover that their life's problems haven't been resolved just because they've succeeded.
2. Lack of Motivation
There's a loss of drive following success: once certain achievements are reached, the original goals disappear, and there's a loss of motivation for the things around them. They might lack nothing in terms of necessities and might be respected by others, but inside, there's no drive to continue striving, exhausted by burnout.
3. Self-Limiting Beliefs
After becoming successful and gaining others' trust and respect, there's a tendency to abandon the things that genuinely interest them for fear of disappointing others and losing their approval. Those who self-limit oscillate between their accomplishments and the expectations of others, striving to close the gap between the two, which can also lead to "Supernova Burnout."
Most people's vision of success involves having enough money to live a comfortable life. While a stable income and lifestyle can provide a sense of security, it is impossible to feel inspired and fulfilled in a job that one has no real interest.
Even with a high-paying job, success that merely maintains the status quo is just monotonous work. A stable life burdened with distress is not enough to make one happy and can harm mental health. It is eustress, the positive stress, that gives life meaning and motivation and avoids burnout.
Distress
This is stress caused by unpleasant experiences, feeling tired or oppressed when challenged, and the negative mental and psychological state that arises when unable to adapt to change, such as fear.
Eustress
When people strive for meaningful goals, they have the capacity to cope with various challenges and psychological pressures, becoming increasingly proactive. This results in a stressful yet pleasant experience.
1. Self-assessment and understanding
Many people spend their entire lives searching for meaning, yet the true value of life is certainly not defined solely by one's professional status. As Sigmund Freud said, "People always impose the wrong standards on themselves, underestimating the true value of life.” Only after truly understanding oneself can one satisfy their soul. Blindly pursuing success as defined by society, chasing after material and fame, brings only fleeting happiness, anxiety and even burnout.
2. Embrace diverse options
Beyond one's career, engaging in activities from different fields can expand knowledge and provide new challenges. It also allows for a temporary withdrawal from one's usual environment to discover a fresh zest for life to reduce anxiety.
3. Take breaks and start again
One of the primary causes of supernova burnout is excessive tension and anxiety over one's performance. Therefore, learning to take timely breaks amidst busyness and readjusting one's state and direction at different stages is essential to knowing where to exert more effort.
Embarking on the professional path often comes with its share of burnout, distress, and anxiety. MindForest is your digital sanctuary, offering tools and strategies to manage these challenges while fostering a growth mindset essential for business resilience. Discover MindForest's empowering features:
Download MindForest today and arm yourself with a growth mindset that's equipped to handle the psychological demands of professional development.
In conclusion, burnout is a problem that comes from too much distress. This stress can make us scared to go after what makes us truly happy. Burnout happens when we work too hard when we're too scared to change, and when we get stuck in the same routine without following our dreams. It's not always about needing more money to find a way out. What we need is the bravery to live a life that's about more than just our jobs. To cope with the distress, anxiety and burnout that comes with it, we have to be brave enough to look for joy in other parts of life and chase what we want.
Berglas, S. (2001). Reclaiming The Fire: How Successful People Overcome Burnout (1st ed.). Random House.
