Every career has its stress points and no job will be completely without stressors. But there’s a point where that stress becomes overbearing and takes its toll on your psyche, leading to burnout. The World Health Organization describes burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
Burnout has multiple symptoms and affects different people in different ways. While not an officially recognized medical condition, burnout can be detrimental to your mental well-being and life outside of work. Some forms of burnout can be solved by making appropriate changes, but some may require more drastic measures or a career pivot. Psychology Today author Alexandra Ghita, Ph.D., laid out four subtypes of burnout. In order to help you combat any current or future burnout, we’ll discuss each subtype and look at potential causes and symptoms for each.
Frenetic burnout
Being a dedicated worker is an admirable craft, but if you’re overworking yourself to the point of burnout, you may be a victim of frenetic burnout. Those suffering from this subtype are characterized by work overload and not enough rest. This is likely the type of burnout most are familiar with.
Ghita says that this is commonly tied to the “law of compensation,” where you are overachieving at work and underachieving outside of work by neglecting your personal life or rest. In order to combat this, career coach Kimiko Ebata says to learn how to set boundaries and manage your workload. Learn what tasks are important and what can wait until later and make time for your personal needs.
“The frenetic burnout type works increasingly harder, to the point of exhaustion, in search of success, and presents involvement, ambition and overload.” –Anne-Laurie Le Cunff, Ness Labs
Under-challenged burnout
Do you feel understimulated at work? Do you feel like you’re in a dead-end job going through the motions? You’re most likely suffering from under-challenged burnout. When every task feels repetitive, monotonous, and uninteresting, it can lead to deeper negative sentiments.
This type of burnout can mean you need a change in your professional environment. Cadence Leadership compares this subtype to being a hamster running on a wheel. When your career isn’t going anywhere, you feel like your skills aren’t growing, and praise doesn’t affect you, you need to find a new way to be stimulated. If new growth opportunities aren’t readily available within your organization, try to take charge of a new project or initiative or ask your boss for new opportunities. If that’s not possible, it might be time to learn a new skill outside of work or search for a position with more growth opportunities.
Worn-out burnout
While autonomy is a boon in the workplace, having some sort of guidelines and structure makes it easier to achieve your work goals. When you’re without guidance or direction, it can lead to worn-out burnout. Also called “neglect burnout,” this subtype is characterized by helplessness and hopelessness and leads to a neglectful approach to work.
HBR’s Melody Wilding says that those suffering from this subtype experience learned helplessness and struggle to find solutions to their problems. They become passive and struggle to take control of their lives. To assist, find ways to get better organized to gain better clarification on your goals and needs. By introducing some of your own structure, you’ll be better able to recognize paths to success and purpose. You can also speak to your manager about your workload. You may be able to cut tasks that aren’t benefiting the big picture and work toward more fulfilling goals.
Misalignment burnout
On paper, a job might fit your needs well and provide a balanced workload while offering opportunities for growth and good benefits, yet still, something feels off. Your job simply might not meet your personal values. This is misalignment burnout—where cognitive dissonance creates a hard-to-overcome mental barrier.
If your values don’t align with your job or you feel completely uninspired, you might find yourself depersonalized from your job, becoming cynical, and susceptible to long-term mental health issues, according to Forbes’ Mark Travers. Attempting to realign your thoughts to better align with our values or having a conversation with your boss could provide a solution. But if you’re truly feeling lost, you may need to take larger measures to find a more fulfilling role.
“Imagine you’re trying to sail a ship, but the wind is constantly blowing against you. Misalignment burnout feels much the same – you’re putting in effort, but you’re always fighting against the current.” –Performance Climate Systems
Wrap up
When you’re one of thousands suffering from burnout, it’s vital to take time to analyze your situation. If you’re successfully able to identify which type of burnout you’re suffering from, you’ll be able to take action to fight back. That awareness will better help you articulate your concerns so that you can discuss a plan of action with your manager, reframe your mindset, or find a better position that aligns with your needs.
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