The term ‘burnout’ is fairly loose; different people make different associations. I think of it as disconnection, exhaustion and cynicism. This article begins to examine some of the factors that might contribute to this state and the feeling of being out-of-control is key. Not out-of-control in an exciting, freefall, chaos-creating kind of way; rather, the sense that you are passive, without choices. You have no agency.
Agency is an incredibly important term in positive psychology. One of the very first things we learn as children is that we can act upon the world and affect it in some way; if we push a ball or grasp a block, IT MOVES. This sounds so simple but it is the first step to seeing yourself as a separate and complete person with an identity and a will to change. If you are in a work environment where, effectively, you push and push at a ball and it never moves, it erodes your most basic sense of who you are. When that happens, you become disconnected from yourself: and you disconnect from others. The way you relate becomes rote, less satisfying, rushed and suffused with guilt and obligation rather than with pleasure.
If your attempts to shape your own workflow and output are repeatedly blocked or overruled, you stop trying. You feel resentful, and the cynicism sets in, an allowable form of low-level passive-aggressive anger that does not result in you exploding and losing your livelihood. You begin to feel useless and deskilled. You stop questioning the meaningless admin noise and begin to feel that you don’t have the ability or motivation to do very much else. Trying something different, getting out, getting interviews, just seems exhausting.
This is a crucible for feelings of low mood and anxiety. About 50 years ago, Martin Seligman proposed the theory of ‘learned helplessness‘ and depression. In attachment and mentalisation research, connection and relating is seen as the key component for mental health. Meaninglessness, the sense that nothing you do matters, is a frightening and dangerous feeling that existential psychotherapy (and most other forms of therapy!) seeks to ameliorate.
So if you are feeling fed up with your job, clock-watching, completing tasks in a desultory way and generally feeling like you don’t care, take a moment to think about agency and helplessness. It is the responsibility of the management to help you feel like you make a difference in the work world. If your company does not do this, and you think it has little capacity for change, maybe you are better out than in. It might be the first real, life-affirming decision you have taken in a long time.