Listen. Burnout isn’t going anywhere. Just by browsing terms like “burnout” and “stress management” on Google Trends, you will see how highly those rank. The term burnout and the experience of burnout are more widely discussed, covered in media, and noted in clinical settings. Even though we have a better understanding of burnout, we can still get caught in the traps that got us stuck in the first place.

As a licensed therapist and corporate speaker, these myths are often what come up when beginning to adopt a burnout management mindset. It makes sense to be skeptical, and holding on to these beliefs only slows down the recovery and burnout management process.

Processing and noting these myths is helpful for burnout management because they can come up as we plan out weeks or measure our capacity day to day. If we don’t have a fair understanding of burnout, it will continue to infiltrate our everyday lives.

Let’s break down 10 myths (along with suggestions to shift into a burnout recovery mindset

Myth #1: Burnout is only an issue related to our jobs.

Burnout is an issue of capacity and we have more things than our job that take up capacity in our day to day lives. The discussion of burnout did start in relation to work, which makes sense given our work-first culture in the US.

But I want you to take a step back for a moment and think of a time something unrelated to your work may have caused burnout.

Remember the time where you wanted to elope instead of continuing to plan your wedding? Yep that was probably burnout.

Or maybe it was when you were in charge of planning a vacation for your loved ones. Even going to the beach can burn someone out!

Perhaps it was a time where you were so motivated to improve yourself. Yes, burnout can still happen among the green juice, self help books, marathon training and therapy sessions.

The word balance is used often, but it is truly what we need when managing our bandwidth. If you don’t like the concept of balance, think about how a song is produced. The producer has a mixing board with knobs that control the volume of the “elements” in our life. Instead of muting the most loud (“stressful”) suddenly, the producer will turn the volume down to a better integrated level. Imagine if we only focused on the work element–a lot of other things would remain loud in our lives.

Myth #2: Burnout isn’t that bad, it’s easy to push through.

Ummmm, your ability to push through is what likely got you to crispy levels of burnout. When we constantly override our needs like rest or support, our nervous system leaves us with no choice but to shut down.

Working with a burnout management or burnout prevention framework can feel a tad “dramatic” at times. We must retrain ourselves to use the coping strategies earlier in our burnout cycle. Strategies like incorporated self care can be a helpful burnout prevention tactic. I have often recommended clients to gain a baseline understanding of their bandwidth, then begin using coping skills when their burnout or capacity is nearly halfway depleted.

There will always be a time and place for pushing through. The goal is to have a better awareness of our intention with pushing through, and making sure it is not the most common way we cope.

Myth #3: Only adults get burnout.

As a tired and overwhelmed adult, it can be hard to acknowledge how kids get burned out. Even if we are supplying children with food, clothing, shelter and entertainment, children and teens carry the burden of learning how to do life. Honestly it is a trade off as we get older.

The signs of burnout in children and teens will be both parts similar and different. That’s why making burnout management and self care a collective activity. We must teach the younger humans in life how to slow down and operate at a more sustainable place. This is not when we tell them that “it only gets harder,” even when it feels that way.

If you are around children and teens in any capacity, share with them how you engage in burnout management and collaborate with them to find their favorite coping tools!

Myth #4: Things like self-care and time off are luxuries and shouldn’t be considered part of burnout management.

Ok we know you can’t go on an all-inclusive cruise every week…and honestly that would likely burn you out (remember all things overdone can lead to burnout). A common barrier to self care is the assumption that it must be fancy or over the top to “count.” That belief can put a lot of pressure on self-care to be all-changing.

Time off for example… If we are reaching the shut-down phase of burnout, extended time might be the better option. But extended time away can’t be our main use of time off. Consistently taking some time away from your phone every day or a random half day off of work can be more effective than a long term vacation. This supports that burnout management mindset because we are getting a respite, which pour energy back into us.

If you are someone who leans towards bougie self care and it works for you, by all means don’t stop it. However, common underrated self care acts are going outside, going for a walk, and talking to a friend. All of these are accessible and cost little to no money. Quality self care is not determined by the cost, but in how it pours back into you.

Myth #5: Burnout can only be diagnosed and treated by a professional.

I am a licensed therapist and I support challenging this myth. Extended burnout can lead to mental health concerns like clinical depression or anxiety, but we do not need a professional to tell us when when our bandwdith is being tested.

Building self-trust is component of the burnout assessment process. Like what was said in myth #2, we must acknowledge burnout when it is building in order to reduce the strengttth of our shut down. Taking a burnout inventory like the MBI can help you recognize where you are experiencing burnout the most, so you can create a recovery and management plan to address the specific needs of that moment.

A licensed professional stepping in can be needed if the burnout triggers and symptoms are more chronic in nature. They will be able to help you discern what is more burnout and what might be better related to anxiety, depression or other mental health diagnoses.

Myth #6: Fully recovering from burnout is possible (meaning it will never happen again).

This might be controversial…having burnout recovery as the end game will lead to disappointment. This is why concepts like burnout management are more attainable and should be our goal.

Why is burnout recovery an unhelpful concept? Because we live in a system that impacts our nervous system and bandwidth every day. Burnout shouldn’t be seen as a failure, but an acknowledgement that we went past our limits at the time. We will discuss in more detail in the next myth, but we must keep in mind that burnout can happen with “positive” things in our lives.

We want to feel empowered, not ashamed of ourselves, when working through burnout. There will be times in our life where burnout is not present, and we should soak those in. But when it comes creeping back, disengaging from shame will point you in a direction of proactive management.

Myth #7: If you loved what you did, you wouldn’t experience burnout.

There are many layers when challenging this myth, but what I feel like I should call out is how overthinkers and overdoers struggle when things are going “well.” The anxiety of a good thing leaving can lead to burnout because we become fixated on addressing anything that can jeopardize that positive thing. Also, the things we love in life sometimes annoy us or take up too much time.

Things we don’t enjoy in life can increase the changes and depth of burnout, but we should not put burnout and misery in the same category. They are two very different experiences, and don’t forget that burnout is a nervous system reaction. Recognizing burnout as a nervous system reaction to cumulative input or stress bring an objective nature to our burnout experiences. Our nervous system will not be able to tell what input is something we love or loathe.

Myth #8: People who experience burnout are soft, and don’t understand hard work.

We equate hard work with exhaustion, sweat, or pain. Then we carry this belief that anything we earn in life must be done with “hard work.” What is what we are good at comes easy to us? Hard work is (again) a subjective term.

Everyone has a different level of capacity for input, in addition to having various factors in our life that impact our capacity. It is not fair to judge your capacity to another person’s. If someone in your life is saying they are burned out and you are unsure of the severity, get curious and see how they are perceiving their bandwidth.

Myth #9: Burnout recovery is a you problem, and your recovery shouldn’t involve other people.

Hyper-independence can be a major contributor to burnout. When we do all the things for everyone and do not allow ourselves to be supported, our bandwidth is quickly stretched and we become overextended. Where you must take responsibility for your burnout habits, a lot of what is burning you out more than likely involves people you interact with every day.

Your burnout recovery will require connection. You will have to reshape people’s expectations of you and show them a more balanced way of relating. This doesn’t mean the bar of quality goes to the ground, but you can shape others to ask if you have bandwidth before taking on another project. If you want to be seen as a human and not used like a tool, your humanness must be visible.

Compassionate accountability can be what pulls you out of the shame spiral when burned out. Schedule weekly burnout check ins with a friend or mentor or hold self care challenges each month, lead by example. We owe it to ourselves and our communities to be examples of balance…or showing the process of becoming more balanced.

Myth #10: Burnout is a phase.

Burnout is a response like any other response. That doesn’t undermine the impacts, but we don’t want to assume that it is something we can only endure or “grow out of.” Burnout management done preventatively and with intention can help us navigate those full times of our lives. Equipping yourself with the tools and mindsets that support your recovery and management can be the game changer your life has been needing. Trivializing burnout will not get you through it any faster or more effectively.

The Nine to Kind Possibility Planner was designed as a tool to help support your burnout management. Created by a licensed therapist, it is your constant compassionate accountability partner helping you build a more flexible life. Browse the shop to get yours.