Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honor: Prioritize Mental Health Before It’s Too Late
- Lucie Viktorin
- 4 Minute Read
Mental health isn’t just a trendy buzzword – it is, quite literally, the foundation of our lives. Our mental well-being has the power to make or break us, including our success. Overthinking, self-doubt and perfectionism are just a few of the mental struggles that can undermine the true potential that lies within us. To overcome these challenges and unlock said potential, it’s important to give our mind the attention it deserves. So, instead of ignoring it further and risking devastating consequences that affect not only our careers, but every aspect of our lives, let’s prioritize our mental health and prevent burnout altogether!
Built for Burnout: How Today's Work Environments Shape Mental Health
Growing up in Germany – a country known for its notorious work culture – I had already noticed as a child how the adults around me seemed deeply unhappy. With no other explanation present, my child-mind came to one simple conclusion: Adulthood causes misery! Which naturally made Peter Pan my favorite movie at the time. The idea of staying in Neverland forever, never having to grow up and staying happy forever, felt like the only reasonable thing to do. Of course, growing up is inevitable, so I did. To my surprise, I didn’t automatically feel the happiness leave my body when I entered adulthood and the older I got. The true happiness-stealing culprit? The economic and societal structures built centuries ago, by no other than ourselves, humanity, fostering an environment where balance and happiness seem like distant, unattainable luxuries.
In Germany, the dominant belief is to this day that work and career are everything and must come before anything else. Social lives are consciously pushed to lower ranks and everything revolves around the job and being a good worker. (And people still wonder why they’re miserable..) Many employers reinforce this mindset, demanding unpaid overtime “if a project calls for it”, which seems to be the case at all times. I still remember signing my first job contract, which included a clause stating the first 20 hours of overtime each month would go unpaid. No time compensation either. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, I didn’t know any better and was worried I would’t get the job if I said anything against the clause. Of course, overtime wasn’t just an occurance during every blue moon, but a daily one. Unpaid and unappreciated. Looking back now, it’s clear how this normalization of overwork shaped not only my experience but the wider western culture that seems to willingly support burnout and horrible mental health habits.
In Germany, the dominant belief is to this day that work and career are everything and must come before anything else. Social lives are consciously pushed to lower ranks and everything revolves around the job and being a good worker. (And people still wonder why they’re miserable..) Many employers reinforce this mindset, demanding unpaid overtime “if a project calls for it”, which seems to be the case at all times. I still remember signing my first job contract, which included a clause stating the first 20 hours of overtime each month would go unpaid. No time compensation either. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, I didn’t know any better and was worried I would’t get the job if I said anything against the clause. Of course, overtime wasn’t just an occurance during every blue moon, but a daily one. Unpaid and unappreciated. Looking back now, it’s clear how this normalization of overwork shaped not only my experience but the wider western culture that seems to willingly support burnout and horrible mental health habits.
Burnout: A Growing Issue for Both Employees and the Self-Employed
Burnout isn’t just a popularized term – it’s a serious issue affecting workers worldwide. A recent study revealed that nearly half of German employees feel burned out, with 38% experiencing anxiety, headaches or insomnia multiple times a week. The situation isn’t much better elsewhere. Poor work-life balance, lack of autonomy and flexibility at work, as well as long commutes are among the many leading causes of this mental exhaustion epidemic.
Based on personal experience, the feeling of isolation and extreme poor work-life-balance within the country, additionally supports the burnout symptoms. Me personally, have never felt more socially isolated or had a worse balance between my work and private life, than during my time working and living in Germany. This can of course also be due to the general isolation and closed-off-ness a lot of Germans seem to have in their gene pool, but the unflexible working hours and constant overwork obviously plays a major role as well. This issue in the workplace actually got briefly solved during the COVID pandemic, since it had the surprising side-effect of adding flexbibility to a lot of work fields. It forced many companies to adopt remote work, giving employees a much-needed taste of flexibility. Unfortunately, now many managers insist on returning to the office full-time, demonizing home office work once again. This move strips away the few drops of autonomy employees briefly gained, completely ignoring workers needs and wants – further contributing to the negative cycle of mental health and burnout.
Based on personal experience, the feeling of isolation and extreme poor work-life-balance within the country, additionally supports the burnout symptoms. Me personally, have never felt more socially isolated or had a worse balance between my work and private life, than during my time working and living in Germany. This can of course also be due to the general isolation and closed-off-ness a lot of Germans seem to have in their gene pool, but the unflexible working hours and constant overwork obviously plays a major role as well. This issue in the workplace actually got briefly solved during the COVID pandemic, since it had the surprising side-effect of adding flexbibility to a lot of work fields. It forced many companies to adopt remote work, giving employees a much-needed taste of flexibility. Unfortunately, now many managers insist on returning to the office full-time, demonizing home office work once again. This move strips away the few drops of autonomy employees briefly gained, completely ignoring workers needs and wants – further contributing to the negative cycle of mental health and burnout.
Why Poor Leadership Can Lead to Burnout and Poor Mental Health
Another significant contributor to burnout is poor management. While this isn’t meant to attack individuals, the truth is that many managers are unqualified to lead. Instead of supporting their teams, they often make their employees’ lives harder through unrealistic expectations and a lack of guidance. Additionally, companies often fail in hiring enough staff to meet rising demands and instead overwork existing employees – only to then complain about a “worker shortage” when people inevitably quit. The reality? There’s no shortage of workers, not even qualified ones. There’s a shortage of companies willing to pay a fair wage and value the employees they already have.
Thankfully, German labor laws normally offer a higher level of protection than other countries do. Due to this, larger companies often have a well functioning HR department or even a workers council that can be consulted. In the case of startups on the other hand, the reality looks very bleak once again. Smaller businesses often expect employees to mirror the owner’s work ethic – despite offering minimum wage in return. And due to a missing HR department that focuses on the well-being of the employee, the fear of job loss pushes many workers to overextend themselves. But burnout doesn’t discriminate, and no paycheck is worth sacrificing your mental health for. Especially a poorly payed one.
Thankfully, German labor laws normally offer a higher level of protection than other countries do. Due to this, larger companies often have a well functioning HR department or even a workers council that can be consulted. In the case of startups on the other hand, the reality looks very bleak once again. Smaller businesses often expect employees to mirror the owner’s work ethic – despite offering minimum wage in return. And due to a missing HR department that focuses on the well-being of the employee, the fear of job loss pushes many workers to overextend themselves. But burnout doesn’t discriminate, and no paycheck is worth sacrificing your mental health for. Especially a poorly payed one.
Burnout: A Reality for the Self-Employed
Of course, burnout isn’t exclusive to traditional employees. In many ways, self-employed individuals might even face an even higher risk. Freelancers, business owners, digital nomads and more often endure financial instability, long hours and relentless pressure – especially imposed by their own minds. The fear of failure can drive them toward exhaustion faster than they realize.
As the self-employed have to fully rely on their own discipline to complete projects, they also need to rely on that same discipline to set boundaries and prioritize their mental health – with themselves most and foremost. The blurred line between work and personal life makes it dangerously easy to fall into the productivity trap, where work never ends.
Pushing yourself to the brink won’t get your work done faster and won’t just damage your health – it’ll also create additional stress, making it harder and harder to recover and rebuild your business. Remember: there’s nothing impressive about working until you collapse. Prioritizing mental health and preventing burnout isn’t just essential, it’s a necessity for survival.
As the self-employed have to fully rely on their own discipline to complete projects, they also need to rely on that same discipline to set boundaries and prioritize their mental health – with themselves most and foremost. The blurred line between work and personal life makes it dangerously easy to fall into the productivity trap, where work never ends.
Pushing yourself to the brink won’t get your work done faster and won’t just damage your health – it’ll also create additional stress, making it harder and harder to recover and rebuild your business. Remember: there’s nothing impressive about working until you collapse. Prioritizing mental health and preventing burnout isn’t just essential, it’s a necessity for survival.
Mental Health and Self-Care: Nerve Flossing Your Brain
Just as we need to care for our physical bodies, we must nurture our minds just as much. Think of it like “nerve flossing” – a physical therapy technique that helps release trapped nerves. Anyone who has experienced it, knows how easy it is to trap a nerve and what a PAIN it is to release it again. Therefore it is better to work on prevention through regular stretching and exercise. Mental nerve flossing does the same thing for our mind. Instead of burning out and suffering from multiple symptoms that seem impossible to overcome, it is improtant to keep our minds flexible and resilient to avoid burnout. And just as the regular back stretch after a day of sitting, regular mental breaks and self-care routines are just as easy, and just as vital to staying focused and preventing mental overload.
Here are five simple ways to “Nerve Floss” your mind:
Here are five simple ways to “Nerve Floss” your mind:
- Take Intentional Breaks: Allow yourself to take multiple breaks during the day – especially on overwhelming days! The tasks will still be there in 10 minutes, your sanity might not be. Take the break!
- BREATHE: Whenever you feel like you are slouching, sit up, and take a few, really deep breaths into your belly. Stress and poor posture have the tendency to restrict our lungs, reducing oxygen to the brain and having the potential of worsening our anxious thoughts. A few minutes of diaphragmatic breathing before going to sleep can also put you into a deep state of relaxation.
- Create Meaningful Social Connections: You might be wondering, that this has nothing to do with work, and you’ll be correct. Because in contrary to popular belief, not everything revolves around work, and it shouldn’t. By building relationships, friendships, that offer emotional support, you will notice that in tough times the support of a true friend is worth more than anything else. Remember, we all have bad days, don’t be afraid to share this vulnerability with the people close to you. It doesn’t make you a failure!
- Journaling: When your mind is going into a spiral, write down your thoughts and emotions. It is a great way to self-soothe. The important and challenging part here is, to do so without judgement. Simply observe recurring negative patterns and identify limiting beliefs and write them down. You can work on reshaping them later. For now, simply become aware of them.
- Move Your Body: Mental health and physical well-being are deeply connected. Stress is a chemical reaction that needs release – and movement is the most effective way to get it out of our system. Whether you prefer jogging, yoga or dancing in your underwear, find what feels good to you and let your body process the tension.
As you can see,
taking care of your mental health doesn’t need to be complicated. The truth is, society has overcomplicated the concept of mental health and burnout. Simple habits might seem too easy to work — but waiting until you’re completely overwhelmed before addressing your mental well-being is a recipe for disaster. Small, consistent actions are far more effective than a full-blown recovery attempt after burnout. It’s time for us to stop wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor. Our minds and bodies deserve better.
Start listening to the signals they give you!
Start listening to the signals they give you!
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