Stage 4 · Lesson 1 of 7
What burnout is
The WHO describes burnout, in its ICD-11 classification, as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It has three parts: feeling drained of energy or exhausted, feeling more distant or cynical about your work, and feeling less effective at it.
WHO classes it as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition, and the definition is about work, but students describe the same pattern after long semesters with no break. Burnout is different from being tired after a hard week: rest on a weekend does not fix it.
It also overlaps with depression, so if you feel this way about everything, not only work or study, talk to a professional.
Common traptreating burnout as a personal failing, when it usually comes from a load that was too heavy for too long.
A question to check yourself and an AI practice session come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it
Resources for this stage
Start with
- GuideFreeMental Health at Work (WHO fact sheet)
World Health Organization
What WHO says about work, stress and burnout, and what employers should do
Practise
Keep handy
Also worth your time
Struggling right now? If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line: Find a helpline (any country), Umang (Pakistan), Tele-MANAS, 14416 (India).