--- description: Burnout isn’t being overworked or not getting enough rest. Burnout is job-induced depression. title: 3 Ways to Prevent Yourself From Burning Out at Work image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89ceb54afb1dd107/6988d8af4ee2620c5130e79d/stress-burnout-work.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Jul 18, 2017 # 3 Ways to Prevent Yourself From Burning Out at Work by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Paper getting thrown into a bin Paper getting thrown into a binGetty Images Ever wake up exhausted and just dread going to work? Do you feel like that most days? Every day? And we’ve all seen others who have suffered the death spiral of burnout and become shambling zombies at the office. They’re not “The Walking Dead”, they’re “The Working Dead.” Well, maybe you’re just tired. But tired isn’t _burnout_. Tired is tired. Get more sleep and you’re not tired anymore. So what does real burnout feel like? From [The Truth About Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do About It](http://geni.us/burnout "undefined"): --- > “” --- Ah, must be time for a vacation. Vacations fix burnout, right? Wrong. Research shows that’s like taking painkillers to treat a brain tumor. You feel better for a while but then the problem [comes roaring back](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2010/07/how-long-do-you-benefit-from-a-vacation-what/ "undefined"): --- > “” --- So what gives? What is burnout really? Where does it come from? And what do we have to do to avoid it? Time for some real answers. Let’s get to it… ## What Burnout _Really_ Is Burnout isn’t being overworked or not getting enough rest. Burnout is job-induced depression. From [Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong](http://geni.us/butwt "undefined"): --- > “” --- When work just gets too frustrating and pursuing your career goals feels futile, you become pessimistic. And University of Pennsylvania professor [Martin Seligman](http://geni.us/learnedop "undefined") explains that “depression is pessimism writ large.” Seligman’s work also shows optimism promotes persistence. When we expect good things to happen, it’s rational to be more resilient. So burnout is actually the flip side of grit. From [Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong](http://geni.us/butwt "undefined"): --- > “” --- (To learn more about the science of a successful life, check out my new book [here](http://geni.us/butwt "undefined").) So how do you make sure you never end up as one of “The Working Dead”? Well, if the root cause of depression is pessimism… **_Read more:_** [**_New Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You Happy_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2015/09/make-you-happy-2/ "undefined") ## Be Optimistic Optimism and pessimism all come down to the story you tell yourself about what happens to you. Researchers call this “explanatory style.” There are three important elements here. Let’s call them the 3 P’s: permanence, pervasiveness and whether it’s personal. Pessimists tell themselves that bad events: 1. Will last a long time, or forever. (“I’ll _never_ get this done.”) 2. Are universal. (“You can’t trust _any_ of those people.”) 3. Are their own fault. (“_I’m_ terrible at this.”) Optimists, well, they see it the exact opposite: 1. Bad things are temporary. (“That happens _occasionally_ but it’s no big deal.”) 2. Bad things have a specific cause and aren’t universal. (“When the _weather_ is better that won’t be a problem.”) 3. It’s not their fault. (“I’m good at this but _today wasn’t my lucky day_.”) Seligman [explains](http://geni.us/learnedop "undefined"): --- > “” --- Pay attention to the voice in your head. When it starts describing negative events as permanent, pervasive or personal, correct yourself. By remembering the 3 P’s and flipping the script, Seligman says you can make yourself more optimistic over time. (To learn more about how to be optimistic, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/07/how-to-be-optimistic/ "undefined").) So you’re looking on the bright side. Good. But is there anything that can make you downright immune to burnout? Yup… ## Find Meaning In What You Do When you find true meaning in your work — when it’s not a job, it’s a calling — you don’t burn out. From [Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong](http://geni.us/butwt "undefined"): --- > “” --- When jobs are meaningful, long stressful hours don’t have to be the path to an early grave. In fact, the exact opposite can be the case… The [Terman Study](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/12/have-we-got-it-all-wrong-about-what-it-takes/ "undefined") followed a group of people across their entire lives, from childhood to old age. What did they find? --- > “” --- (To learn how to make your current job feel meaningful, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/02/love-what-you-do/ "undefined").) Rose-colored glasses? Check. Feel your work is meaningful? Check. But when the stress hits hard what’s the emotional EpiPen you need to inject yourself with to prevent burnout? **_Read more:_** [**_New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined") ## Double Down On Relationships When you get busy at work, you often make less time for friends and family. Bad idea. That’s the emotional equivalent of being so overworked you stop eating and starve yourself to death. Who handles stress the best? Those who increase their social activity when things get hard. From [Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong](http://geni.us/butwt "undefined"): --- > “” --- But does this theory really help you avoid burnout in the real world? Yes. From [Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong](http://geni.us/butwt "undefined"): --- > “” --- (To learn how to make friends as an adult, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2017/02/how-to-make-friends-as-an-adult/ "undefined").) Alright, we’ve covered a lot. Time to round it up and learn the most important idea underlying all of this… **_Read more:_** [**_How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/ "undefined") ## Sum Up This is how to avoid burnout: * **Burnout is depression**: You’re not tired from your job; you’re pessimistic about your job. * **Be optimistic**: Remember the 3P’s. (_Every_ one of my blog posts is _always_ good and it is _personally_ due to me.) * **Find meaning in what you do**: I’m writing this to help you. So I’m not burned out. (But, man, am I tired.) * **Double down on relationships**: Work stress is a poison and friends are the antidote. What’s really interesting here? None of these fixes actually changes what you’re doing. Optimism and meaning only change your interpretation of what’s going on. And time with friends happens when work is done. Working less doesn’t make your job less frustrating. It makes it less _frequently_ frustrating. You can still be quite pessimistic about things you don’t do as much. People have jobs far worse than yours and don’t get burned out. It’s about perspective. You decide whether the glass is half-empty or half-full. But make sure to drink with close friends. **Join over 290,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** [_This article originally appeared on Barking Up The Wrong Tree_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2017/05/how-to-avoid-burnout/ "undefined") _Buy Barker’s book_ Barking Up The Wrong Tree [_here_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KT104RI/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01KT104RI&linkId=b009d7efa9197a1b3ce0a5d46f49d038 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/guide-to-happiness/4860105/work-burnout-prevention/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/guide-to-happiness/4860105/work-burnout-prevention/"},"headline":"3 Ways to Prevent Yourself From Burning Out at Work","datePublished":"2017-07-18T16:02:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T05:07:43.710Z","description":"Burnout isn’t being overworked or not getting enough rest. 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