What burnout is and how to avoid it

You know that feeling when you are passionate about something, and then you start to lose interest in it – even though you still really want to enjoy it? Often, this type of lifeless feeling can make us feel exhausted and be unable to participate in what we love. For example, perhaps you really love playing chess, but you have dived so deep into playing the game with no breaks that it has made you feel exhausted. Additionally, perhaps you have played through the exhaustion and used substances to help push through.

This example of the chess-playing scenario is an indicator of burnout. Burnout is a phase of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by extreme and extended stress over a period of time. It happens when you feel defeated, emotionally drained, and powerless to meet endless demands. In the case of the chess scenario, the game was played over a prolonged period of time, without any breaks. This could cause mental exhaustion...