Imagine waking up and feeling exhausted even before your first coffee. Everything inside you is crying out for rest, but the day knows no mercy. If this feels like your everyday life, you are not alone. Burnout is not a weakness. It is an alarm signal from your soul - and at the same time an invitation to change.
In this article you will find out:
And the most important thing: you'll get specific tips that you can implement immediately.
Many people think of burnout as overwork. But that's not enough. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion. It often creeps in unnoticed and gradually robs you of your zest for life. And at some point, you reach a point where even simple tasks are too much for you.
Typical symptoms:
Important: burnout is not a clearly defined medical term, but it is very real - and it is affecting more and more people in all walks of life.
Burnout rarely has just one cause. It is often a combination of external demands and internal patterns. Many people who are affected carry unconscious Beliefs I have to be strong" or "I must not show any weakness. These inner drivers ensure that even warning signals are ignored. Added to this is an environment that often does not value breaks. This creates a vicious circle: the more exhausted you are, the harder you work - until nothing works.
Are you functioning but no longer really living? Do you feel that something is wrong but can't put your finger on it? This is exactly where our Burnout test on: It helps you to categorize your exhaustion and take the first steps out of the fog.
Take our short burnout test and find out whether you are showing the first signs of burnout - and what can help you now.
Burnout is not a sudden bang, but rather a creeping shadow that slowly settles over your life. Many people overlook the first signs or dismiss them as "normal exhaustion". But this is exactly where the danger lies. If you know the warning signs, you can take countermeasures earlier.
These symptoms are not weaknesses, but protective mechanisms. Your system is shouting: "Stop!"
Our world is fast, loud and demanding. Performance is celebrated, breaks are ridiculed. No wonder so many people reach their limits. Empathetic, hard-working personalities who are always there for others and forget themselves in the process are particularly at risk.
Modern performance-oriented society, constant availability, lack of recognition: many people lose Hamster wheel of expectations and lose sight of themselves. The desire to do everything right often leads to excessive demands. And at some point, it simply ends.
As Dieter Lange says: "If you run outwards, you lose contact with your inner self." Burnout begins where we forget ourselves.
There is no quick fix - but there are many ways that have a lasting effect. The important thing is that you don't have to do everything on your own. The first step is to give yourself permission to heal.
You don't have to wait until everything is perfect. Small impulses are often enough to feel the first changes. Here are three simple tools that you can try out immediately:
Small steps - big impact.
Burnout is not a sign of failure, but of too much responsibility - often carried alone for too long. Your way back begins with an honest look inwards and the decision to take good care of yourself.
Burnout is not the end - it's a turning point. A call back to yourself. Use it. Not for more to-dos, but for what really nourishes you: Stillness. Connection. The courage to take a break. And above all: compassion - for yourself.
Do the Burnout test and find out where you stand. You only have this one life. And you deserve to live it full of energy and joy.