The Burnout Rebellion; Well I didn't expect that!

A call to action. Rebels, let’s go!

Welcome to this section of my Substack called ‘The Burnout Rebellion’. This is where you’ll find interviews from your fellow Burnout Rebels. How they did it, what scared them, where they started and where they’re going. You’ll also find a whole host of resources, threads, and posts to help you navigate the path ahead. We will be your cheerleaders! I am so looking forward to you joining us.

Hello Burnout Rebels,

In a couple of months time I’ll be launching the first interview and podcast (Yippee!) of The Burnout Rebellion and I need your help. So read on dear friend. Read on.

This week we are talking about:

• What we mean when we talk about burnout.

• The notes that went viral.

• Becoming a Burnout Rebel.

• Elements I need help with.

These last few weeks I have been completely floored by how much the idea of a Burnout Rebellion has resonated. There is a gathering pace, an energy in the air. More and more of us are becoming disillusioned with our jobs, how we live our lives, and crucially how we are told our life should be. We are craving a life in which we feel well. Connected. Aligned. Of service.

The aim of The Burnout Rebellion became clear. To become a tribe of people that are in service to one another, to the greater population, and shine the light on the path behind us so others may follow.

I was chatting to a fellow Substacker the other day, and despite my huge leaps this year, I could still see a huge winding path ahead of me. They were one of the ones a few metres ahead, forging the way. Proof that it was possible. The visualisation I keep in mind is a whole train of people, stepping into their purpose, bit my bit, and holding their lanterns as they slowly burn brighter to guide those a few steps behind. And that my friends, is the aim of The Burnout Rebellion. To inspire, to encourage, to share our wisdom, to learn, to shine.

And we start today.

Photo by Blake Cheek on Unsplash

So what do we mean when we talk about burnout?

The New York Times reported that in December 2022, 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs. It came to be known as the “great resignation.” In surveys conducted in America, over 50% of individuals reported being on the edge of, or in the early stages of burnout. In Europe, patterns were similar. So what is going on? The charity Mind states that burnout happens when individuals are constantly under pressure in their jobs. In fact, nearly all the definitions I came across mentioned people’s jobs. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) states that burnout is “conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed and…refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context.”

It irks me that all definitions revolve around work. I often wonder if this is a symptom of a broken system that ties our wealth and worth to our jobs alone. My burnout did revolve around my job, but it was also so much more than that. I have become increasingly convinced since my own dance with the flames, that the symptoms described were the result of a complete misalignment with my values. My purpose. It goes beyond “successfully managing” situations. In my opinion, burnout can happen in all areas of out lives, and often do not occur in isolation. I was not only burnt out with a job that no longer matched my values, but with my location, my relationship. Everything was….off. I had lost how to live.

Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash

Pinning down what burnout really is has been a challenge for Science. Burnout, chronic stress and some mental health conditions are hard to distinguish between as they work to fully define burnout. Did you know it is not yet classified as a condition? Merely a phenomena. This baffles me, it feels almost like a societal rejection, the elephant in the room, the huge lump under the carpet as we sweep yet more exhausted colleagues under there. But what we do know from long term health studies on chronic stress is that our body physically becomes sick.

Studies show us that we release more stress hormones, leading to a more chronic heightened state. The brain has reduced plasticity, reduced neurogenesis of brain cells, deficits in working memory and visual and auditory attention (Bayes et al. 2021). Changes were also seen in DNA methylation, which can lead to epigenetic changes where some genes are switched on or off. There was also the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, lack of sleep. Our bodies stop working, stop creating, they become dysfunctional.

Burnout was first formally defined in 1974. The symptoms included “(i) exhaustion, (ii) ‘depersonalization’ – lack of empathy for or detachment from service recipients, and (iii) a reduced sense of professional accomplishment” (Bayes et al. 2021¹) and with this I can resonate. I believe that my souls purpose is my profession; my only job in this life is to discover my souls purpose and to act upon it. That may be a career, it may not. My service recipients are my community. So as my day to day life steers me away from achieving what I was sent here to do, the more disgruntled my body becomes, the more exhausted. Keeping up a false illusion of who we are is tiring…and the mask slips. In that exhaustion, we discover who it is we really are, and climb out of that barrel. As the full definition and measures sway in the breeze, those of us that have or are experiencing it, know it to be a complete disconnection between body, mind and soul.

You do not need to be experiencing work burnout to be part of this tribe. If you feel misaligned, exhausted, lost, you are welcome here.

Something needs to change when we feel this way. Deep down we know this. If we are sick, so is the world in which we inhabit. We cannot begin to be of service until we become aligned once more. As a society we need to be well and burnout causes us to ask are we?

The notes that went viral

I posted this note just over 2 weeks ago….…..and it has gone wild! There were so many people that either had just been through something similar, or were on the edge of making the leap. Others had been cogitating on making a move for a while but had never got there. The conversations and messages I received as a result were astounding.

There was so much courage, so much hope, that life could be different. Better. More aligned.

The energy of the world is shifting. Something is happening out there. We are all looking to live differently, and here we (and by we I mean all of us) at The Burnout Rebellion working to do just that.

I had to fight for a long time with the idea that ‘slow living’ was not ‘lazy living’. As humans we have been so indoctrinated to live at the highest speed our nervous system will go. I am still working on not only living more slowly but accepting my choice to change. I struggle now, sharing with family and friends how I live, what my plans are. To many, to reset is an act of retirement, when to me it is an act of love. A cherishing of the time I have left. A flicker crosses their face. I can never tell if it is admiration, jealousy, disdain or curiosity. It’s probably a mixture. Regardless of their views, I am so glad I have made the changes I have. I am still very much on the road, but then again, aren’t we all?

Become a Burnout Rebel!

Here is your call to action.

Become a Burnout Rebel.

All you need to do is subscribe here, engage with the community, share your knowledge, learn, ask for advice, cheerlead others. That is it. We are here for each other. We are shining the light.

To be a burnout rebel you don’t have to have quit your job, fallen down the well of exhaustion or even seen the light. Perhaps you have a yearning to live more slowly, to be more present. Maybe you have switched up how you live your day to day, maybe you help other people to do so. You may even be on the hunt for your purpose, feel an itch that who you are is more than the life you are currently living. All and any of these make you a Burnout Rebel. Stick with us and you won’t go far wrong.

There are many joyous posts in the pipeline; threads answered by those who are on the other side of quitting their jobs, tips and tricks on how to find your purpose, encouragement threads, podcasts. You name it I’ve got it for you.

And I have to tell you about the interviews. Woah. I cannot tell you how inspired I have been by those that have signed up. Their courage. It has blown my mind. I have individuals at all stages of their burnout path, some tackling work, grief, personal burnout. Authors, entrepreneurs, filmmakers. Those starting new journeys as mothers, those battling with chronic illness. And they are going to support you on your journey too. All of these individuals are so wonderful and so inspiring. I am not only writing these up as posts but recording them as podcasts. It is going to be EPIC. I just cannot wait.

Feeling like you want to dip your toe in? See what all this burnout rebellion is about? Joining our crew is your first step to committing to a new way of life, to shining your light for yourself and others. Hit subscribe, and you are with us, and us with you.

My other posts on Tides and Seasons work seamlessly alongside this. Earth’s medicine is there to help you reconnect with nature. Notes from the Garden are my own personal tales of returning to work with the land and Deep Dives into Nature are explorations into the myths, science and magic behind the every day interactions we have so that we may feel more connected. Pick and choose what you’d like to read. The Burnout Rebellion posts will be the hub of the inspiration and knowledge specifically for you.

Can you help?

But I do need your help in doing this. How you ask? How can I help? Well there are three main ways;

1. Have you changed your life? Can you shine your light for others? Do you have a story to share? Sign up to be interviewed for The Burnout Rebellion by completing this google form here.

2. Share and restack this post or any of the notes that spoke to you. This will encourage as many people as possible to join us so we can continue to spread courage and inspiration, and cheerlead each other as we make these changes in our lives. The more of us there are the more support we have.

3. Are you experienced in podcasting or know someone who is? I am hoping to pick up some tips and tricks of the trade to make the podcast as polished as possible. I am looking for advice on equipment, recording, editing, and logo creation.

I am so looking forward to what this section will bring. Here is to the Burnout Rebellion and all who join us.

And remember;

You don’t need a plan.

You just need a team of people cheering you on.

Much love,

Anna xx

I am writing this essay as part of the 24 essays club (this is number 15) with the wonderful Claire Venus you can read more about the essay club below.

Join our (free) Essay Club?

1. Bayes, A., Tavella, G., & Parker, G. (2021). The biology of burnout: Causes and consequences. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 22(9), 686-698.