THE BURNOUT PANDEMIC

There’s a new kind of pandemic on the block… the Burnout pandemic.

23rd January, 2023

Okay okay, so it’s not technically a disease, but it certainly is widespread, and it is absolutely making people ill. 88% of UK employees have experienced burnout to some extent over the past three years (LumApps). That’s pretty much as vast as ‘majority’ gets.

The symptoms of Burnout come at varying stages of severity, but can most easily be identified as feeling tired and drained most of the time. In my case, I started finding simple tasks over-complicated and heavily emotional, I had absolutely no energy for much aside from work, my social life deteriorated almost completely. I became intensely introverted and stressed.

Where has this Burnout pandemic come from, and why is it allowed to continue growing? I see a number of factors at play. 

Firstly, we can’t ignore the socio-political influences - 3 years of lockdowns, Covid and disrupted ‘normality’, absolutely took their toll on everybody. Trying to find our footing in a post-lockdown world is hard, and frankly exhausting. Furthermore, there’s a war going on… aside from emotional-strain, fear and unreliable news, the country is also facing a resultant recession. “Inflation”; “obscene prices”; “cost of living crisis” are the new topics of small-talk. These are just a couple of the current global-conditions to note. The world is a difficult place right now, there is no doubt.

So, do we give ourselves allowances in the above context? Nope… we throw ‘hustle culture’ into the mix. A toxic form of peer pressure that makes being “so busy, so stressed” the image of success. I, personally, blame social media, podcast ‘gurus’ and self-help books for pushing the supposed necessity for goals, personal development and manifesting. We’ve reached a point where, unless you’re working a full-time job, with a side-hustle, building a family, traveling the world and buying a house, squeezing in some kind of course, building a 6-pack and capturing it all for Instagram… you’re not really succeeding. This is insanity, honestly.

Fortunately, awareness of the toxicity of hustle culture is brewing. In the words of Beyonce, “Damn, they work me so damn hard, Work by nine, then off past five, And they work my nerves, That's why I cannot sleep at night”. But “You won't break my soul”. This groundbreaking number spurred mass resignation around the world, in fact!

So hey, maybe with this growing awareness, we might all give ourselves a free pass this January? Typically the Monday of the year, the bluest of the months, the period of mass-depression. 
Guess what… nope! 2023 proves to have the Mondayest January to-date. We’re throwing new years resolutions, vision boards, start of the race vibes, dry-Jan, New Year New Me, all into the mix with all the other pressures. Goodness me, we’re harsh on ourselves! And this is not me having a go, I’m right there with everyone else, launching a business and setting a vision-board background in January!

And so here we are, in the Burnout Pandemic, adding fuel to the fire.

Why am I writing about this here? Because as marketers and brands, we have some power to make a difference. And by doing so, allow our voices to stand out and be heard.
Often January comes along and marketing tactics are playing into the trends outlined above - confounding that global-pressure X hustle culture X January-blues mix.

Imagine being the brand telling people that it’s okay to slow down; to not go into the year all-guns-blazing; to accept that they’re already doing enough just by re-entering routine after Christmas. Hey, tell them it’s okay to struggle. 
This strategy is a risk, sure, you’re going against the grain. But you’ll be heard! And I’d hazard an educated guess, that you’ll be celebrated for it. You’ll find existing and potential customers are grateful for the permission to relax, they didn’t know they needed. 

Make your brand story the one that makes people feel better amongst all the crazy pressure, and your story will be heard and revered.

Photo credit:
https://unsplash.com/photos/PibraWHb4h8?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink