I was in denial of my own burnout for a long time.

By long, I mean it advanced slowly over multiple years, progressively getting worse each month that I told myself the stress was temporary, or that I was strong, or that I could get through anything. It took multiple health care professionals telling me my job was killing me before I realized I was experiencing burnout.

My resilience didn’t protect me, my effectiveness didn’t protect me, my advanced knowledge of human behavior didn’t protect me. My general health, positive attitude, and appreciation for life didn’t protect me.

The only life skills that will ‘protect’ someone from burnout are self-awareness, and a willingness to do something after recognizing things aren’t going well. Burnout has nothing to do with strength - physical, mental, emotional, or otherwise.

The World Health Organization recognized Burnout officially in 2019, defining it as a syndrome...