r/burnedout

Basically what the title says. I work as an elementary SpEd teacher in a behavioral Res-Ed school, and this afternoon while driving home, I realized I just don’t care anymore. I’m beyond tired, I don’t have the energy to do anything, and that unfortunately includes looking for jobs, or going back to school for a career change. I have no idea what to do, but I feel awful that I don’t care right now, but I also don’t have the energy to apply to anything else besides the 8 hours I’m at work.

I’m curious to know what anyone has done to help with their flare ups and if it is worse around your menstrual cycle. I have lived through this for a long time and not done very much about it. I would like to start doing something about it. I have followed what the doctors have said so far. Maybe there is something I’m missing? I have bad flushing/ urticaria. Sometimes I also have eyes darkening. I have had to use epi before.

I am a mom of a 17 year old kid and struggling to keep up with work and the house, I want things to be different. Too much is put on my kid. I want to be the best mom I can be and not quit on her just as she is experiencing the stressors of moving into early adolescence. Please let me know what strategies you have tried and I can follow through on it.

I have done meds (not on any currently), two rounds of rTMS, seeing a naturopath, waiting to see an allergist, and I am also seeing an internal medicine specialist next week.

Thanks :)

Hey everyone. I made a post here about a year ago and got some really helpful feedback (https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/s/PUUzp77pYK), so I wanted to come back with an update and get some fresh perspective because my situation has changed a fair amount, and honestly, so has my headspace.

The good news first: I landed a new job this year and got a meaningful bump in salary. The numbers look better on paper than ever. Here's where things stand at 26 -

Income: $130k/year (VHCOL, still NYC)
401k: $17k
Rollover IRA: $39k
Roth IRA: $42k
Brokerage: $45k
MMF: $18k
Checking: $9k
HSA: $1.5k (just opened with new employer
529: $500 (small but growing)
No debt
Total NW: $172k

Still maxing my Roth IRA, contributing 14% to my 401k, and I've bumped up my brokerage and MMF contributions a bit with the extra income. So on paper, things are moving in the right direction.

The part I'm struggling with is that I am completely burnt out. Like, the kind of burnt out where I'm staring at my laptop on a Sunday night dreading Monday morning. The new job pays more but the hours, the culture, the work itself, none of it sits right with me. I knew going in it wouldn't be my "forever" job, but I didn't expect to feel this hollowed out this quickly.

On top of that, I've been doing videography on the side for about two years now, mostly for fun, some small paid gigs here and there, and I genuinely love it. It's the only thing I look forward to outside of work right now. I've started to seriously wonder what it would look like to pursue it more intentionally, whether that's going part-time somewhere, freelancing, or eventually trying to build something around it.

I know the math. A career pivot toward creative work would almost certainly mean a pay cut, at least in the short term. And I haven't forgotten my goals from last year, I still want to get married, buy a home in the NYC metro area, and eventually start a family. My partner is still ahead of me savings-wise, which is reassuring, but I don't want to be irresponsible or naively romantic about this.

So I guess my questions for this community are:
Is there a responsible way to "test the waters" with videography without blowing up my financial trajectory?
How do people here think about balancing financial goals with career/life fulfillment, especially in VHCOL areas where the stakes feel higher? At what point does it make sense to let the account balances support some risk-taking, vs. needing to "earn" that flexibility first?

I'm not trying to rage-quit anything tomorrow. But I also don't want to white-knuckle my way through another year of this just to see a bigger number in an account I barely look at. Appreciate any thoughts, this community helped me a lot last time.

What part of the "operation" feels the heaviest right now—is it the professional grind, the digital noise, or just the general cost of existing?

In our 30s finding ourselves in a strange middle ground: old enough to remember a world before the constant hum of the internet, but young enough to be the primary labor force keeping the current machine running. It is exhausting to feel like you’re constantly "optimizing" every second of your life just to stay level.

I feel I am just only surviving and I am so exhausted.

I am a 33F who honestly has lost passion for life or things in life and is self sabotaging everything in life. Honestly crying right now whilst I write this because I am doing it on purpose and I just feel everything is pointless in my life and everyone in my life is better off without me being the bad luck. And they deserve better and even messing up on jobs so I'm left financially struggling. To not caring about my health or health condition and being like F this whats even the point of doing anything or caring about anything anymore. I honestly don't know anymore.

P.S I'm sorry if this sounds depressing or sounds entitled. Or just sounds and feels sad. I've never talked about my feelings openly. And lately just not enjoying life or have anything to look forward to and don't mean to talk about it. And honestly feel like I might just be bothering people both in my life and strangers about my problems.

Hi, I am a journalist in the UK who is currently writing an article on burnout, focusing on how this experience manifests for working class people, or people who are not in positions to leave their jobs. I would be interested in speaking to people who have experienced this, to learn more about how burnout feels, how it feels to be unable to slow down, and furthermore if you have been able to heal your burnout in other ways without leaving work/ affordable treatments. Any help would be greatly appreciated and thank you for your time!

not the obvious stuff like dreading Mondays or being tired after work

I mean the subtle thing that was there for weeks or months before you actually admitted something was wrong

for me I think it would have been the decision fatigue, suddenly not being able to decide what to eat for dinner or what to watch felt weirdly heavy

what was yours?

hit a wall earlier this year. couldn’t switch off. tried every app, every tool, every article. nothing worked because everything was still a screen. ended up just doing word searches. no notifications, no streaks, no algorithm. just words on paper. anyone else gone analog when burned out? what worked?

I’m nearing 30 and honestly feel completely burned out after 2+ years of chronic stress and overwork.
Over time I’ve developed pretty much every symptom you can imagine:
zero libido

- chronic fatigue / no energy
- depression-like symptoms
- anxiety
- personality changes / emotional flatness
- brain fog
- loss of motivation and drive
- poor recovery and just feeling “off” all the time

The weird thing is that on paper I should be healthy. I’m very fit, muscular, low body fat, train regularly, barely drink alcohol, don’t smoke cigarettes, sleep reasonably well, and generally eat clean.

I’ve been getting bloodwork done for more than a year and my testosterone came back borderline low. Not clinically crashed, but definitely lower than expected for someone my age and lifestyle. Like at 300 ng/dL.

I’m starting to wonder whether years of chronic stress / burnout basically wrecked my hormones and nervous system.

Has anyone here had experience with TRT helping specifically with chronic burnout / fatigue symptoms like this? Especially when the issue seemed stress-related rather than just aging?

And just to be clear: I already know the potential downsides, side effects, fertility implications, lifelong commitment etc. I’m not looking for lectures about that.

What I genuinely want to know is whether TRT actually helped people recover from severe burnout symptoms — mentally, emotionally, physically, energy-wise — or whether it ultimately didn’t make much difference.

At this point I barely feel like myself anymore, so I’d really appreciate honest real-world experiences, both positive and negative.

I’ve been meaning to say this for a while because honestly, it’s already too draining.

The pay is $500 for 8 hours, but in reality we’re working up to 15 hours almost every day just to keep up. The workload is insane 20 pieces of content per day, plus managing Reddit, Quora, X, and YouTube. It’s not just posting either, it’s handling 50+ accounts on each platform, plus reporting trolls. This isn’t a one-person job anymore.

What really makes it worse is the rework. If the content isn’t liked, everything gets sent back all 20 from yesterday and at the same time you still have to produce another 20 for today. So the backlog just keeps piling up. You don’t even know where to start anymore, but you’re still expected to deliver the same quality.

On top of that, the way feedback is given is honestly frustrating. Being told things like you have “no common sense” is just disrespectful. You’re already doing your best under pressure, then you hear that.

At this point, it’s not healthy anymore. It’s physically exhausting and mentally draining. It’s just not worth it for me anymore.

So yeah, I’ve decided to let this go. I can’t keep working like this.

How do I tell my clients? I cannot do this anymore, looking back all the signs were there.. probably for a year or so. But I've just gotten to the point now I'm resentful of work. A business in once built to multi 6 figures all down the drain because I'm burnt out, overworked. My home/family life is starting to get better now that I've back off working so much. I never feel like I'm succeeding at both

Do I tell my clients for personal reasons I'm closing? Or just say I need to end contracts?

Today I had a huge fight with my grandmother, and honestly I’m still angry and hurt.

It started over something so stupid—petrol for the scooty. She told me to get petrol filled, and I got irritated because that scooty was literally bought from my scholarship money.

On top of that, I bought an Ola Electric scooter on EMI so both me and my younger brother can use it, and I’m the one paying that EMI every single month. So in my head, it felt fair that she could at least handle the petrol for the other scooty.

For some background, my father has basically done nothing for us from the start. My grandmother is the one who got him married and helped raise us, and yes, I know that and I’m grateful—but she reminds us of it constantly, like we owe her forever.

I’m also paying my own education loan EMI and even the house Wi-Fi bill. I do try to help financially, but because I’m a teacher, I don’t get paid during school holidays, so there are literally 2–4 months where I can’t contribute much. It’s not because I don’t want to—it’s because I genuinely can’t.

My whole childhood has been pretty toxic, and sometimes I feel like I’m still stuck in that same environment.

Today she said a lot of hurtful things over this petrol issue. What hurts me most is—not that she doesn’t have money, I understand that—but why can’t she just say it normally? Why does it always have to be yelling, taunting, and making me feel guilty?

Then she said I’m taunting her about the scooty and acting like I’ve done some huge favor. I got so angry I just took my Ola and left for work.

And honestly, I don’t even know what she wants from me anymore.

I’m working as a teacher right now, but I hate this job. I’m only doing it because I need money. What I really want is to prepare for a government job (my degree is useless), build a stable career, and have a better future. But it feels like nobody cares about that. It feels like all they want is for me to keep earning and giving.

I know family responsibilities matter. I know money matters. But am I wrong for wanting more for myself? Am I wrong for wanting to focus on my future so I can eventually do better for everyone—including myself?

I’m just tired. Really, really tired.

I used chatgpt to word it better. Also this is a throwaway account.

I keep seeing people looking for accountability partners, but honestly… I think a lot of people are setting themselves up to fail.

What I’ve noticed is this:
People try to achieve serious goals with unqualified accountability partners or with people who are just as inconsistent and unmotivated as they are. Then when nothing changes, they blame “accountability” itself.

But the issue usually isn’t accountability.
It’s the system and the people involved.

The right accountability setup should push you, challenge you, keep you consistent, and actually help you follow through.

If you’re tired of starting over and want an accountability system that actually works, send me a DM.

Nursing school messed me up so bad I haven't even been able to start working as a nurse yet. I graduated almost a year ago, and have had many opportunities to start work, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it because my anxiety gets in the way.

While it has gotten a better, my anxiety is extremely physical. I get chest pain/palpitations, my whole body goes weak, I start to feel really hot and unwell, and I get faint/dizzy. These symptoms have caused me to become agoraphobic because I'm afraid of becoming sick in public.

I genuinely want to go back to work and start my career, but I just don't know how to tell when I'm ready. Its been so hard for me to accept where I'm at right now, which is probably 50% of the battle. The other 50% is that nursing itself is a really hard career. I have no idea how to tell if I have the energy to even try.

Any advice for me?

every day after work i just completely shutdown. i get through my job just fine, but the moment i'm home i'm mentally checked out. can't even finish watching an episode because focusing on anything feels like too much.

this's been happening for months and i don't think it's just laziness at this point. i actually had hobbies i'd do after work before, now just the thought of picking something up feels exhausting. does work drain you in a way that's way deeper than regular tired? like there's literally zero energy left for anything? or am I just burned out or something?

I am in my 30s and I have been working full time since I graduated highschool, with only 1 week without a job while moving in 2014. I grew up in a very very poor abusive home and have had 0 support system. I built up a successful career from nothing, got my bachelor's in a diff field at the same time and bought a house all by myself. Moved across the country twice, all alone.

My work doesnt fulfill me and it never has. In the past year or so a new boss at work has made it even harder to soldier through. I am too tired to do the things that fulfill me during the work week, and the weekend is just never enough to fill my cup truly. I sit at the computer working and I feel empty to the point of exhaustion. I am not taking care of myself as best I could because of the cycle of stress and depression the work week causes me.

My fiance is so supportive and wants me to quit so I can have a break and find myself again and be happy. He is the most wonderful man and human being I have ever met. He can support us both, even through our big milestone events coming up.

Easy right? But im afraid that if I quit......I will be judged poorly, I will have less value, and ill strain him (even though i know all of this isnt true logically).....

I need advice. Im afraid im wasting away, but im also afraid of taking the leap and losing everything ive worked for.

Hey guys, I’m 24 now, and when I was around 22–23, I suffered a burnout that eventually led to panic attacks.It was mainly because of my job — I was working as a train driver, doing 50–60 hour shifts. I had no time for my private life or my health. For a social person, it was pure hell. Whenever I got home, I was so exhausted that I would just go straight to bed.

Long story short: for me, the solution was simply finding a regular 9-to-5 job without shift work. Yeah, you earn less money, but in return you get more lifetime for yourself.

But it didn’t stop there. Even at the new job, my stress levels started rising again and I felt drained.
After thinking about it for a long time, I eventually reached a point where I developed a mindset that completely removed my stress, burnout, and anxiety.

That mindset is basically: “I don’t give a f anymore.”
I stopped attaching so much importance to work. I genuinely didn’t care whether I still had the job the next day or not. Once I detached myself emotionally from work, I became stress-free and was finally able to work normally again.

Another important thing: at work, I also work slowly on purpose. Working too fast increases cortisol, kind of like jogging turns into endurance training. So I take things slowly, even if it could theoretically cost me the job.
Of course, this only works if you don’t have high expenses.
Don’t take life so seriously..

Find humor in the absurdity.
Most stress comes from acting like every little thing is life or death. It’s not. The moment I stopped worshipping work, status, and other people’s expectations, life became lighter.
I still work, I still live responsibly — but internally, I stopped carrying the world on my shoulders.

A jester survives because he can laugh in the middle of madness and does not give a f

I started as a CSR in the BPO industry, where burnout from repetitive tasks was my everyday reality. Long nights, endless calls, and the feeling of being stuck. But I pushed through, and eventually I was promoted to Learning Associate — proof that growth is possible even in tough environments.

That journey taught me resilience and the value of support. Now, I’ve shifted into being a Virtual Assistant, helping entrepreneurs with emails, invoices, calendars, and data entry — the same tasks that often lead to burnout.

Lesson learned: burnout often comes from repetitive tasks. Finding support or delegating those tasks can make all the difference.

I’m just starting out as a VA, and I hope we all find success together. Referrals or advice are always appreciated!