There’s a subtle drift that can take hold in adulthood, a fog that doesn’t arrive all at once, but slowly settles in. Maybe you’ve felt it, or maybe you’ve just started to notice it in others: the persistent fatigue that lingers even after a full night’s sleep, the way small tasks feel inexplicably heavy, the creeping sense that you’re doing a lot but at the same time making little to no progress. It doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Sometimes, it hums in the background for weeks, even months, before we find the right words for it.
The word we are looking for is “burnout.”
Burnout isn’t just about being tired or overworked. It’s a quieter erosion of our energy, motivation, and meaning. It’s not always dramatic. More often, it looks like disengagement, restlessness, or a kind of emotional flatlining. And while it’s become a cultural keyword, there’s still so much misunderstanding about what it actually feels like, how it sneaks in, and why it’s showing up more often in modern adulthood.
By the Numbers: When Burnout Strikes and Why
- 25% of Americans experience burnout before age 30, with Gen Z and millennials peaking around age 25 (source).
- 51% of younger adults report feeling unusually stressed, compared to 37% of Gen X and older group (source).
- 66% of workers reported job-related burnout in early 2025, an all-time high (source).
- For Gen Z and millennials, the main triggers are workload, finances, and lack of recognition, with about two-thirds contemplating switching jobs (source).
These aren’t outliers, they reflect a reality: the lived experience of modern adulthood.
Burnout Doesn’t Wait for a Crisis
We think burnout is a result of catastrophes, an earthquake, a breakup, or losing a job. But the reality is, it’s more often the product of micro-erosions: a hundred tiny stressors, added to a culture that rewards burnout like an old friend.
Research suggests this isn’t just our imagination: studies show that millennials report high levels of burnout compared with other generations, often tied to juggling multiple roles (worker, parent, caretaker, partner), student loan burdens, and the 24/7 pace of digital life *.
Everyday Burnout: Two Relatable Scenarios
1. The “Hybrid Hustler”
Ella logs off her remote job at 6 pm, but her Teams pings don’t stop. She grabs dinner, only to scroll through her email while cooking, hoping she didn’t miss anything urgent. Weekends are for errands, but after a quick call with a friend, exhaustion sets in. She feels like she’s living for the next break, not the life she’s building.
2. The “Side-Hustle Juggler”
Ravi works full-time at a marketing firm and runs a freelance design gig. He’s proud of building something on the side, but at 10 pm, he still tweaks a client’s logo. He’s tired, yet restless. A day off means catching up on both streams of work. His sense of accomplishment is overshadowed by exhaustion and an undercurrent of dread.
In both, burnout isn’t dramatic, it’s silent, slow, and insidious.
A Personal Check-In: What Does Burnout Feel Like?
Here’s a short checklist to slow down and listen to your body and mind:
- Emotional exhaustion: You wake up tired, or you feel nothing at all.
- Cynicism or detachment: That project you once loved? It feels pointless.
- Decreased productivity: You push twice as hard for half the impact.
- Self-doubt ramping up: Impostor feelings pang in your gut after “small” tasks.
These aren’t permanent states, they’re signals. Modern adulthood isn’t failing you; it’s telling you that something needs to shift.
Why We Stay in Burnout Mode
Why don’t we just stop? A few key reasons:
- Hustle Culture
We wear our busy-ness like a badge. Teams notifications at 10 pm? We lean in. - Blurred personal boundaries
Now more than ever, following the 2020 pandemic, work follows us home, literally. Our homes have become offices, and rest is now just another tab. - Fear of missing out
Saying no? It feels like saying goodbye to opportunity, social connection, or future success. - Shame around rest
Rest isn’t just a break, we often feel guilty for taking it. - Internal Pressure
At times we can put a lot of pressure on ourselves to live up to our own expectations or that of others.
Turning the Tide: Tiny Shifts That Help
You don’t need a sabbatical or something else that drastic (but it would be nice though!). Try these small starting points:
- Micro-resets during the day
A 2-minute walk. A stretch midday. A breath break when you notice your shoulders creeping toward your ears. - The “offtime” schedule
Create actual “off” time: your laptop closes at 6 pm, your phone stops buzzing. Build a buffer of 30 minutes before bed where screens don’t exist. - Ask yourself essential questions
“What do I need right now?” Stop to listen—even for a moment. - Care that doesn’t require a lot
A nourishing lunch. A call with a friend. A single deep breath. - Lower the stakes
Not every email deserves a thoughtful essay. Let short replies live as they are.
When It’s More Than a Phase
If you find these small changes aren’t sticking or you’re feeling overwhelmed to the point you’re questioning your worth, consider reaching out. A supportive community, a therapist, or a coach can help you see patterns you can’t see from the inside.
Takeaways
Burnout does not equal failure. It’s a signal that your life is out of sync with what you need. When we begin to listen, to shift our pace, to remove ourselves from hustle culture, something opens up: more breathing space, more connection, aliveness.
Here’s the thing, when we fall in love with the daily renewals of modern life, we don’t have to wait for Friday or vacation to feel alive again.
Also, when we learn to give rest the importance it deserves in our lives, perhaps we can learn to systematically remove some of that incessant exhaustion we deal with.
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“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
— Anne Lamott
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Sources:
*= The American Psychological Association reports high stress and burnout, especially among millennials balancing work, finances, and caregiving.
The Millennial State of Happiness 