Breaking the Burnout Epidemic: Why You're Always Tired and What to Do About It
Illustration of a low battery
Originally from The Fruitful Three Show with hosts Levi and Isaiah
Burnout culture is frying people in 2025. If you've ever felt like your energy is a battery that's constantly draining faster than it can recharge, you're not alone. Today, we're diving deep into what's really behind this epidemic and how to fight back.
The Battery Check: Where Are You Right Now?
Think of your energy as a battery with different levels:
Battery Checkout Example
Focused (100%) - You're laser-focused, creative, and engaged. Good sleep, positive mindset, thriving and productive.
Functioning (75-90%) - You're okay but experiencing ups and downs. Some stress, but it's manageable. You might notice periods of fatigue, but you're still functioning normally overall. This is where most people live - going through the motions, faking it till you make it.
Overworked (50-74%) - Tension headaches, anxiety, dread creeping in. Increased irritability, feeling mentally drained, and disrupted sleep patterns. This is where frequent headaches and muscle tightness start showing up.
Depleted (25-49%) - Fatigue, poor sleep, hopelessness, no motivation. Chronic exhaustion, lack of enthusiasm, and feeling completely disengaged. You might find yourself with insomnia, oversleeping, poor appetite, or overeating.
Burnout (0-24%) - Complete exhaustion, numbness, depression, inability to cope. Full emotional detachment, despair, and feeling completely empty inside. At this stage, you might experience chronic illness, severe fatigue, depression, or anxiety disorders.
Here's a critical warning sign: if you notice someone has lost enthusiasm for their hobbies - whether it's gaming, working on cars, making music, or whatever they usually love - reach out and ask if they're okay. This is often the last stop before full burnout, and once someone hits that stage, it can be incredibly difficult to climb back out.
The Shocking Numbers
Recent studies reveal the scope of this crisis:
81% of 18-24 year olds in the US are burnt out
83% of 25-34 year olds (prime working years) are burned out
Even 49% of people over 55 report burnout
These aren't just people feeling a little tired. These statistics include everyone below the "focused" level on our battery chart.
Why are younger workers getting hit harder? They face less job control and stability, heavier workloads with tight deadlines, lower pay while living costs keep rising, and constant digital connectivity that completely blurs work-life boundaries.
Older workers report less burnout because they have more job experience and autonomy, more stable schedules, better work-life boundaries, and coping strategies developed over time. Many also built financial stability when benefits were better and costs were lower.
What Burnout Actually Does to Your Body and Mind
Burnout isn't just feeling tired. Here's what really happens:
Mental Health Impact
Chronic feelings of sadness, helplessness, and worthlessness (clinical depression territory)
Anxiety that creates a vicious cycle - you're stressed about being unable to manage tasks, which creates more stress
Memory gets foggy, focus disappears, and decision-making becomes impossible
Your cognitive function just breaks down
Physical Health Impact
Chronic tension leading to constant headaches and muscle pain
Sleep is completely disrupted by anxiety and stress, leading to more fatigue
Most scary: Chronic burnout significantly increases your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke
Your body literally breaks down under sustained stress due to elevated cortisol levels
Relationship Impact
This is what people don't talk about enough. Burnout destroys relationships. You become isolated, frustrated, and unable to engage with family, friends, and colleagues. It leads to conflicts with people you love most because you don't have the emotional capacity to show up for them.
Two Pictures of Work Culture
Burnout Culture:
Busyness over impact
Endless availability (Slack at 10 PM, emails on weekends)
Productivity equals exhaustion
Leaders who normalize burnout ("I worked through vacation, so should you")
Recognition without real support
Sustainable Performance Culture:
Impact over hours
Clear boundaries
Rest as a performance strategy
Leaders who model unplugging
Real recognition and balance
Here's proof the second approach works: A few years ago, a business in New York experimented with giving every employee Wednesdays off as paid days. Employees worked Monday-Tuesday, had Wednesday off with pay, then worked Thursday-Friday plus weekends off.
The results? Employee motivation went up, tasks got done 10 times faster, and the whole experiment was overwhelmingly positive. Employees could handle errands, rest, and recharge, making them more productive during their actual work days.
The Brain Science Behind Burnout
Daniel Kahneman's research in "Thinking Fast and Slow" identifies two systems of thinking:
System 1: Fast, reactive, intuitive
System 2: Slow, reflective, deliberate
Burnout culture traps us in System 1 - constantly reacting to emails, notifications, and deadlines with no time to breathe or think deeply. But fruitful living requires System 2: reflection, strategy, creativity.
God designed rhythms like rest and Sabbath to pull us into that slower, deeper space. Without it, we become shallow, reactive, and exhausted.
Biblical Wisdom on Rest and Burnout
The Bible is packed with lessons about avoiding burnout, though it doesn't use that modern term. Consider Elijah under the broom tree in 1 Kings 19 - he's exhausted, depressed, and even praying for death. But God doesn't give him a pep talk. He gives him food, water, and rest. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.
Key biblical principles:
The Sabbath: In Genesis, God rested after creation - not because He needed to, but to model rest for us. Even God chose to rest, showing that rest is fundamental to life's rhythm.
Jesus withdrew: If even Jesus needed boundaries and solitude for prayer, what makes us think we don't? In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus offers rest to the weary and burdened - not just physical rest, but deep soul restoration.
Be still: Psalm 46:10 reminds us to "Be still and know that I am God." The Sabbath commandment isn't a suggestion - it's God's design for humans to work diligently but also rest and reflect.
Practical Solutions to Fight Burnout
1. Set Boundaries
Learn to say no. This is especially hard for Midwesterners, but "no" is powerful. Establish clear lines between work and personal life, set specific work hours and stick to them.
Consider advocating for a four-day work week. European nations that have implemented 3-4 day work weeks show excellent work-life balance. If you can't get paid Fridays off, negotiate higher hourly pay to maintain the same weekly income over fewer days.
2. Prioritize Self-Care
Engage in regular physical exercise, maintain a healthy diet, and practice mindfulness activities like meditation. These aren't luxuries - they're necessities that buffer stress and prevent burnout.
Home-cooked meals provide better nutrition than fast food and actually cost less, despite requiring more time.
3. Embrace Rest and Recovery
Take breaks - both short daily ones and longer extended ones. Research shows that regular vacations significantly reduce burnout risk and improve long-term productivity and job satisfaction. Vacations aren't guilt trips - they're productivity investments.
Don't just doom-scroll on your phone during breaks. Actually be bored once in a while. This is psychologically proven to help solve problems and boost inspiration faster than mindless phone use.
4. Seek Group Support
Reach out to friends, family, and mental health professionals. Social support plays a massive role in preventing burnout. Don't carry the load alone - other people offer valuable perspectives and coping strategies you might not see.
The old advice to "get it off your chest" is scientifically sound. When you vent to a friend, you often walk away in a much better mood, sometimes wondering why you were upset in the first place.
5. Adjust Expectations
Unrealistic expectations and pressure to be constantly productive contribute directly to burnout. It's okay to take things slowly sometimes. This recalibration is essential for long-term mental health.
6. Reflect on Purpose
Reconnect with the meaning behind your work. When you lose your why, burnout follows fast. Connecting with a larger sense of purpose gives you emotional fuel to push through difficult times without burning out.
Break down your "why" and remind yourself of it regularly. Some people put motivational sticky notes on mirrors or doors throughout the day to maintain their sense of purpose.
A Four-Part Biblical Framework for Burnout
Acknowledge the need for rest - God rested after creation, and we must recognize our need for rest, too
Surrender your burdens - Matthew 11:28 and 1 Peter 5:7 invite us to cast our anxieties on God
Reflect on God's purpose - Jeremiah 29:11 assures us that God has plans to give us hope and a future
Trust in God's provision - Philippians 4:19 reminds us that God will meet all our needs
The Bottom Line
Burnout isn't just about exhaustion - it's about misplaced priorities, broken rhythms, and cultures that reward depletion over fruitfulness. But here's the good news: we don't have to stay there.
With psychology, philosophy, theology, and practical wisdom, we can recharge our batteries, set boundaries, and live not just productive lives, but truly fruitful ones.
What's your battery at today? And what's one thing you can do this week to recharge?
Remember: fruitfulness beats burnout every time.
