Why we are confused between boreout and burnout?
Why are we sometimes confused between burnout and boreout? Well, the short answer is, because the feelings we endure, and the social consequences can be the same.
Look at this. Do you feel a lack of passion? Low self-esteem? Sometimes feeling of shame and culpability because you do not show the best of yourself? Feeling disconnected at work? Depressed?
Well, both bored out and burned out folks experience the same!
But there are definitely differences between these two syndromes! Get the answer once for all. And learn the best coping strategies.
The fundamental difference between boreout and burnout
The easy and short answer is: Burned out, you’re overloaded! Bored out, you’re underloaded!
Boreout happens when you have mental underestimation at the workplace. Either you don’t have enough work. Or most of the time, you don’t have enough work which is “interesting enough”. You don’t feel the right level of aspiration and capacity.
While with burnout, you are completely drowning! You have too much to do. Too much stress. “Burnout Syndrome is to do with overwork. We find it in workers who suffer from anxiety and emotional stress. They are subjected to tremendous mental exhaustion and this, in turn, produces anxiety and panic” (from Exploring your mind)
In her article, Anne-Laure Lecunff says: In both cases, the way we are stimulated is wrong and doesn’t result in a sense of purpose. We’re less productive and less creative. Basically, work sucks”. (Anne-Laure Lecunff)
The consequences of both are also very similar. You have less work prospectives! Boredom, dissatisfaction, and permanent frustration. Some may even gradually lose the will to act and lose self-esteem. One might have constant fear that his “supervisor, colleagues, or friends will discover his inactivity and duplicity” (Diagnose Boreout, a book by Peter Werder and Philippe Rothlin, Wikipedia).
Do you sometimes experience these feelings? For sure, they are not the most motivating ones!
But why do we stay in a job of which we are bored out or burned out?
Well, easy answer: we are afraid that we can’t find another job! Economic crisis and unemployment everywhere. “I feel safer staying anyway”, you might tell yourself. And you’re not alone, most people do it!
In addition to the common fear of not finding alternative employment, there is another. Fear of social judgment. Bored out or burned out, the question you raise is: Will I be able to speak up? Well, not really. Burned out? “You’re not resilient enough! Why did it happen to you and not others?” “Bored out? You’re not motivated enough. Should I find some younger and more motivated fellow?” We are all in a social environment where career success is highly coveted. This explains why burnout or boreout might not seem to be “politically correct”.
Both boreout or burnout reveals the question of purpose at work – Take the best out of it!
When you are bored out or burned out, you are faced with a question: What gives me purpose? They highlight “the importance of being in tune with our intrinsic motivations that lead us to self-actualization” (The Recruiters).
We all want to feel great, don’t we? We want to be passionate, to realize ourselves, to feel useful to others. Burnout or boreout is a state of feeling that shows us that we need some change. It’s the same when we fall sick. Being sick is a great way our body tells us that something goes wrong and needs to be fixed! As simple as that. So we can make the best out of it!
Remember the Personal Legend of The Alchemist? Be ready for it! Agree with yourself that it’s a good thing! Having no passion is a moment in life that your whole self is trying to make a positive change and have true success. Be patient and observe your passion. And life takes the time it needs for only the better if you truly believe so!
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