Burnout
Burnout is not just being tired
The WHO recognises burnout as an occupational syndrome, not a medical diagnosis. It has three dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism about work, and a felt loss of professional effectiveness. All three tend to be present at once.
Signs it is burnout and not a bad month
- Weekends no longer refill the tank.
- Cynical humour about clients, users, or colleagues that used to feel out of character.
- Small tasks feel disproportionately hard.
- Trouble caring about outcomes you used to care about.
- Physical: gut issues, tension headaches, weight changes, catching every cold.
Why founders and expats hit it
Both groups run without natural stopping cues. Founders can always work more. Expats often lack the social scaffolding — family, old friends nearby, a familiar weekend rhythm — that quietly enforces recovery in your home country. Six months of eating up recovery reserves catches up eventually.
Recovery
The evidence points to three levers. Reduce the actual load, even temporarily, so sleep and rest can rebuild the system. Reconnect to meaning by returning to the parts of work that used to feel purposeful, and dropping the parts that no longer do. Rebuild the social contact that was crowded out. Therapy helps most as a structured conversation about which lever to pull first.