Q I used to be seen as capable, but lately even getting out of bed feels impossibly hard and everything feels meaningless. Is this burnout?
A Burnout is a state of emotional exhaustion from long-unmanaged work stress, marked by intense fatigue, cynicism and distancing from work, and a reduced sense of effectiveness ("I'm not doing well"). It is not laziness or a lack of willpower - it is a signal that your body and mind have run out of energy.
Detailed Answer
The World Health Organization defines burnout syndrome as an occupational phenomenon resulting from "chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed." Its core features are exhaustion that does not lift even with rest, cynicism and distancing from work and people, and reduced sense of accomplishment and effectiveness. Sleep problems and brain fog often overlap with this.
Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective
In Korean medicine, this state is seen as "the body's engine (the internal organs) having lost its power to generate and circulate energy after being run too hard for too long." When overwork and tension continue, the reserves of usable energy run dry and stagnant energy blocks circulation, so treatment focuses on releasing what is stuck and replenishing depleted energy to restore the body's own capacity to recover.
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