Coach differentiates between feeling burnt out and a 'burnout mindset' and how to repair the same

Adult life is exhausting no matter what one does and how one lives. No matter their profession, lifestyle, location or social circle, at some point, every individual feels burnt out and beaten up by the tedious realities of life. However, one needs to be cautious in identifying such feelings and addressing them the right way. Coach Peter Guse shared a video on TikTok revealing that one could wrongly assume they’re burnt out when, in truth, the problem is a “burnout mindset.” Sharing the distinction between the two, the coach explained that each is treated differently but it is primarily important to figure out which of the two a person is experiencing. 

The coach shared his personal experience, mentioning that he thought he was burned out when he worked a corporate job as a millennial and that taking time off would help him heal and improve. “I thought that taking time from work and focusing on doing my own thing would be a solution,” Peter says in his video. However, things took a different turn when he actually quit. “The first week I didn’t have anyone to report to, I thought I could rest. But my brain had different ideas because it was busy reminding me that rest is lazy,” he added.

The coach further explained that this mentality urged him to think that if he didn't do anything productive, he would make his “future worst-case scenario of becoming poor and homeless” come true. “I thought I just needed to rest, do yoga and meditation and just sleep. Turns out, I had more than a dysregulated nervous system,” Peter remarked. The coach highlighted that his mindset had gotten him addicted to stress. “My mind would constantly seek evidence to confirm the idea in my subconscious that I picked up when I was 10 years old that my self-worth came from my productivity,” he explained.

He further pointed out that due to this tendency, even though he tried to reduce stressful situations in his life through steps like quitting his job, he subconsciously added more stress to his life. “I thought I was just burnt out, turns out I had a burnout mindset," he shared. @buwaro agreed and said, “This feeling led to my ADHD diagnosis. Spent 6 weeks off during 2020 and still felt burned out.” @patricialiebetrau16 said, “Never thought one could be addicted to stress!” In a follow-up video, the coach explained that having a burnout mindset can be tackled by creating an opposing scenario for the brain. Peter mentioned that a burnout mindset is linked with constantly worrying about worst-case scenarios.

“When that’s all that your brain focuses on, it becomes more and more wired all the time, to make that your default operating mode,” he explained. The solution to the same is to plot best-case scenarios. “After you allow your brain to go through all that, simply hit pause, rewind and replay that simulation from the perspective of best case scenario,” the coach suggested. He added that the same may feel delusional and weird at first. “The more you give your brain an equal opportunity to consider the best case, the more you’re rewiring the way your brain operates and taking back control of your mindset,” Peter concluded. @jssinge suggested, “Force positive repetitive thoughts.” @lebacher said, “Choose to live in a positive salience bias.” 

You can follow Peter Guse (@thepeterguse) on TikTok for more content on millennials and lifestyle.