The time it takes to empty the resources and energy so much that you get burned out, depends on how big the gap is between the energy you use and the energy you possess. The quickest way to get burned out is with a big gap. A small gap can also lead to burn-out if it lasts long enough without time to recuperation. The graph underneath demonstrates the extremities; long-term overload and temporary extreme-load. The transition from being ”tired” to ”burned out” is gradual – this is illustrated with a gradually darker grey in the graph.

    

Long-term overload

At long-term overload, you become burned out after compromising yourself for several years – sometimes a decade or two. It is the total strain in life that is essential – not only work.

Temporary extreme-load

At temporary extreme-load, you become burned out by exploiting your body ruthlessly. It is difficult to know how fast it is possible to empty the body's resources/energy so the state of fatigue gets chronic. At extreme cases; a few months is enough. The most common is a couple of years – where the strain varies over time.

What is the most common type of burn-out?

What we usually hear about, is burn-out connected to temporary extreme-load. But is this the most common type of burn-out? Temporary extreme-load is much easier to detect than “long-term overload” because it is more obvious that the person has been exposed to too much strain. Even though the symptoms have come gradually, they have still appeared fast enough to make it possible to see the change. It is therefore easier to spot the connection between cause and consequence at temporary extreme-load than long-term overload.

One of the symptoms of burn-out is changes in personality features. Several people that are burned out get both hot- and short-tempered. If a person is under severe strain, is it easier for others to explain why the person has become hot-tempered; “Not strange she’s not herself – her work is so stressful. She works all the time.” Worse is it for a person that is close to becoming burned out after several years with overload. Even though he actually is a pleasant and diplomatic person, the changes in the personality features have occurred so gradually and lasted over so many years that people around him now look at him as hot- and short-tempered. In addition, he is so used to these symptoms, that he has “forgotten” how he really is.

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