Jonquilyn Hill

He was really happy until he wasn't.

I'm Jonquan Hill, and this week on Explain it to Me from Vox, we get into the reality of burnout and what to do if you just don't have any more to give.

Jonathan decided that he needed to quit that dream job.

And as he started to think about what to do next, he wanted to understand what derailed his career.

As their emotional resources are depleted, workers feel they're no longer able to give of themselves at a psychological level.

Burnout.

The word evokes images of a final flickering flame of a charred and empty shell of dying embers and cold gray ashes.

Why did you think what happened to you was burnout and not just like, ooh, this job, not a good fit?

I feel emotionally drained by my work.

You're like, look at me.

That's right.

I won.

Of course, there's a big difference between fatigue and boredom and actual burnout.

But I'd love for you to explain the difference from a scientific perspective.

What makes burnout, burnout?

Yeah, you know, I think a lot of people can get some of these feelings from work.

I think of the movie Office Space.

I'm curious when it goes from just like, uh, work to like, oh no, I'm burnt out.

Coming up, how that mismatch of ideals went mainstream.

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