Are You Experiencing Burnout Or Is It Actually 'Boreout'?

Many different factors can contribute to boreout at work.You’re probably familiar with the concept of burnout ― the state of exhaustion that stems from persistently demanding and stressful work. There’s another workplace mental health phenomenon that’s less well known, however. And experts say it’s becoming increasingly common lately.Introducing “boreout.” So what exactly is boreout? How does it compare to burnout? And what’s the best way to deal with it? HuffPost asked experts to break it down. What is boreout?“Boreout is when an employee experiences chronic boredom, a lack of stimulation and feels disconnected at work because their daily tasks lack meaning, challenge or variety,” said Jasmine Escalera, a career expert at MyPerfectResume. “It’s that feeling of just going through the motions by showing up and doing what’s required, but feeling mentally checked out and unfulfilled.”She noted that feeling detached from work is a very common experience for employees today, with many pointing to a lack of growth opportunities as the reason.“It is, of course, to be expected that we all have moments at our places of employment that are not particularly engaging, and points in the day when we feel less motivated and interested in a task at hand,” said Dr. Courtney DeAngelis, a psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. ”‘Boreout’ best describes when we feel this sentiment at your job more times than not.”Rather than burning out under pressure and stress, people experiencing boreout struggle with too little engagement or purpose.“My theory, as a psychotherapist in private practice, is that as human beings, we need a sense of purpose to feel engaged and maximumly satisfied,” said licensed marriage and family therapist Sonnet Daymont. “Integrity, feeling as though we are contributing to the world, and growing as people individually is a big part of that.”Many experts who spoke to HuffPost believe that boreout is becoming more common lately, and there are a few different reasons for the trend. “First, people are not leaving their jobs,” said career coach Emily Worden. “This market is competitive, and if you have a job, you tend to hold on to it, even if you’re unhappy. Second, job descriptions are not matching job responsibilities. I hear this from job seekers all the time ― they are sold one type of job, but the job is much different. It’s not what they signed up for and they’re frustrated and resentful.”There’s also a general tendency toward apathy with the state of the world of late.“I think people feel powerless to all the things that are going on externally, and we’re bombarded with that information ― so at some point, people start to reach an apathetic place and tune out from aspects of their life, including work,” said executive career coach Elizabeth Pearson. “That’s how people feel stuck. And there’s a lot of fear in the job market right now. It’s like these people who can’t buy homes because they’re waiting for the interest rates to change. You sink to a place of quiet apathy just waiting for conditions to change.”Although there could be good reasons to delay a big change in the short term, she emphasised that waiting too long can come at a cost to your happiness. “Boreout is not just a temporary slump, but rather, something that can have lasting emotional consequences when people ignore the signs or feel powerless to make a change,” echoed Keith Spencer, a career expert with Resume Now. How does boreout compare to burnout?“Burnout is stress caused by overwork,” Worden said. “Boreout is restlessness caused by lack of meaningful work. I see it as two sides of the same coin. Both burnout and boreout can cause the same physical and mental reactions, such as insomnia, exhaustion and depression.”In both situations, you experience dissatisfaction with work that leads to a negative state, physically and mentally. “Boreout and burnout are definitely connected, and in fact, if left unattended, boreout can lead to burnout,” Escalera said. “Boreout usually comes first with an employee feeling bored, unstimulated, and just kind of checked out at work. If those feelings are ignored for too long, that detachment can build up and eventually lead to burnout, which hits much harder with more intense symptoms.”Boreout and burnout can lead to similar symptoms, but there are differences between these conditions. In this sense, boreout could be an early warning sign of burnout for some. The longer you feel trapped in a job that doesn’t serve you, the more likely it is that you will eventually get burned out too. “You start to become bad at your job because you just don’t care,” Pearson said. “You don’t see a future, and you’re not emotionally or soulfully connected to your work.”Over time, your easy-but-boring job can start to feel overwhelming as tasks pile up but you can’t knock them out ― thus leading to burnout. But boreout and burnout can be quite different as well. “Some symptoms of boreout ― like fatigue, cynicism and low energy ― can resemble burnout, but the causes are different,” Spencer said. “Burnout comes from high pressure and constant demands, while boreout stems from a lack of challenge, purpose, or growth. Burnout feels like drowning in work, while boreout feels like being stuck in place with nothing meaningful to do.”If left unaddressed, both can lead to stress, disengagement and mental health struggles.“When I see clients with burnout, they too describe symptoms of fatigue and anxiety, but I tend to notice more physical health consequences from burnout, more frustration,” Daymont said. “Oftentimes, when folks come in with burnout, they care deeply about their work and doing a good job, they’ve simply been overburdened and improperly managed.”What’s the best way to deal with boreout at work?“It’s so important to pay attention to the early signs of boreout,” Escalera said. “If an employee notices themselves feeling disengaged or unfulfilled, it’s a signal to start questioning their work, their sense of purpose, and what really drives them in their career.”She emphasised that taking action at this early stage can help realign work with your core values and needs and keep the negative effects of boreout from intensifying. “If you are struggling with boreout and feeling disengaged, start by focusing on your well-being,” said Karishma Patel Buford, chief people officer at Spring Health. “Look to reconnect with what initially motivated you in the role and connect with managers to discuss taking on more challenging and meaningful tasks. Find your purpose again by looking for ways to align work with your values and skill set and be your biggest advocate when it comes to support ― whether that be through asking for feedback, mental health resources, or role adjustments.”Meaningful change can’t happen if you don’t speak up.“Learning more about assertiveness and effectiveness in communication could be a helpful way to take the first step in communicating to your supervisor that you would like more meaningful work,” Daymont said. “If that is not possible in the position you’re in, I’ve seen employees take up innovative projects they designed themselves for companies, and create side businesses.”Consider what you can still get out of your current job, whether it’s good networking connections with colleagues or a certain certification.“Can you make time to connect with colleagues in a meaningful way, beyond ‘surface level’ small talk?” DeAngelis asked. “As humans, we are hard wired toward connection, and cultivating relationships at your workplace can help to improve satisfaction.”“I think it’s also important for people to challenge themselves outside of the workplace to create that motivation and interest again such as taking an online course, starting a side hustle or developing a passion skill,” Patel Buford said. Don’t be afraid to take a leap and look for other jobs as well. You might even decide to shake things up with a full career pivot. “You deserve work that challenges you, supports you and helps you grow,” Spencer said. “Feeling bored at work is not a personal failure, it is a signal that something needs to change.”Related...I’m From A Working Class Background And House Hunting. My Biggest Competition? Your ParentsI Had An Abortion While Working A Full Day. My Co-Worker's 'Feedback' Nearly Made Me Unravel.I Tried The 'Pomodoro Technique' To Get Over My Work Slump – I've Never Been More Focused

Comments

Breaking news

Uranus is hotter and leakier than we realised

Metro

Comments

Breaking news

Uranus is hotter and leakier than we realised

Santa’s village in the Arctic Circle is hotter than the UK today

TV newsreader jumps from seat after Israel missile strike hits building behind her

Heartbroken mum dies a year after son, 6, was killed by drink-driver

You could soon copyright your face, body and voice in Denmark – here’s why

Priest quits with sassy poem lashing out at his congregation

Someone from Liverpool has a month to claim £1,000,000 National Lottery win

How social and video drive revenue for UK podcast network Crowd

Lewis Capaldi Describes Glastonbury As 'Best Day' Of His Life (Over 'Having A Child')

Keir Starmer Is Right To Point The Finger Of Blame At The Tories For Afghan Data Leak Scandal

6,500,000 people had their details stolen after Co-op cyber attack

What changes in ISAs could mean for you and where you should invest

Triple murderer Nicholas Prosper spared whole life sentence after appeal refused

Urgent recall of Dubai chocolate that doesn’t declare it contains peanuts

Uranus is hotter and leakier than we realised

At least 20 Palestinians killed in crush at Gaza aid site

Edmunds three-row hybrid SUV test: Kia Sorento vs Toyota Highlander

Israel targets Syrian capital after days of sectarian fighting

Swinney accuses Reeves of ‘channelling Thatcher’ with financial reforms

Emma Watson banned from driving for six months after speeding

Captain Tom’s daughter joins TikTok as ‘resilience coach’ after charity controversy

Did Trump’s uncle teach the Unabomber? No. Here’s what really happened

Voices: Inflation has delivered a nasty shock – but don’t panic just yet...

Live: Starmer faces questions in final PMQs before summer recess

The Latest: 20 die in stampede at Gaza food distribution site as Israeli strikes kill 41 others

Emilie Kiser’s husband could face child abuse charges over child’s drowning death

Where inflation jumped in June – and where it eased

Skin cancer peaks in summer – so why is early detection still an afterthought?

The most innovative sustainable packaging is here

The smarter vehicle tech that’s keeping British fleets safer on the road

Delivering nationwide maintenance solutions with speed, quality and trust

What does a buoyant market mean for property developers?

Why the North needs a headstart to tackle the housing shortage

Growing use of bridging loans to prevent residential collapse

The £200 billion landbank that could boost the UK’s housing supply

Why bridging loans can help boost new-build profits

Bridging loans forecast to hit £12 billion in 2025

Warning over ‘contaminated’ tomatoes sold across UK

Iran seizes foreign tanker smuggling 2 million litres of fuel

France, UK and Germany set deadline to restore UN sanctions on Iran

Nissan to close flagship factory with 3,900 workers to cut costs

Netflix Finally Gave Fans A Huge Stranger Things Season 5 Update — Here’s What We Know

Measles Is Hitting This Age Group The Hardest In England This Year

John Torode And Gregg Wallace May Have Left The BBC With A Very Practical MasterChef Dilemma

Deaths, fires and prison breaks: The mystery behind the eerie Annabelle doll

M25 drivers face 90 minute delays after van overturns in serious crash

Donald Trump baby balloon could take to the skies again when President visits UK

Five key questions answered about the Trump administration’s Epstein files chaos

Will interest rates be cut in August? The key factors for the Bank of England and 2025 predictions

More than a quarter of British pubs have closed since 2000. Here’s why

Three Republican senators break with Trump to vote against codifying DOGE spending cuts

Barclays fined £42m by watchdog over money laundering checks

Russia launches new attacks on Ukraine with the countdown to a US peace deadline underway

New hosepipe ban announced as a million more Britons hit by water restrictions

Dolphins learn to wear sponges ‘like a clown nose’ to hunt fish

UK politics live: Defence minister warns ‘accountability starts now’ after Afghan data breach

Why Camilla is being given a high-ranking naval title

Trump says ‘only bad people’ want to keep ‘boring’ Epstein case going

Hundreds of children to be tested for sexually transmitted infections in Australia amid childcare abuse case

UK lifts years-long ban on Pakistani airlines after improvement in air safety standards