How we slay the Monster of Burnout through the Existential Sword

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Anton Chekhov, in his story A Ward No. 6, wrote

‘All I need is work and love’.

This statement reflects a lifelong established meaning in a human life. We need a purpose in the morning, so as to know how do we spend our day, and then when we come back and need a space where we experience love. Maintaining this balance is essential for a fruitful and purposeful life. 

In the day and age of 2025, we find ourselves consumed by work so often that the space for love is not left in the human mind. When crushed under the workload from the office, constant deadlines to be satisfied, the line of separation between work and love is blurred. This imbalance doesn’t just exhaust us; it reshapes our inner life in subtle but corrosive ways.

It is common for individuals to feel irritable, forgetful, lower attention span, and dimming of creativity. Each morning no longer feels like a beginning, but a weary continuation of yesterday. The human spirit, when crushed under the weight of work, experiences burnout. 

When there is a day off, we experience it as an opportunity to stay with ourselves, but as soon as the evening arrives, the demon of tomorrow pays us a visit. So what can we do? How can we slay this demon?

At first, it is important to view burnout in a good light. The fact that human beings can experience burnout shows that the reminder mechanisms of the body are still working. We might realise it later, but our body reacts to it before we become conscious of it. Some might experience chronic fatigue or frequent headaches, some might experience gastrointestinal issues, weakened immunity, and changes in sleep and appetite.

All these are reminders that our body sends us to understand that the way we are living is not good for us. And then one day, it hits you, ‘I AM BURNED OUT’

Burnout can be understood as Existential Vacuum- this is a place where there is no value ascribed to our actions. No matter how much we do, it just doesn’t have a spark anymore. The thoughts that arise in this condition are a reminder of thresholds that have been crossed before, yet the pain stays the same, and the threshold keeps increasing.

In one sentence, there is no meaning in life worth following. It is the hollow ache behind endless achievements, the silent question of ‘why’ even when the calendar is full.

Meaning in life answers the ‘Why?’

We derive meaning in life not arbitrarily. We experience meaning when we behave according to our values. So for us to behave according to our values, we should first understand what our values are. 

So, right after looking at burnout as a good reminder of our mental condition, we should then aim for what the body might react better to. We should ‘aim at’  meaning, rather than ‘aiming away’ from burnout. The following is what helps.

There are three pathways to meaning:

1. Value of Creation

The value of creation is what meaning you give. It is how we carve our place in the world. When you wake up in the morning and till you sleep, the Value of Creation is what value you provide to your environment. This includes the work you do in your workplace, the contributions you give at home. What efforts do you put in to make you feel alive, and why? 

So you make a list of all the things you provide and put them in a hierarchical order, starting from what consumes most of your time, and what consumes the least. What feels the most meaningful and what the least? Where do you want to give more value, and where you might not want to engage? This will give you a good picture of not just where you spend most of your value, but also by how much. 

2. Values of Experience

This refers to things that you experience as meaningful throughout your day. What we receive is how the world reminds us we belong.  Values of experience refers to all that you can receive from your environment. This includes what experiences do you receive when you are commuting to and back from your workplace, when you go to a favourite spot to decompress, or when you’re home. It could be appreciating the beauty of a flower, or a simple smile at a stranger. 

A life that only gives is like a flower that gives out smell even while it is dying. Making a hierarchical list of Values of Experiences helps us to understand where we receive most of what we value higher for reception. 

3. Values of Attitude

This refers to the values you follow in the face of inevitable suffering. How we suffer is how we prove to ourselves that our values are real. Imagine facing a situation that cannot be avoided. Your car broke down on your way to work, or you find out that you will be late for picking up your son because you have other appointments. 

Make a list of values of what form of behaviour will make you experience meaning in the face of inevitable suffering. Would you want to try to be calm and collected in the face of adversity, or would you want to behave instinctively? What would give you better evidence of you living with your inherent values?

This is where Chekhov’s words return with their full force ‘All we need is work and love.’ Work gives us creation, love gives us experience, and attitude guides us through suffering. When these three are aligned, burnout is no longer a collapse, but a signal to realign. It is the body’s way of reminding us that meaning is not lost, only waiting to be rediscovered.

Expert contribution by Mr Hritik Rana, Psychologist, dedicated to promoting emotional resilience in professional spaces.