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0:53

At Kroger, we know the minute a tomato

0:55

is picked off the vine, the fresh timer starts.

0:58

The sooner we get our produce to you, the fresher it is.

1:00

That's why we've completely overhauled our process

1:03

to shorten the time from harvest to

1:05

home for our tomatoes, strawberries,

1:07

and salads. Because we know how much you

1:09

love fresh produce, we give you more time

1:12

to enjoy your tasty fruits and veggies at

1:14

home. So whether you're shopping in-store, picking

1:16

up, or prefer delivery, we're committed

1:18

to bringing you the freshest produce possible.

1:21

Kroger, fresh for everyone.

1:23

So you've heard of burnout, right? It's

1:26

this like physical,

1:28

mental, and emotional exhaustion that

1:31

comes from chronic stress

1:33

and a number of other things, but especially

1:36

in the workplace.

1:37

And the thing is, it can really

1:40

affect anyone. It comes out of nowhere.

1:43

It really like messes with you.

1:45

But it's particularly common

1:48

among people who work in demanding,

1:50

competitive, or super high-pressure

1:52

environments,

1:53

especially people who work in life-or-death

1:56

type situations. that

2:00

type of high pressure. But obviously

2:02

also significantly less important

2:04

jobs like mine where I, I don't

2:06

know, I ship code important,

2:09

but nobody's gonna die if I don't ship

2:11

code. Anyway, that's a complete

2:13

sidebar here. Burnout can have serious

2:16

consequences for your health, happiness

2:18

and productivity. But

2:20

what really are like the causes

2:23

of burnout and why does it seem like

2:25

it's getting worse and worse over

2:27

time?

2:28

And maybe the most important question,

2:31

what can we do as a society and

2:33

as a community to prevent it, to

2:35

make it better?

2:37

In this episode, I'm gonna argue that

2:39

burnout is not just a personal

2:41

problem, which I think is how most of us think

2:44

about it.

2:44

It's actually a social and

2:47

economic problem. It's a politics

2:50

problem. It's a capitalism problem.

2:53

Because I'm gonna talk about how capitalism, the

2:55

dominant system of production and consumption

2:57

in our society creates the conditions

3:00

for burnout and makes it significantly

3:02

harder to cope with.

3:04

But don't worry, it's not gonna be all politics.

3:06

We are gonna end on a pretty positive

3:09

note about what we as

3:11

a society can do to resist

3:14

burnout and to

3:16

just make it happen significantly less. Because

3:19

I think it's important that as individuals

3:21

and as a community, we start

3:23

to reclaim our wellbeing while

3:26

living in a capitalist world.

3:28

What is burnout?

3:43

So what is burnout?

3:46

Burnout is a condition that arises

3:48

when an individual experiences prolonged

3:50

stress and pressure, resulting

3:52

in a sense of emotional, physical and

3:55

mental exhaustion.

3:57

Now this condition can manifest in different

3:59

forms, including... and work burnout, relationship

4:01

burnout, and even creative burnout. And

4:04

it can affect anyone regardless of profession,

4:07

age, or gender.

4:08

And the thing that I think is the

4:11

most important aspect of burnout

4:13

is that it has significant impact

4:15

on an individual's quality of life, relationships,

4:19

and work performance.

4:20

So oftentimes, if you are struggling

4:23

on a day-to-day basis in any area of your life, your

4:26

relationships, your health, your sleep,

4:28

your work, you're just not focused,

4:30

a lot of that actually has to do with burnout.

4:33

I think a lot of us look at, oh, we can't

4:35

focus, we can't focus. And we just think,

4:37

ah, why is my attention span so

4:40

low? It's because of TikTok, because of video games.

4:42

Why am I struggling? Why am I

4:44

so lazy?

4:45

The truth is you're actually burned out, but

4:48

you don't realize it yet.

4:49

So it can have a massive, massive

4:52

effect on how you live your life

4:54

and what you're able to do.

4:56

One of the defining characteristics, and this

4:58

is what makes it so scary, is that

5:01

it doesn't just like hit you. It's

5:03

like a gradual onset. So

5:06

you think that that thing you were

5:08

stressing about two months ago, you already dealt

5:10

with that, it's off your plate,

5:11

but in actuality, like that's leading

5:13

to burnout two months later. It happens

5:16

that slowly.

5:18

It's difficult to recognize it at first.

5:20

But

5:20

over time, these symptoms become more

5:23

pronounced and they can have a significant

5:25

impact on your daily life.

5:27

One of the most common symptoms is

5:30

the feeling of just helplessness,

5:33

hopelessness, and these things, they

5:35

lead to just a general sense of

5:37

apathy towards life, where it's just like,

5:40

what's even the point?

5:42

Nothing's working out for me, nothing's

5:44

what I want it to be. I'm not where I wanna be. I

5:46

haven't achieved this goal, that goal, that goal.

5:49

I hate myself. Just a general

5:52

apathy and disdain for

5:54

your day-to-day life.

5:55

It also leads to a lack of desire

5:58

to try to make anything better.

5:59

So it becomes this like

6:01

dangerous cycle where if you get trapped into

6:04

it, you end up feeling depressed, you

6:06

end up feeling anxious, you end up just

6:08

like self-sabotaging and just

6:10

like burying yourself rather

6:12

than trying to face it and try

6:14

to overcome it.

6:17

At Kroger, we know the minute a tomato

6:19

is picked off the vine, the fresh timer starts.

6:22

The sooner we get our produce to you, the fresher it is.

6:24

That's why we've completely overhauled our process

6:26

to shorten the time from harvest to

6:28

home for our tomatoes, strawberries,

6:31

and salads. Because we know how much you

6:33

love fresh produce, we give you more time

6:35

to enjoy your tasty fruits and veggies at home.

6:38

So whether you're shopping in-store, picking up, or

6:40

prefer delivery, we're committed to bringing

6:43

you the freshest produce possible. Kroger,

6:45

fresh for everyone.

6:47

Other symptoms may include things like difficulty

6:49

sleeping, increased irritability or

6:51

frustration, physical symptoms

6:54

such as headaches or stomach issues, and

6:56

a general sense of fatigue

6:58

or exhaustion.

7:00

And these things, they are really,

7:02

really challenging for individuals who are

7:04

under constant pressure or who have

7:07

super demanding schedules

7:08

because you can't necessarily just

7:11

take a break. You can't necessarily step

7:13

back and give yourself the space that you

7:15

might need.

7:17

But, and this is

7:20

the saddest part of this episode, as

7:22

much as everything I just laid out is bad, it's

7:25

actually worse. It gets a lot worse, partially

7:28

because of the system that we currently live in. So

7:31

let's talk about capitalism here. You

7:34

live in it, but do you really

7:36

like get what it is and how it works?

7:40

So capitalism is an economic

7:42

system in which the means of production, such

7:44

as factories and machines, are

7:47

owned by private individuals and

7:49

businesses rather than by the government

7:51

or individuals collectively.

7:54

In a capitalist environment, the number

7:56

one priority for all organizations is

7:58

to produce profit.

7:59

That's the entire purpose

8:02

of existing for a company.

8:04

It's to produce a profit. That's it.

8:07

It's just a profit generating mechanism.

8:09

You put money in,

8:11

on the other end, you take money out and

8:14

you hope that that's more money than what you put in.

8:16

All the stuff that happens in the middle, it might

8:18

as well be a vending machine. Like it doesn't

8:20

matter.

8:21

So you produce profit. That's why

8:23

you start or run an organization.

8:26

Now, this is what's the capital

8:29

in capitalism. It's a profit.

8:31

Now, on the other end,

8:33

that profit

8:34

is either taken as a

8:36

distribution to all shareholders,

8:38

all the owners of the organization, or

8:41

it's reinvested into the organization

8:44

with the intention of producing more profit.

8:46

So this is, if you've got a vending machine

8:48

and you know if you put a dollar in, you're gonna get a dollar 50

8:51

out, you're gonna stand there and just keep

8:53

putting your money into it. Every

8:55

single time you put in at least

8:57

a dollar and you get a dollar 50 back. So

9:00

yeah, you're just gonna keep duplicating your money over and over

9:02

again. That's what the

9:04

system reinforces is I put X

9:07

number of dollars in at the front. Some

9:09

stuff happens in the middle. And then

9:12

on the other end, I get a dollar 50

9:14

back. Great, I'm gonna keep reinvesting

9:16

into that.

9:18

Now, one of the things that happens as

9:20

a result of capitalism is due to this like prioritization

9:23

of profit,

9:24

the system creates a massive like

9:26

downward pressure from the people

9:28

at the top and the organization at the top to

9:31

the workers, the laborers, the people like

9:33

you and me

9:34

who don't own the means of production.

9:36

It creates this massive pressure

9:39

that forces us to

9:41

constantly produce more, faster

9:44

and cheaper. This is why I say

9:47

the natural end, the

9:49

natural like next step for capitalism

9:52

is of course to outsource

9:54

all of our jobs.

9:55

Like if AI can do it cheaper, faster,

9:58

better in many cases.

11:59

leads to loneliness, it leads

12:02

to feelings of inadequacy

12:04

and constant comparison, it leads to

12:06

insecurity and questioning whether or

12:08

not you even deserve to be there. Like all

12:10

of these negative feelings that we have from

12:12

our day-to-day lives doing work comes

12:15

from the system of capitalism. It's not that

12:17

you are a failure, it's that the system

12:19

wants you to believe you're a failure.

12:23

That's real.

12:25

Now as a side benefit of all of this, for

12:28

the organization, to be clear, this is not

12:30

a benefit for you, this is for the organization. As

12:33

a side benefit,

12:35

you are far less likely to form a union

12:37

or to do any kind of like collective action

12:39

because these

12:42

people are your enemies. They're not your friends, they're

12:44

your enemies. You need to beat them, you need to be the one

12:46

that beats the game. Now I

12:49

know, I know, I want to clarify this, not

12:51

every company is like this. I actually work for a

12:53

pretty great company.

12:54

They treat their employees wonderfully.

12:57

The problem isn't the individual companies,

12:59

the problem is that the system should

13:01

not rely on the kindness

13:04

of the people who run the companies in

13:06

order for workers to have a decent quality

13:09

of life.

13:09

Like that's the problem. It's not about

13:12

whether your job is good or whether this

13:14

job is bad. The system shouldn't

13:16

allow jobs to be bad is really

13:18

what the main argument is. And

13:22

then lastly, the

13:23

lack of, and this is just like a larger question

13:25

about capitalism, the lack of job security

13:28

and limited social safety net, that

13:30

leads to more burnout as well.

13:33

Because you're constantly feeling like

13:35

if they decide to fire you for any

13:38

number of reasons, completely not your

13:40

fault, you can still be fired. If

13:42

they decide to fire you, let you go, whatever you

13:44

want to call it, you're screwed. Like

13:46

what are you going to do? Like yeah, technically, you can go to another

13:49

organization, but there's significantly

13:51

more people looking for jobs than there are

13:53

organizations hiring.

13:55

So in housing terms, it's a seller's market.

13:57

They can pick and choose, you kind of have to take care of

13:59

it.

15:49

And

16:00

we need to be paid in order to do

16:02

those things. So it is scary,

16:05

terrifying to sit here and

16:07

tell you you need to stand up for yourself.

16:10

Quite honestly, excuse my language, gonna

16:12

curse here, get the kids out of the room. That's

16:15

bullshit.

16:16

It's bullshit to sit here and tell you, oh,

16:18

you need to just like,

16:20

prioritize meditation. That'll

16:22

do it. Like, no, it won't. It won't.

16:25

If you don't exist in an organization

16:27

that is kind enough to let you prioritize

16:31

meditation, you're not gonna be able to. And

16:33

you're not even gonna be able to ask about it.

16:36

So I'm not naive

16:38

about that. However,

16:40

it is important that we as individuals

16:43

look for opportunities

16:45

to do the following things.

16:48

Number one, set boundaries. Because when

16:50

we know that we need to take a break, and we

16:52

know how to say no, and do it in such

16:54

a way that does not put our job

16:56

at risk,

16:58

we are going to be able to have

17:00

more bargaining power. We're going to be able

17:02

to stand up for ourselves more in

17:04

conversation.

17:06

And most importantly, we're gonna be able to avoid

17:08

burnout. Now the best advice I have

17:10

here is if you're in an organization that does

17:13

not naturally give you this

17:15

freedom,

17:16

then you need to learn how to frame your

17:19

ask in terms of what the organization

17:21

cares about. So if generating

17:24

a profit is the most important

17:26

thing, if completing this specific project

17:29

is the most important thing for the organization,

17:32

then we as individuals need to find ways

17:34

to communicate our needs in terms

17:37

of how does this lead to generating

17:39

a profit or completing this project. Or

17:42

potentially more importantly, how does

17:44

me not doing this take away

17:46

from those things? It's

17:49

all about framing and it's not gonna work 100%

17:51

of the time, of course not. But

17:55

it can lead to better conversations

17:58

that you at least don't feel. feel at

18:00

risk for bringing up.

18:03

Second thing is to prioritize self-care. Now, I've

18:05

talked about this a lot on the podcast, but

18:08

in your personal life, making space

18:10

for activities like physical exercise, hobbies,

18:13

relaxation, rest,

18:16

those things are important. They can help restore your

18:18

energy. They can reduce stress. The actual

18:20

practice of them is valuable,

18:22

but they're challenging to prioritize,

18:25

especially when you need to stay on top of a really,

18:27

really busy work schedule.

18:30

But what I want to say here, the piece of advice

18:32

is the goal is not to change yourself.

18:35

The goal of these activities of getting to the gym,

18:37

of eating better, of sleeping more,

18:39

of meditation, the goal is not

18:42

to change or improve anything. This

18:44

isn't personal development.

18:45

This is maintenance.

18:48

Because when people think of like, oh, I need

18:50

to get to the gym, they immediately jump to, well,

18:53

my goal must be to lose weight, or my goal must

18:55

be to build muscle, or my goal must be to look better,

18:57

or whatever it is, they immediately jump to this

18:59

needs to have a profitable outcome.

19:01

That's the problem with capitalism is we

19:03

think in terms of capitalism. We

19:06

think in terms of profit. Like

19:09

we're so ingrained into the system that

19:11

our personal lives are run

19:13

by the system. And

19:17

sometimes that's helpful.

19:19

It is helpful to say, well, my

19:21

I'm going to go exercise and my goal is

19:24

to do this. That's helpful. In

19:26

this case, when it comes to self care,

19:28

exercise, this job is not to get

19:31

you anywhere.

19:32

It's to keep you here. It's

19:34

to be present. It's to maintain

19:37

who you are in this moment.

19:40

The regular practice of prioritizing

19:43

yourself and your needs leads to

19:45

better overall mental health, regardless

19:48

of how long the practice is actually

19:50

practiced. So something as simple

19:53

as two minutes of stretching or meditation,

19:55

if you can't get to the gym or if you can't

19:57

sit for longer, that can go a long

19:59

way.

19:59

because the practice is what

20:02

matters, the prioritization is

20:04

what matters. And

20:06

then the last piece here is to ask for

20:08

help.

20:10

Connecting with others for support and guidance

20:12

goes a long long way

20:14

in helping with burnout prevention. Whether

20:16

it's asking someone to help you with something,

20:19

talking to a therapist, or just asking

20:21

friends to be a sounding board and just

20:24

let you vent.

20:26

Whatever it is, it's super, super

20:28

important. Now unfortunately in our society,

20:30

in our very competitive capitalist

20:33

environment, this is something that gets

20:35

looked down on.

20:37

It's not safe to ask for help,

20:42

but you still need to do it and you need to do it

20:44

every day

20:45

because we need to make it safe, at least

20:48

for ourselves. One

20:50

of the big benefits of this is yes, you get

20:52

the support you need

20:54

and you can be much more clear about what

20:56

you're capable of doing and what you can't. But

20:58

the other benefit is that it also

21:01

recreates that sense of community,

21:05

recreates that sense of connection,

21:07

and helps to tackle the sense of competition

21:10

that

21:10

capitalism has already instilled

21:12

in you. Just

21:15

by connecting with another person and recognizing

21:18

that there are other people there who either

21:20

do or could have your back.

21:24

So that's my spiel on burnout.

21:28

I hope that this is something you're able to

21:30

navigate. I

21:31

do have a question for you and if

21:33

you are listening on Spotify you can answer

21:35

this question by

21:37

responding to the prompt. If you're not listening on Spotify,

21:40

head over to Spotify, pull up this episode and you'll

21:42

be able to respond there. The question is

21:44

this,

21:45

tell me about a time that you experienced

21:46

burnout.