Is overstimulation the true cause of burnout? 5 ways to tackle it.
Burnout is on the rise. We can say with certainty, that far more people experience burnout today than they did in the past (1). Overworking, pushing ourselves too hard or spreading ourselves too thin, by taking on too many responsibilities- undoubtedly can cause us to burnout if we don’t get adequate rest. It’s important not to underestimate the role that overstimulation plays.
It’s simplistic to just say that burnout is caused by working too hard. Studies have shown that the job sector which experiences the lowest rates of burnout is the transportation and utilities industry; jobs related to moving people or goods and providing essential services like power, water, and waste management. We obviously can’t say that a bus driver or a pilot, for example, works less hard than those in jobs which experience higher levels of burnout, such as in the finance sector (2).
Is the true cause of our collective burnout, overstimulation, rather than overworking?
Human beings are too complex for us to hope to find a specific cause of burnout- usually it’s a combination of multiple factors. But, when tackling burnout, it’s crucial not to ignore overstimulation and simply address the overwork factor. For example, if you are planning on cutting down work time to gain more free-time, it’s important to think about what you are going to spend that free-time doing.
Overstimulation occurs when our brains are fed more external stimuli than it can keep up with. A postmodern phenomenon, never before in known history have we had so much information, “infotainment” and entertainment readily available at our fingertips. Pair that with the overstimulation of working from a laptop and being bombarded with work emails, messages, team calls etc, and we have a recipe for burnout.
Our attention spans are limited and our brains weren’t made to absorb so much. The more we “doomscroll”, the more and the faster our brain switches between different content, the more our attention spans shorten. This will affect our work because we’re unable to focus on a task and get it done from start to finish without being distracted multiple times.
The social media popularised phrase “brainrot” aptly sums up this collective rotting of our mental capabilities and consciousness. As we increasingly rely on AI to do tasks which we would have had to use our intellects for in the past, we are in danger of retreating and becoming a sort of giant sponge brain, lost in a world of our own private distractions and enjoyment. This passive absorption of continuous information leaves us drained and feeling burnt out.
Obviously social media, mass media, overproduction and overconsumption aren’t going away anytime soon, so here are some ways to tackle overstimulation and prevent mental fatigue:
1) Read books and/or watch movies instead of scrolling: most of us need a degree of escapism in our otherwise mundane lives. Books can provide this in a way which is actually beneficial for our brains. Films are a modern day art form which take years of thought, creativity and hard work to produce. Absorbing them is better for our brains when we need to take a break, rather than scrolling.
2) Take up a physical sport or exercise: this is especially important for remote workers; exercising takes us out of our brains and into our physical bodies, which can be therapeutic and gives us the true mental break which we need.
3) Take up a creative hobby: whether its writing, knitting, baking or DIY projects, we all need to focus more on producing and less on consuming. Once this consumption/production divide balances out, we will start feeling a lot better.
4) Genuinely want to make a change: any lifestyle change is hard. You have to want to change more than you want things to stay the same.
5) Confide in someone who will keep you accountable. Whether that’s a friend or a coach, have someone who you can check in with, who can keep you accountable.Knowing that your friend or coach is going to ask about whether you’re sticking to the changes you plan to make is a great way of keeping up motivation, as humans are inherently social beings and hate to feel embarrassed. It takes thirty-forty days to form a new habit, and Flowmote provides coaches who can help keep you accountable during that crucial initial period of change and growth. If you want to book an initial session with one of our coaches (money-back guarantee), see here.(3).
Rather than trying to implement a bunch of changes right away, start with one small change and work on being consistent with it for a month. Once it becomes a habit, then introduce another small change. Continue doing this throughout the year and embrace slow, lasting growth and change as opposed to quick-fixes and instant results.
References:
(1) “Burnout is clearly more prevalent today than in the recent past. For example, burnout among U.S. health workers rose from 32% in 2018 to 46% in 2022 (CDC). Similarly, primary care physicians at the VHA reported burnout rates climbing from 46.2% in 2018 to 57.6% in 2022. And across industries, overall burnout , measured by Indeed, has increased 9 percentage points since before COVID-19.
(2) Ringover. The worst industries for burnout in 2023. Ringover Blog. Published July 2023. Accessed August 15, 2025. Available from: https://www.ringover.com/blog/worst-industries-for-burnout
(3) We understand that for most people coaching sounds like a privileged luxury only few can enjoy, which is why we make our coaching far more a6ordable than the average rate. We also know that coaching has an unfortunate stereotype of not really providing anything of value, which is why our approach is heavily focused on an evidence-based approach with lifestyle changes you can implement right away.
