Facing Burnout with Resilience

In early April, Helsingin Sanomat published an interview that made me pause and reflect on events from over a decade ago. In the interview, Kotka Mayor Esa Sirviö, 56, spoke about his burnout and the extreme measures he was prepared to take because he could no longer find any other way out of it all.

Esa’s story—so tragic, yet at the same time as ordinary and mundane as it is—is just one account of a Finn who is burned out from his workload. According to the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, as many as one in ten Finns suffer from work-related burnout.

Finns are taught from a young age that human dignity is earned through hard work. Tasks are completed on time—preferably even ahead of schedule—and without error. Because there is no greater shame than a job poorly done. For a Finn, a job well done is a source of pride and joy. Sisu—we push through the gray stone, chin up, and face new disappointments. With these slogans in mind, we grit our teeth and try to get through the week until the weekend, when one set of tasks simply gives way to another. Days are filled with the kids’ activities, and maybe in the evening we glance at work emails or an Excel spreadsheet. Letting go is practically impossible.

We are a nation of hard workers whose reward lies “somewhere out there.” Where that reward is and what it entails is, of course, a highly subjective experience, but the common narrative passed down from generation to generation is that once we retire, we’ll finally get to rest. Then we’ll spend time at the cottage, travel, and spend time with family. But what if that time never comes? Will life remain entirely unlived, with work defining everything?

The grind begins as early as elementary school, when children are taught that school is their job, one they must navigate successfully to earn good grades. The pressure starts as early as preschool, and as competition intensifies year after year, who can still seriously wonder why students are burning out under the weight of their workload? From there, it’s straight into the working world, where mercy is unknown these days. Every working-age person knows that no one is irreplaceable and that tomorrow is not guaranteed. Is doing your best enough anymore, just like it used to be?

Burnout is often the result of many factors. In my case, it was triggered by my divorce at the time and my inability to face and deal with certain emotions. After ten years of marriage, I was faced with a new situation that I didn’t know how to handle, so I filled my life with work: During the week I worked as a journalist, in the evenings I wrote two books, and on weekend nights I worked as a security guard. At the same time, I was struggling with the divorce and everything that came with it. Add a bottle of whiskey to the mix, and the recipe was complete. I lost weight, my hair fell out, and my body started to break down until even getting out of bed became a struggle. In the end, I managed to

I wrapped up my projects and sorted out the loose ends after leaving, but it took me a while to recover from burnout, which led me to seek therapy.

I would venture to say that the generation that Esa and I represent has greater resilience in the face of life’s ups and downs than the current generation, but that doesn’t mean that we, having passed middle age, are immune to the clutches of burnout. We may be able to endure even the toughest grind for longer, but the fall into darkness is certainly more severe. However, burnout is not just an “occupational hazard” for Generation Xers who have been in the workforce for decades. Younger people are just as susceptible to burnout. A good friend of mine, only 27 at the time, was working like there was no tomorrow—he was an entrepreneur, after all. Having been through it myself, I saw the warning signs of impending burnout and tried to warn him, urging him to take it easy. “I can handle it, Teemu. I’m young!” Before long, he vanished without a trace, until months later he answered my call and told me he’d hit a mental wall. “You were absolutely right,” was his summary.

Burnout creeps up on you like a ninja in the night. Today you might be sharp and on top of things, but tomorrow you could be stuck in bed. Or making a final decision with a bottle and a shotgun, just like Esa was about to do. Admit that you’re not a workhorse who can just keep going, because no job is worth sacrificing your life for.

Finns are taught from an early age that human dignity is earned through hard work. Tasks are completed on time—preferably even ahead of schedule—and without error. Because there is no greater shame than a job poorly done.

- Pastor